Inclusive design laboratory

Inclusive design of university environment in research and education

Inclusive Environment for Science Education to Students with Disabilities

United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities enshrines inclusive education with access to education for persons with disabilities. Our country ratified the treaty in 2007 and has enforced the “Act for Eliminating Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities” since April 2016. The education environment in higher education has been improved and the number of students with disabilities (SwD) in the university has increased by fourfold for the decade. The number of SwD is, however, very small in the field of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), due to the lack of accessibility.

The Inclusive Design Lab aims to make the laboratory barrier-free so that students with disabilities can participate in science. The project aims to construct an inclusive environment for science education to SwD in the university. To achieve this goal, we implement an accessible science laboratory.

We are creating assistive devices for conducting experiments, wheelchair-accessible washbasins, and other environmental improvements and creating a virtual reality of a barrier-free laboratory to gather opinions. By applying the "work analysis" method, which is also used in rehabilitation and other areas, to scientific experiments, we are building a platform to gain a detailed understanding of the physical abilities required for certain laboratory tasks and to examine what kind of support is necessary. We will continue to work on these initiatives while also collaborating with the fields of secondary education and special support education.

Member

• 
• • Associate Professor
    Shigehiro NAMIKI
  Specialized field: Biology

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