Disability Terminology

accessible (e.g. accessible environment and space)

delayed cognitive development (intellectual disability)

general term for intellectual/cognitive disability today; IQ evaluation below 70

used historically to identify/describe students with multiple disabilities in a school setting

hearing disability

adjusted work schedule for people with disabilities (typically under 20 hours per week)

set up after the 1923 Kantō Earthquake through donations to assist in providing housing to victims

welfare state (concept of a social system that extends welfare provisions to people in need of them)

charitable offering (often in a religious/Buddhist sense)

adjustments made e.g. in the workplace, schools, etc. to adapt to the needs of people with disabilities for equity

term for people with intellectual/cognitive disability as measured against developmental milestones; in use particularly from the 2000s; e.g. people with autism

social institution (sick and poor relief facility) with roots in ancient Japanese Buddhist ideology to take care of poor people, people with disabilities, people without families

term for part-time/contract labor; workers employed in this capacity

register of donated goods, donors' names, and related info; originating in religious/Buddhist setting

term for inclusive practices and environment to include people with disabilities (in a disability context)

term for integrated approach to disability, e.g. integrated learning, integrated classroom (in a disability context)

term (often appears in clinical diagnosis) for people with symptoms related to autistic spectrum disorder

compassion; Buddhist origin

can be used in a disability context to mean autonomy/independence to manage one's needs and living situation

local centers created by the Disability Right movement, offering services to disabled people and organizing various forms of activism

related to autonomy/independence in a disability context; from the 1970s-80s independent living social movement

to describe significant amount of burden, e.g. financial burden, logistical challenge, that strains resources as considered from the perspective of the provider of reasonable accommodation

literally "a system centered on able-bodied people"

equal opportunities for people with disabilities and with nondisabilities to participate in society

a medical facility for the treatment of people with disabilities and to segregate them from the rest of society; linked to discrimination against people with disabilities

rehabilitate and rehabilitation; implied meaning of restoring a person back to his/her/their former state of health

early schools for blind people founded in Japan during the Meiji period (1868-1912); inaugurated with the support of the Rakuzenkai philanthropic organization (also called Rakuzenkai kunmōin)

evolved from the earlier kunmōin

incurable disease; a chronic disease that can't be cured easily

pension offered through welfare, e.g. for old age, disability

principle of committing to providing people with disabilities equal access and opportunities to become part of society

medical condition (cerebral palsy)

rehabilitation

prohibition against discrimination

see the entry on Hiden'in; established at around the same time as a sick and poor relief facility

idea of rehabilitating someone (e.g. a person with disabilities) so as to reintegrate the person into society

one of the keywords of contemporary disability policies. Involves various dimensions such as employment, access to cultural activities and sports, life outside of special institutions.

usually thought of as social security; assistance/welfare for vulnerable population (e.g. in poverty, etc.); Livelihood Protection Law introduced in 1950

term for mental disability (there may be some overlap with intellectual/cognitive disability)

term for visual disability, e.g. conditions affecting vision and causing disability

term for disability that emphasizes physical and nonphysical (e.g. mental) disabilities

term for physical disability

term especially used for residential care institutions for disabled people

term for person with disability/disabilities; the 2nd character "gai" is sometimes written in kana as がい to minimize the negative meaning

social provisions to support people with disabilities; overseen by the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare

associated with disability rights, disability rights movement

Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare requires corporations with a large enough staff (staff size that crosses a certain threshold) to employ a certain proportion of people with disabilities (2.5% in 2024)

required to qualify for and receive welfare and assistance for disability/disabilities; overseen by the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare

an occupational organization founded in the medieval period to train blind male musicians in the genre of Heike music (based on Heike monogatari, or The Tale of the Heike); a political institution of status in the early modern period; abolished in 1871

term used for people directly concerned by a situation (in the case of disability, disabled people themselves, as opposed to able-bodied people). The term is in fact ambiguous: in a narrow sense, it means only disabled people themselves but, in a broader sense, it can also be applied to people concerned by the disability of a kin (for example parents of disabled children)

term for special needs education; support for students with disabilities in access to education and learning that is adapted to their needs; provided in specialized schools and in mainstream schools; overseen by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology

eugenics, eugenic thinking

medical procedures, e.g. surgeries, forced sterilizations, etc. performed according to eugenics ideas (disproportionately impacts people with disabilities)