This research study was conducted to understand the actual situation and examine future issues concerning work support for students with developmental disabilities through cooperation between universities, junior colleges, and technical colleges (hereafter referred to as "universities, etc.") and providers, and examined the current situation and issues regarding work support for students with developmental disabilities.
The results showed that many universities,etc. have students with a diagnosis of developmental disabilities, and nearly half of the students with developmental disabilities (without a diagnosis) are also enrolled, suggesting that students with developmental disabilities receive work support regardless of whether or not they have a diagnosis or need for study support. Students with developmental disabilities are highly individualized and show an extremely diverse picture of their condition, making it an important issue for universities,etc. to provide effective support for each student according to his or her individual condition.
Factors hindering cooperation between universities,etc. and employment support providers include the fact that few employment support providers target students from universities,etc. and the lack of information on employment support providers. To further expand the cooperative relationship, universities,etc. are expected to deepen their understanding of work support by providing information on employment support providers for students with developmental disabilities, and employment support providers are expected to expand the scope of their support services to include students with developmental disabilities.

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The purpose of this research study was to understand the actual situation of human resource development at employment support providers, and to clarify the contents that employment support staff should share (effective support expertise) and the key points of human resource development for work support staff, by conducting (1) actual conditions survey of a total of 3,000 employment support providers, (2) public solicitation of effective support expertise, and collection and compilation of opinions on the content of such expertise using the Delphi method.
The results showed that (1) knowledge, experience, and skills of employment support providers varied widely, (2) effective support expertise for work support means having overall knowledge and experience of the work support process, providing comprehensive and wide-ranging support from pre-employment to post-placement on going follow-up in cooperation with organizations in various fields, and having the skills, etc. to provide up-todate support that meets the needs of persons with disabilities and companies, and (3) organizations that implement organizational initiatives for human resource development, including the verbalization and sharing of expertise, are more likely to have sufficient effective support expertise as described in (2) above.

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The purpose of this research study was to develop an evaluation tool for assessing work difficulties (vocational readiness and work difficulties) that would be useful in connecting persons with disabilities to appropriate places of employment and necessary support services in the field such as consultation support prior to work transition (assuming situations where persons with disabilities face employment difficulties after transitioning to employment and consider necessary support), based on a survey of the needs for using the tool.
The development process involved various activities, including a needs assessment survey to understand the requirements for utilizing the tool, a study conducted by an expert group established within the Research Committee, questionnaire surveys targeting employment support providers and companies employing individuals with disabilities, and a trial evaluation of the assessment tool's prototype version at employment support providers.
As a result of these efforts, the "Assessment Sheets for Work Support" and the accompanying "Guide to utilizing the Assessment Sheets for Work Support" were successfully completed."

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In the past, vocational rehabilitation in other countries has often been difficult to apply as a reference for Japan due to significant historical and cultural differences. The purpose of this research was to clarify trends in advanced vocational rehabilitation in other countries that can be used as a reference for Japan by focusing on comprehensive initiatives to resolve new issues requested by the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. We collected and analyzed relevant information from the U.S., Germany, France, the U.K., and other countries to verify the comprehensive development of vocational rehabilitation in the perception of disability, work, and support. Trends that could be used as a reference in Japan included the understanding of discrimination and support needs faced by persons with disabilities and effective support, specialized support for corporate management and workplace creation where everyone can play an active role, and comprehensive rehabilitation through cooperation between related fields that are integrated with disability prevention.

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The purpose of this research study was to understand the current status and issues of the Working Life cycle of people with disabilities and to obtain basic data for the development of future measures to improve employment management in companies and to achieve smooth employment for persons with disabilities. This report presents the results of the seventh period of research activities, among the 16 years of continuous research from the first to the eighth period.
As a result, "opportunities to confirm and discuss obstacles in the workplace," which is the first initiative in providing reasonable accommodation, has steadily increased since the provision of reasonable accommodation became mandatory. A trial analysis based on the characteristics of the panel data identified differences in the status of retirement from occupational life among workers with disabilities, depending on the type of disability. We will continue to extensively examine what can be demonstrated through this research study.

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Telework (work from home) using ICT (Information and Communication Technology) has been pointed out for its usefulness in the employment of persons with disabilities. This research study clarified the needs of persons with disabilities with regard to telework through a questionnaire survey that included those who are not working or seeking employment, as well as interviews with persons with disabilities who have experienced telework and human resource staff and others at companies where employees with disabilities telework, to understand the challenges faced by persons with disabilities in telework and how to deal with them from various perspectives. As a result, it became clear that persons with disabilities have certain needs for telework, and that employers and persons with disabilities are making various efforts and accommodations with respect to communication methods and labor management in implementing telework.

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