Abstract

In Japan, the beginnings of modern education for the blind date back to 1878 in Kyoto, two years before the first initiatives in Tokyo. Inspired by the methods of education for the blind created in Europe and the United States, the first schools for the blind taught reading and writing using convex characters, in addition to general knowledge and the traditional professions of the blind. In 1890, the six-dot braille developed by Louis Braille was successfully adapted to the Japanese language. After the Second World War, much progress was made in the special education system: schooling for the youngest blind children, specific education methods for children with low vision, provision for multi-disabled children with visual impairment, access to higher education establishments, and the development of mainstream schooling. Since 2007, there has been a transition towards a new system of inclusive education, which continues to this day. Schools for the blind are now facing new issues and challenges.