Tsukuba University, Paving the Way for Higher Deaf Education in Japan

The Deaf community is fortunate to have Tsukuba University of Technology (TUT), a sister school to NTID through the PEN International Progra. It is the only higher education university for both deaf students and blind students in Japan. Classes for deaf students are taught or interepreted in JSL. Therefore they can focus on their education fully instead of splitting time advocating for interpreting services, notetakers or lipreading while studying. Students can chose to major in Engineering, Computers (IT), Electronics, Architecture, etc. The most fascinating statistic we learned from Dr. Mayumi Shirasawa in the Research and Support Center is that TUT has a 100% job placement percentage for graduates!

TUT is currently developing a Remote Sign Language Interpreting System to make more university level courses readily available to Deaf and Hard of Hearing students. We had an opportunity to view a demonstration of this technology and look forward to learning more about it's future availability. It is wonderful to know that this kind of techology is breaking through to help better the lives of deaf people all over.

We Need Your Help to Connect in China!

Yesterday was met with mixed emotions as we exchanged our Lonely Planet book from Japan to China. We have had such an amazing time and felt so well embraced in Japan, but also eager to move on. So off to Bejing, China we go!

Do you know anyone connected to the Deaf/Hard of Hearing community in China? Someone who works for a Deaf or mainstream school, organization, or business? Someone who can help us translate from English to written Chinese characters?

Please send us an email if you have any contacts, resources or input for us as we travel throughout China. We will be there from Feb 26thーMarch 26th.

info@discoveringdeafworlds.com

Hearing Japanese Woman, Bridges the Gap

With only six weeks to explore Japan, so many locals kept asking us “Why would you spend a week in Kochi of all places!?”

Kochi is a smaller non-touristy city off the beaten track from the ‘bright lights, big city’ atmosphere of Tokyo and Osaka. But it was the motivation, commitment, and unprecedented generousity of a woman named Koko that brought us there.

Koko, a hearing woman fantastically fluent in spoken/written Japanese and English, has always been an intermediary for those two worlds. Throughout her life, Koko has been sensitive and passionate about breaking down barriers of race, gender, and cultural diversity, yet has had minimal exposure to the deaf community (common for most hearing people). But when Koko heard about our project through a mutual friend, she decided to roll up her sleeves, get involved and fulfill a new curiosity.

Offering to be our personal coordinator and interpreter for the week, Koko arranged visits to the Kochi Deaf School, Kochi Deaf Association, and a meeting with an inspirational calligrapher named Shunsuke where local TV and newspaper reporters joined (see previous blog). She also earned permission for us to visit & interview deaf employees at a local hospital and hearing aid company…and even tapped into family connections to line up a short DDW presentation at the Kochi Rotary Club International!

In between visits, Koko and her equally dedicated mother Kihoko, began learning Japanese and American Sign Languages. We all learned incredible amounts about the educational opportunities and communication access for deaf people in Kochi. Watching Koko jump right in head-first to meet and learn about the Kochi deaf community shows she is bridging the gap, not only between Japanese and Western culture, but between deaf and hearing subcultures as well.

Through people like Koko, a ripple effect of awareness is created. She is now working on an article of her experience to submit to the local newspaper.


Photos:
Koko interpreting at Shunsuke's house
Kochi Rotary Club International with President Morimoto-san and our generous host Sugimoto-san
Kihoko & Koko sharing a traditional Japanese lunch