A guide for inclusive design of science laboratories
in postsecondary education in Japan

“Act for Eliminating Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities” became effective in April 2016. The law promotes inclusive education which means diverse students learning in the same classroom. A variety of accommodation is available now for students with disabilities and the number of university students with disabilities in Japan has increased fourfold for the last ten years. However, support for the work in the laboratory in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), which require hands-on activity, is insufficient in many situations. Laboratories remain to be inaccessible to the students with disabilities for full participation to these fields.

This project is conducted at the University of Tokyo, Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, where researchers of diverse academic discipline including those with disabilities belong to. We investigate and integrate the idea from researchers and students and workers working in academia, with the assistance of disability service office in the university. Our goal is to provide a guideline for inclusive design in the laboratory which is crucial for successful career for students with disability in STEM discipline.