Health and Wellbeing
Sophia University believes that existence itself is good and that we are all equal in human dignity.
We aim for all students, faculty, and staff to continue to grow and develop, to maximize their own abilities, to understand others correctly, and to act from the perspective of others, so that we can work together toward the realization of an inclusive society.
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Employment of Persons with Disabilities
*As of July 1, 2024
Promotion of Employment of Persons with Disabilities and Welfare of Faculty and Staff
Sophia School Corporation opened the Sophia Refresh Room in July 2024 with the aim of promoting employment of persons with disabilities and improving the welfare of faculty and staff. The Refresh Room is located on the Yotsuya Campus and is run by two nationally certified blind massage therapists. Reservations are required and massages are provided free of charge in the form of a 40-minute full-body massage. There are two beds in the room, separated by a partition and curtain. Warm lighting and calming background music help guests to relax and unwind. An air purifier is also used and the beds are disinfected after each treatment to ensure thorough infection prevention control. The Refresh Room is also licensed by the Chiyoda Public Health Center. One of the therapists commented, "During the massage, you are free to relax quietly, enjoy conversation with the therapist, or even fall asleep. Please feel free to come and visit us when you find the time between work." Although it has only been open for a short time, the Refresh Room has been extremely popular, and reservations are often hard to make. We will continue to strive to create a healthy and comfortable workplace for everyone.
Basic Policy for Use of Sophia University's Academic Support for Students with Disabilities
Basic Policy
Sophia University inherits the Jesuit educational spirit "For Others, With Others". We believe that the existence of all humanity is good and all are equal in dignity. Therefore, it is our ambition that the entire student body works diligently while employing the best of their abilities, so they can be useful human resources to others.
In addition to the University's philosophy, based on the "Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities" adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2006, we have been eliminating unfair and discriminatory treatment of students with disabilities.
Sophia University will provide reasonable accommodation* to them in order that they can proceed with their studies and research by discussing with each student the best course of action.
In addition, all students will deepen their understanding of disabilities, practice actions with the perspective of the individual with a disability in mind, and aim for a inclusive society.
*What is Reasonable Accommodation?
Article 2 of the "Convention of Rights of Persons with Disabilities", states that "‘Reasonable accommodation' means necessary and appropriate modification and adjustments not imposing a disproportionate or undue burden, where needed in a particular case, to ensure to persons with disabilities the enjoyment or exercise on an equal basis with others of all human rights and fundamental freedoms;".
At Sophia University, in situations where a student cannot obtain the environment or information necessary for their studies due to their disability during a class, experiment, or practical training, the above applies to the changes or adjustments made by the University to fairly determine the level of the student's individual progress to ensure that they can receive the required environment or information.
- In principle, the decision of reasonable accommodation should not change the University's "essence of education".
- Reasonable accommodation involves the adjustments made in the study environment and information to break down the "social barrier" against disabilities and does not guarantee credits or being able to graduate.
Support Eligibility
Students who are enrolled in Sophia University and have significant restrictions regarding the environment and information necessary for their studies and research due to their disabilities.
The basic range of support includes help in classes, practical training, examinations, university events, etc.
Goals
The aim is to support students with disabilities to improve their skills by focusing on the 3 goals that are essential both in university and in their life after graduation.
- Ability to request help: students learn how to ask for the help needed when in trouble
- Ability to deepen self-understanding: students learn about what they excel at and what they struggle with in order to gain self-confidence and pursue a satisfactory life
- Creativity: students change their perspective or take creative approaches to increase what they can do on their own
Promotion of the Barrier-Free Environment
Efforts to Raise Awareness
Sophia Corporation, the educational corporation that runs Sophia University, is introducing the "Universal Manners Test" for approximately 3,000 new students (Sophia University and Sophia University Junior College) from 2022 onwards. As part of the orientation training at the time of admission, students will take an online course and aim to obtain the qualification. This is the first attempt in Japan for a university to introduce the Universal Manners Test to all new students.
The Universal Manners Test is sponsored by the Japan Universal Manners Association as a test to acquire the attitude, behavior, and communication skills necessary to take appropriate action from the perspective of people in different positions. The qualification aims to systematically learn and acquire the practice of consideration required for people with various backgrounds, such as the elderly, people with disabilities, sexual minorities, and foreigners. Students are expected to create practical ideas and action plans that combine their own majors and academic fields with the concept of universal design, as well as to form a mindset to face diverse people both on and off campus.
Efforts to Improve Information Accessibility
The renewal of campus signs is being carried out in cooperation with campus development planning staff and student staff. The previous signs were made to coincide with the construction of the buildings, so there was no uniformity or continuity across the campus, and there were issues such as "difficult to see due to light reflections" and "difficult to access in wheelchairs because they are surrounded by greenery." In order to comprehensively solve these issues, we aimed to create a sign that was easy for everyone to understand, incorporating the idea of universal design.
Efforts to Improve Campus Accessibility
Sophia University carried out exterior renovation work in three phases from September 2019 to March 2024. In order to realize a global campus, which is one of the priority issues of our med to long-term plan "Grand Layout," we are promoting barrier-free construction to create a campus where diversity is respected and where students, faculty and staff can live in good physical and mental health, regardless of whether they have a disabilities or not.
The Need for Action Considering the Amendment of the Barrier-Free Act and the Promotion of SDGs
In May 2020, a partial amendment to the "Act on Promotion of Smooth Transportation, etc. of Elderly Persons, Disabled Persons, etc." was enacted, imposing the obligation to make efforts to comply with barrier-free building standards on both public and private universities. As a result, the need to accelerate the barrier-free adaptation of facilities has increased.
In December 2020, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) issued guidelines for promoting barrier-free school facilities. These guidelines aim to establish an educational environment where everyone can learn and grow with peace of mind. Specifically, during large-scale renovations, institutions are urged to refer to the building accessibility standards and promote the overall barrier-free adaptation of their facilities.
Furthermore, in line with the vision of a sustainable, diverse, and inclusive society under the principle of "Leave No One Behind," efforts are needed to foster an environment where individuals recognize and support each other. This includes enabling everyone to participate in society with pride, regardless of physical characteristics, gender, or nationality. To ensure that people can live safely, securely, and vibrantly while advancing both physical and psychological accessibility, there is a strong demand for proactive efforts in enhancing the foundational environment for learning.
Yotsuya Campus Main Street
Encouraging Social Interaction
Since its founding, Sophia University has produced talented people who transcend cultural, linguistic, generational and academic barriers in a global campus environment. The university is proud of its campus, which offers a global educational environment and a wide range of study abroad opportunities, and calls this unique environment "Global One Campus." The Yotsuya Campus serves as the base for a total of 9 faculties, 29 departments, 10 graduate schools and 27 research institutes, from the humanities to the sciences, forming a vibrant and diverse community. In developing the campus' main street and courtyards, we did not simply seek for accessibility as walkways and rest areas, but also created gathering places where people can actively interact with each other.
To Sophia Students
“Student Information Service” has been established so that students who do not know which department to consult or are not sure whether they should consult with the university can feel free to ask questions or make inquiries.
Depending on the details of the consultation, students will be connected to various departments of the Health and Wellbeing Center, other departments of the university and to external organizations if it’s needed.
For more details;
Web Piloti “Student Information Service”