History of Tsukuba University of Technology
Tsukuba University of Technology had its genesis in a committee formed in 1976 to promote the idea of a college for the deaf in Japan. Amendment of a 1987 law for establishing national schools allowed the creation of the college. The first deaf students entered in 1990, and the first deaf students graduated in 1993. Since October 2005, the college has been known as the National University Corporation Tsukuba University of Technology, and was upgraded from a college to a university. The first University freshmen entered the University in April 2006. The Japanese Federation of the Deaf's Japanese Deaf News ran an article on the enrollment ceremony for the entering University freshmen.Structure of Tsukuba University of Technology
The University is divided into three divisions, two of which are deaf-focused. The two divisions that serve deaf students are the Faculty of Industrial Technology for the Hearing Impaired, and the Research and Support Center on Higher Education for the Hearing and Visually Impaired.Studies at Tsukuba University of Technology
The Faculty of Industrial Technology for the Hearing Impaired is subdivided into two departments: the Department of Industrial Information, and the Department of Synthetic Design. The Department of Industrial Information offers traditional technology majors such as Electronic Systems Engineering, and Computer Science. The Department of Synthetic Design focuses on actual design, offering majors such as architectural design, product design, and visual design.The other division, the Research and Support Center on Higher Education for the Hearing and Visually Impaired, teaches general education courses, develops curriculum, improves teaching methods, and provides assistance to deaf students attending other colleges in Japan. This division is subdivided into:
- The Division for General Education for the Hearing and Visually Impaired, which is further subdivided into a Section for Curriculum Development in Higher Education for the Hearing and Visually Impaired, and a General Education Practice Section for the Hearing and Visually Impaired. (General education courses are non-technical courses like English).
- The Division of Research on Support for the Hearing and Visually Impaired, which is further subdivided into a Research and Development Section for Assistive Technology for the Hearing and Visually Impaired, a Research Section on Ability Development of the Hearing and Visually Impaired, and an Office of Support Coordination Services. The Division develops new teaching methods and devices for the hearing and visually impaired. In addition, the Division is the part of the University that supports students attending other colleges.
More About Tsukuba University of Technology
In April 2001, Tsukuba University of Technology and the United States' National Technical Institute for the Deaf agreed to partner in PEN-International (Postsecondary Education Network), an international network that works to expand educational opportunities for deaf college students in their own countries. Tsukuba University of Technology is home to PEPNet-Japan (Postsecondary Education Programs Network), a network of several colleges working together to provide support to deaf and hard of hearing students. A Word document about PEPNet-Japan can be downloaded from PEPNet's website by searching the site on the keyword "Japan." According to this document, in 2006 only about half of the colleges that had deaf students attending, were providing support services for their deaf students.Sources:
http://www.tsukuba-tech.ac.jp/en/index.php, Accessed 10/20/07.
Shirasawa, M. (2006). Postsecondary Education Programs Network of Japan [Electronic version]. Paper presented at the 2006 PEPNet conference Roots & Wings. (Proceedings available from the University of Tennessee, Postsecondary Education Consortium Web site: http://sunsite.utk.edu/cod/pec/products.html).
