2016 Volume 25 Pages 39-59
In recent years, since the approval of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Japan has been working on enacting corresponding laws for disabled people in the country. Great efforts are being made to involve disabled people in the law-making process, including involving deaf people in the process of passing sign language ordinances. However, to date, the laws for sign language ordinances have been made without the attendance of deaf people. Therefore, we must clarify hearing people’s understanding of sign language without the involvement of deaf people. This research aims to identify how decision making for sign language ordinances should be conducted by interviewing senators and other related personnel involved in the formulation of sign language ordinances in Gunma Prefecture. On one hand, senators are obviously responsible for making these ordinances. On the other hand, it is clear that they would like to better understand deaf people and sign language and feel that it is necessary to involve deaf people in the law-making process. Differences in the understanding of sign language between senators and deaf people may become a barrier to formulating sign language ordinances.
