2023 Volume 45 Issue 2 Pages 37-47
The purpose of this study was to clarify the characteristics of university environments that tend to adversely affect the lives of students with developmental disabilities as well as to propose ways to support them in the future. We asked 780 universities across Japan (responsible for supporting students with developmental disabilities) to take part in an anonymous questionnaire survey. The contents of the survey were (1) 20 items about environments and systems specific to university life that students with developmental disabilities are likely to struggle with (four options); (2) environments and systems specific to university life that students with developmental disabilities are likely to struggle with (free writing), and (3) requests for support and accommodation from students with developmental disabilities and their guardians that were deemed to fall outside the scope by the university (free writing). Responses were obtained from 161 universities (response rate of 20.6%). For (1), the responses were quantified by assigning a value between 1 and 4 to calculate the average value of each item. The results suggested that students generally struggled with the 20 items. Furthermore, factor analysis identified the two factors “environments that require autonomy” and “non-uniform class systems.” Responses to items in sections (2) and (3) were organized using the KJ method. This revealed six major categories for (2), including “many situations that the student has to deal with on their own,” and five major categories for (3), including “everyday life support.” These results indicate that universities should expand their scope of support for students with developmental disabilities, provide clearer information about their facilities, and instruct prospective students on how to adapt to university life before admission.
