Ai Minai
Eye Ai Hitomi Consultation Support Center
Yamanashi Prefectural School for the Blind

1. Overview of school and its function as a regional support center

This school is the only school for the blind and visually impaired in Yamanashi prefecture. Although it is a small school with only 23 students enrolled, it has functioned as a regional support center in blind and visually impaired education by taking advantage of its expertise. Within the school a division called Eye Ai Hitomi Counseling Support Center was established.

This division provides guidance and support for infants, children, students both inside and outside the school, as well as counseling and support for adults. There are 6 members in this division, each of whom also has their own homeroom class.   A major feature of our school is that the actual support is provided by a school-wide system in which the entire staff is involved. There are two types of support activities: educational counseling and awareness support.

2. Educational Counseling Activities

(1) Eye Ai Hitomi Consultation

At our school, we are available for consultations with people who live in the prefecture that are feeling anxiety concerning their eyesight, as well as providing consultation to involved parties.  Regardless of age, the content of the consultation is not limited to education, but a wide variety of topics are accepted. Depending on its content, however, there can be cooperation between our school and the school the student is enrolled in, or an outside cooperating agency could also be introduced. As a result of the initial consultation, those who need continued special education will be given extra support according to age and need.

(2) Continuing education consultation in the Aiai classroom

We provide regular individual guidance such as once a week or once a month to infants with visual impairments ranging in age from 0 through preschool. We will carefully assess the level of vision and development, and plan the content of instruction according to the actual situation. This will be done, if necessary, in cooperation with related agencies. With regards to teaching, we value the   "enjoyment of seeing and touching to identify objects” in activities based on play, while enhancing the sense of possession and dexterity. After preschool, these children will be engaged in learning basic concepts without relying solely on sight. At this time, we also provide practice using visual aids with the children. Since the Aiai classroom has only individual based instruction, we also hold a "parent-child study session" twice a year as an opportunity for group activities and learning activities for parents. Through fun activities and learning together, we are deepening the relationship between children who are blind and visually impaired with their parents.

(3) Support for low vision education in elementary and junior high schools

For blind and visually impaired elementary and junior high school students studying at a local school, it is important that the school they are enrolled in becomes the main body of guidance and support while sustaining their learning. However, in this prefecture, low vision classes are set up as special classes in the target child's school district. In this case, a teacher of that school is in charge and it is extremely rare that licensed teachers for the visually impaired to be the homeroom teacher.  There are also children with low vision who study in general education classes. Therefore, at our school, we are mainly involved in school support and teacher support for elementary and junior high schools rather than direct instruction to these children.

One teacher from our school will oversee one school, and will, for the purposes of support, visit approximately once a month. Since homeroom teachers for children with low vision tend to change quite rapidly after each year, we use a common format for support, so there will be no interruptions.  In order for children with low vision to lead a smooth school life, the teacher should understand the student’s level of vision and should understand there may have to be an adjustment in the learning environment as a reasonable accommodation. We have created and utilized the "Hitomi Record of Support for Low Vision Education” which is a collection of all the guidance materials for independent activities and a record of support provided by our school.

"Hitomi Record of Support for Low Vision Education" is a 38-page journal with records and commentary pages for 11 items such as visual status, character environment, consideration for subject guidance, and independent activities, with supplementary materials added. The local homeroom teacher will be responsible for writing, and our school staff will provide support. On the day of the monthly visit, a test to determine optimum font size for textbook enlargement will be performed together with the homeroom teacher.  In addition to this, the person in charge, together with the homeroom teacher will evaluate achievement and give advice by observing instruction of the use of a visual aid (monocular) necessary for viewing the blackboard. All of this will be recorded in Hitomi. Since this describes instructional content and evaluation methods of "independent activity", which is the most requested support, it will be utilized in daily learning even on days when there is no visit.

All children with low vision who study in the community are studying in an environment where they are the only visually impaired child in the school. In order to provide opportunities to study with friends who have the same disability, we have set up the Yamanashi Prefectural Amblyopia Education Liaison Council created at schools with blind and visually impaired children. These study sessions will be held jointly twice a year.  Since our school will be the venue, it will also be an opportunity for anyone to experience the latest support equipment and facilities equipped for blind and visually impaired education. In addition, we also started a research group which meets twice a year. This is where homeroom teachers can gather to exchange information.

(4) Other consultation projects

Two orthoptists and one mobility trainer work as outside experts at our school due to the prefecture's expert utilization project. We also have a system in place to utilize specialists assigned to other schools, such as psychologists and occupational therapists. By consulting with an expert, it is possible to provide support that is more in line with the child’s actual degree of vision.

In addition, in 2020 we started collaboration with the Yamanashi University School of Medicine Ophthalmology Low Vision Outpatient Department. By collaborating and consulting with ophthalmologists and orthoptists at hospitals, we have realized a new form of support that can directly meet the needs of blind and visually impaired children beyond the boundaries of medical care, education, welfare, etc. In addition, peer support can be provided with the participation of faculty members with visual impairments, which has been very well received by consulters.

3.  Awareness support activities

(1) Summer school

Summer school is an event held on weekends every July.  We are looking for a wide range of participants in the prefecture. Participants will be divided into several groups according to degree of vision. In addition to hands-on activities for the visually impaired, there are also educational experiences such as the Mekakushi (blindfold) Café for sighted people. In addition to group activities, we also hold various sports events for the blind and visually impaired as well as equipment exhibitions.

(2) Training cooperation

We respond to requests related to awareness and understanding of blind and visually impaired education at any time.

(3) Other awareness support activities

Involvement in education for children who are blind and visually impaired is important from an early stage, but low vision is difficult to detect and may not be noticed for a long time. Therefore, we created an “awareness leaflet” so that as many visually impaired children as possible can receive professional support from an early age. Every year, with the cooperation of kindergartens and nursery schools, we distribute this leaflet to households with younger students with the aim of detecting low vision in 3-year-old children (Japanese kindergartens usually start at 3 years of age). It is also distributed to municipalities and ophthalmology clinics.

In conclusion

Everyone who visits our school for the first time for the purposes of consultation has an uneasy look of anxiety and worry. However, with continued consultation, parents find that the things they can do for their children increase and the future outlook becomes brighter. This usually brings relief to everyone involved. What we value in our support activities is to be close to, accept, and empathize with the feelings of the individual and their parents, while thinking and rejoicing together. We will continue to use education and various methods of support as the two main objectives of the school, while cooperating with each other throughout the school system. We would like to enhance the specialty of blind and visually impaired education and exert our strength in education for enrolled children and community support.