The Impact of Cultural Development of Disabled Identity on Special Education Systems in the US and Japan: A Comparative Analysis

This paper presents a comparative case study of the history of special education in the United States and Japan along with an overview of contemporary public education in each nation. Are the same populations considered disabled in each system? Which, if any, disabled people receive special education services? American culture veers sharply towards individualism and in the classroom emphasis is often placed on preparing for standardized assessments of academic achievement. In contrast, Japanese public education focuses initially on developing the classroom as a unit and creating a strong community in which children are not othered for their differences, positive or negative, before the more competitive academic years begin. Particular attention is paid to the Japanese phenomenon of hikikomori, teenagers and young adults who have undergone voluntary withdrawal from society, as well as the increased diagnosis rate of ADHD in the US, two circumstances that appear to be highly culturally specific.