Learning about an Inclusive Society through Support for Persons with Disabilities and Para Sports
On October 14, 2025, the Waseda University Volunteer Academy was held at the International Conference Center in Building No. 18 on Waseda Campus under the theme “Learning about an Inclusive Society through Support for Persons with Disabili ties and Para Sports.”
▲Practical exercise in guiding a person with a visual impairment while walking
The event was based on an academy program that Shimizu Corporation has regularly held for university students and local governments throughout Japan and was organized with the cooperation of the nonprofit organization STAND.
Participants attended lectures by three leading figures in the field of para sports support in Japan: Kazuko Ito, Representative Director of the nonprofit organization STAND and an advisory committee member of the Japan Sports Agency’s U-SPORTS PROJECT; Yusuke Hatsuse, a member of the Japanese visually impaired judo team at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games and Vice President of the Paralympians Association of Japan; and Nobukazu Hanaoka, who placed fifth in the marathon at the London 2012 Paralympic Games and serves as President of the Kanto Para Athletics Association.
Participants also received practical instruction through two programs, one focusing on visual impairments and the other on wheelchair use.
▲Practical exercise in using a wheelchair to negotiate a step
In the visual impairment program, participants wore blindfolds to experience the anxiety and fear that persons with visual impairments may feel while walking. Participants then learned about the types of support needed to reduce this anxiety and fear.
In the wheelchair program, participants used wheelchairs and experienced how difficult it can be to negotiate a step only five centimeters high. Through the exercise, participants learned about barriers encountered by wheelchair users and the support they may require.
We believe that the keynote lectures and practical exercises provided participants with a wide range of new insights and knowledge. We hope that this experience will encourage participants to reconsider their perceptions of persons with disabilities, broaden their perspectives, and reflect on what an inclusive society should look like.
