Accessibility Improvement of Public Schools Through User Involvement in JAPAN

According to the amendment (2020) of the Act on the Promotion of Smooth Transportation, etc. of Elderly Persons, Disabled Persons, etc. in Japan, public primary and junior high schools, which are newly built/renovated/extended, should be designed to be physically accessible for students with special needs. In addition, existing schools should also make efforts to improve accessibility. On this background, this paper focuses on the methods to effectively promote accessibility in schools that is achieved through user involvement for inclusive education. The survey subjects were all 164 public schools in Saitama city. A questionnaire to all schools was conducted to find out 1) the features of physical obstacles impeding inclusive education and 2) examples of user involvement in the planning stage of accessibility. In the results, accessible toilets have been installed progressively. However, inaccessible routes and spaces remained because there were no lifts in most existing schools. Regarding user involvement, a good practice was discovered in one case of restroom renovation which reflected parents' requests. In reality, because of the limitation of the budget of the municipality, it was obviously difficult to provide sufficient accessibility in all 164 schools in the short period. To achieve fully accessible schools for everyone, it is crucial to create short/mid/long-term facility management strategies and to share knowledge/skills regarding accessibility improvement among administrative officers, architects, and users, so that they can find efficient and effective ways to promote accessibility.