Abstract
In this study, we examined whether the japanese law for the welfare of the physically disabled appropriately evaluates the handicaps in daily living of severe aphasic patients. The subjects consisted of two groups. One was comprised of 18 aphasic patients who met the criteria for the 3rd grade of speech and language disability according to the japanese law for the welfare of the physically disabled. The other was a control group comprised of 11 patients with hearing disorders who met the criteria for the 2nd grade of hearing disability according to the same law. As a result, aphasic patients were significantly worse than the hearing disorder patients with regard to the following 3 points : CADL (Communicative Abilities in Daily Living-A Test of Functional Communication for Aphasic Adults) communication level, CADL Communication level with some supportive methods, and accuracy in acquiring information concerning social events. The amount of information available has also increased since 1949, when the japanese law for the welfare of the physically disabled was enacted. This may have made the handicap of aphasics, who suffer with respect to all modalities of language, greater than that of the hearing disabled, who suffer with respect to only one modality. Based on the above, we believe that the japanese law for the welfare of the physically disabled must be reformed accordingly.
