Support for University Students with Disabilities from the Perspective of SDGs

Abstract

With the revision of the Act for Eliminating Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities in 2021, all universities, including private universities, will be legally obligated to provide reasonable accommodations by June 2024. Although the provision of smooth and appropriate reasonable accommodations requires personnel with expertise in supporting students with disabilities, at present many universities do not have sufficient systems in place to support students with disabilities. An increasing number of universities are working on the ”SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals),” which are international goals for a sustainable and better world by 2030, as stated in the ”2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” unanimously adopted by members at the UN Summit in September 2015. The number of universities working on the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) is increasing. Support for students with disabilities in universities is consistent with the basic principle expressed in the preamble of the 2030 Agenda, ”we pledge that no one will be left behind,” and is ideologically aligned with one of the 17 SDGs, Goal 4: (Education) Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. Although the need to support students with disabilities has often been discussed mainly from the perspective of the Law for the Elimination of Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities, support for students with disabilities at universities is important from the perspective of the SDGs, and universities must develop and improve their systems to support students with disabilities.