On June 15^th, 2021, "INCLUNET Nishinomiya", a group of people with disabilities and their parents, schoolteachers, and people in the welfare sector in Nishinomiya City, published the results of a questionnaire regarding parental accompaniment of children in need of medical care when traveling to and from their schools.

INCLUNET supports inclusive education, where students with and without disabilities study together in local schools. The questionnaire was prompted by the voices of parents who joined a counselling service provided by INCLUNET. At present, students with disabilities can use welfare taxis and shuttle buses to get to and from special needs schools. However, these services are unavailable if they choose to attend a local school, and their parents have to accompany them every day.

In 2021, Osaka Prefecture decided to expand their transportation support to children with disabilities enrolled in local schools. With a view to realizing the same measure in Nishinomiya City, INCLUNET carried out this survey to reveal the actual situation of children with disabilities attending local schools, in order to make policy recommendations. The survey was conducted among parents of children with disabilities living in Nishinomiya City who attend local schools. 109 parents (96 of whose children are attending primary school and 13 junior high school) responded to the survey.

According to the survey, 94 out of 109 parents (86%) accompany their children when they travel to school, and the reasons were: "It is difficult for them to travel alone" (53 parents, 56%), "The school asked me to accompany them" (47 parents, 50%), and "I worry about them" (36 parents, 38%).

The survey also looked at the use of after-school services, employment status of the parents, and what parents do when they fall ill and cannot take care of their children. For more information, please visit the following website (Japanese only).

https://minnaissyo.wixsite.com/inclunet-nishinomiya/blank-3