Chapter 8: The Social Accomplishment of the Right to an Education: Interviews With People Who are Blind in Japan
James Carpenter
Abstract
The focus on barrier-free education in this volume parallels a growing interest among social scientists in “worlds of sensory communication that are unfamiliar to many of us” (Meyer et al., 2017, p. xxiv). In this chapter, I focus on the unique experiences of students who are blind who have navigated or are navigating the Japanese higher education system. I attempt to foreground the unique experiences of these participants using data from a series of narrative interviews. I interviewed six participants in either Japanese or English for one hour to one hour and twenty minutes each. I analyze patterns in the narrative data that elucidate (a) the accommodations that the participants received, (b) the obstacles they encountered, and (c) how those obstacles were overcome.
About the Contributor
James Carpenter has an MA in TESL and an M Ed in educational technology from Northern Arizona University. He has taught ESL in the United States as well as EFL in Japan. His research interests are focused around how people learn in unique situations. He is an assistant professor in the British and American Studies Department at Tsurumi University.
Citation
Carpenter, J. (2024). The social accomplishment of the right to an education: Interviews with people who are blind in Japan. In A. Burke, D., Young, & M. L. Cook (Eds.), Barrier-free Instruction in Japan: Recommendations for teachers at all levels of schooling (pp. 165-180). Candlin & Mynard. https://doi.org/10.47908/30/8
The focus on barrier-free education in this volume parallels a growing interest among social scientists in “worlds of sensory communication that are unfamiliar to many of us” (Meyer et al., 2017, p. xxiv). In this chapter, I focus on the unique experiences of students who are blind who have navigated or are navigating the Japanese higher education system. I attempt to foreground the unique experiences of these participants using data from a series of narrative interviews. I interviewed six participants in either Japanese or English for one hour to one hour and twenty minutes each. I analyze patterns in the narrative data that elucidate (a) the accommodations that the participants received, (b) the obstacles they encountered, and (c) how those obstacles were overcome.
About the Contributor
James Carpenter has an MA in TESL and an M Ed in educational technology from Northern Arizona University. He has taught ESL in the United States as well as EFL in Japan. His research interests are focused around how people learn in unique situations. He is an assistant professor in the British and American Studies Department at Tsurumi University.
Citation
Carpenter, J. (2024). The social accomplishment of the right to an education: Interviews with people who are blind in Japan. In A. Burke, D., Young, & M. L. Cook (Eds.), Barrier-free Instruction in Japan: Recommendations for teachers at all levels of schooling (pp. 165-180). Candlin & Mynard. https://doi.org/10.47908/30/8
Information About the Book
Title: Barrier-Free Instruction in Japan: Recommendations for Teachers at all Levels of Schooling
Editors: Alexandra Burke, Davey Young, and Melodie Lorie Cook
Read more...
Title: Barrier-Free Instruction in Japan: Recommendations for Teachers at all Levels of Schooling
Editors: Alexandra Burke, Davey Young, and Melodie Lorie Cook
Read more...