Shunsuke Kyo
Associate Professor, Faculty of Human Sciences, Shimane University

"Sir, I don't understand what you're saying." "How do you read this kanji?" "Could you check if my handwriting has any mistakes?" These are common questions in our Open College for Intellectually Disabled Individuals in Matsue (referred to as Open College in Matsue), where, as time permits, questions and opinions are raised from various perspectives.

The Open College in Matsue, which began in 2007, will graduate its 7th class this March. The program operates on a two-year cycle, with classes held for two days each in fall and spring. At the Matsue Campus of Shimane University, individuals with intellectual disabilities over 18 years old, come to attend a wide variety of lectures ranging from liberal arts courses like English Studies, Psychology, and group work to courses that make use of local facilities such as Matsue's History and Dojo Sukui (loach scooping – a traditional local game related to Matsue’s history).

The Open College in Matsue Executive Committee is responsible for organizing this program. The main planners are student-staff members primarily composed of students from the Faculty of Human Science at Shimane University. Additionally, members of the Matsue City Hand in Hand Nurturing Association and the Matsue City Social Welfare Council participate as staff members from the society at large, providing valuable advice from their professional experience. The guiding principles are 1) Ensuring the human rights of individuals with intellectually disabled (the right to receive education), 2) Ensuring the potential for intellectual development and change in intellectually disabled individuals, 3) Contributing to the local community through the university. These principles inherit the ideas advocated by Professor Tadashi Ando, who initiated the Open College program at Osaka Prefecture University (currently Osaka Metropolitan University) in 1998.

At the Open College in Matsue, each student will be assigned a volunteer learning supporter. Not only Shimane University students, but also members of the local community will help. On the day of the program, the learning supporters sit next to the students and provide assistance whenever necessary, catering to each individual's needs. They not only provide support but also become fellow learners who attend the same lectures.

This initiative brings about a change in everyone involved. Many of the students participate in the Open College in Matsue by saving up their own wages. This is why their attitude towards learning is always sincere. While each individual has their own way of participating and learning, they acquire skills related to liberal arts and skills for social life through lectures and interactions. It's incredibly rewarding to see the changes in the students every time we meet.

The lecturers who teach the classes are not limited to faculty members from Shimane University but include people active in the local community. From the time the lecture was requested to the day of the event, many lecturers display signs of unease, wondering about necessary considerations and whether they will be able to communicate with students effectively. However, after the lecture, their evaluation changed to statements such as "Everyone was very active" or "I was delighted to see their attentive attitude." The student-staff and learning supporters also experience realizations such as "We became aware of the 'barriers' we have created" or "We understand the importance of the desire to learn." The one thing they have in common is that the students themselves are the ones changing the world around them. I am always amazed by the power that everyone possesses.

Connecting with people is another crucial aspect. One of the students sends letters to the staff and student supporters regularly. Student staff and learning supporters told us that they ran into students in town and reminisced about their time there. There was also one lecturer who shared the delightful news that some students had participated in his training session. Learning together and connecting with others through the Open College—our goal is to continue to make the Open College such a place, and we hope to create new Open Colleges in the future.

Group photo of the 7th class of students, learning supporters, and staff in the Open College in Matsue. The students also created the standing signboard.