Ruby for exam questions?
“Reasonable accommodation” spreads to learning disabilities March 23, 14:55
Would you be sly if there was only one student with ruby on the exam questions?
However, this is a "reasonable accommodation" for students with learning disabilities called dyslexia, who have difficulty reading and writing letters.
A learning disability that has various learning difficulties such as reading, writing, and calculating Chinese characters, although there is no delay in intellectual development.
Now, based on the idea of "reasonable accommodation" stipulated in the Disability Discrimination Elimination Law, various support efforts are beginning to spread.
We interviewed a junior high school student in Kagoshima prefecture who was able to pass high school with the understanding and support of the school, even though he was suffering from learning disabilities.
(Kagoshima Broadcasting Station reporter Yutaro Horikawa)
“Difficult to read and write” junior high school students with learning disabilities
Shindai Fukuyama, a third-year junior high school student in Satsumasendai City, Kagoshima Prefecture.
Last May, he confided his learning disability to his classmates.
Shindai, who takes a long time to read and write and also uses a tablet to read aloud textbooks, has similar characters such as the number 6 and the lowercase b of the alphabet, and the hiragana characters "ki" and "chi". It is said that it is difficult to distinguish.
Shindai Fukuyama
"It takes time to copy what is written on the blackboard into a notebook, and the blackboard goes to the next place while copying. Sometimes I didn't understand well even after taking classes."
His mother, Masami, was worried because she didn't understand why her son wasn't good at studying.
She says she was rather relieved when she was diagnosed with a learning disability when she was in fifth grade.
My mother, Masami,
"I couldn't write even if I had to write Chinese characters, and I couldn't help writing. I erased it many times and tried again, but I couldn't do it at all, so I was wondering why. It was a strange story, it was refreshing, or it felt like "Oh, it was a learning disability."
To support Shindai-san, who continues to play judo
At one point, Mr. Shindai was asked if he would like to enter a support class, but there was a reason he wanted to enter a regular class.
It is the existence of judo that started when I was in the 4th grade of elementary school and was so strong that I was ranked 4th in the prefectural tournament.
Mr. Shindai
"It's fun because I can understand the bargaining with the other party and getting stronger and stronger."
I also worked hard to study at a local junior high school where the judo club is located.
It was Mr. Yuka Hori, the teacher, who supported Mr. Shindai.
It was a surprising scene that I noticed the suffering of her learning disability.
Mr. Hori
"At the beginning of the first grade, I made a tongue twister in the part of relaxation and communication. Everyone was relatively easy to get along with, so it was a teaching material that I enjoyed, but he was crying for the first time. I mean, it was a scene where I realized that I was not good at this kind of thing. "
Support for Shindai-san, who has begun to spread
Hori-sensei and other school teachers have begun to support Shindai-san.
During class, the staff of the nursing facility will enter the classroom and give detailed advice on how to take notes from a professional stand.
Furthermore, the class itself has changed.
In addition to the ruby characters on the board, Shindai-san's prints are larger than those of other students, and the ruby characters are also handwritten.
At first, some people were worried that it was "unprecedented," but with the help of his mother, Masami, he said that his understanding gradually expanded.
My mother, Masami,
"I was almost crying when I saw the test with ruby characters. I had a reading book in the morning in junior high school, but I haven't read the book for a long time. It's very difficult. The teachers will do it for this child. "
It is said that this ruby was aimed at the course of Mr. Shindai who wanted to continue judo even in high school.
Dr. Hori
: "If you have a track record of giving consideration to regular tests, for example, in junior high school, it will be a breakthrough for his entrance exams, and it will be one of the factors that will give you such consideration. There was a feeling that there was no such thing as a grade. "
High school also moved to the voices of the people involved
Reimei High School in Satsumasendai City answered the thoughts of junior high school.
After receiving consultation, expand the question sheet and answer sheet.
In addition, I sprinkled ruby on small details such as in the figure, and allowed me to take the exam in a separate room.
Reimei High School Takuya Kirikihira, Director of Educational Affairs Department
"Since we have never considered this kind of consideration at our school, we had various discussions on how to deal with it. Not limited to entrance exams, such I thought that the future goals and dreams of the students should not be closed, so I worked on it. "
Shindai who passed high school safely.
He says he was confident in himself before his high school life from spring.
Mr. Shindai
"I think that the teachers' response and my efforts have given me confidence. I want to live a high school life where I can always smile, and in judo I want to do my best to be better."
Consideration at school
Learning disabilities that cannot be understood from appearance alone.
In particular, many children have "dyslexia," which makes it difficult to read and write letters.
Celebrities such as Hollywood actor Tom Cruise and movie director Spielberg have also announced, and they are active overcoming obstacles.
For students with learning disabilities, even a small ruby can be a great help, and this kind of accommodation is called "reasonable accommodation."
It is also stipulated in the Disability Discrimination Elimination Law that came into effect in 2016, and the national and local governments responded to individuals, such as changing the rules so as to eliminate the barriers that children with disabilities face in receiving education as much as possible. It is obligatory to devise a response.
According to the Kagoshima Prefectural Board of Education, 64 considerations were given to students with various disabilities in the academic ability test of public high schools in this prefecture, which was the highest in the last few years.
Although individual cases have not been announced, it is said that the measures were taken with reference to the considerations that are usually taken at the junior high school while attending school, such as using hearing aids and taking exams in a separate room.
After the interview
The reason for this interview was that I was contacted by the person in charge of the nursing facility, which is supported by Mr. Shindai, saying, "I would like you to introduce such cases."
It was impressive that everyone involved, including Mr. Shindai and his mother, Masami, as well as junior high school teachers and high school teachers, are working on "consideration" with their own thoughts.
According to the national and prefectural governments, although there are cases of such "ruby swings", we do not know the details of how much they are practiced at the entrance examination site.
There is no doubt that it will be difficult for the teachers to shake the ruby in detail, but I hope that the efforts will be expanded effectively while utilizing ICT technology and the support provided by the staff specializing in the facility.
I hope that each and every one of us will be able to provide personalized support so that children can connect their dreams for the future.
Kagoshima Broadcasting Station Reporter
Yutaro Horikawa
Joined in 2014
After working at the Yamagata Bureau and Satsumasendai Branch, he is currently in
charge of scientific culture such as the rocket and nuclear power plant of Cap Tanegashima of the investigative journalism team.