Can a ‘university that teaches about disabilities’ also support its own students with disabilities?
The university we are covering this time is,
Miyagi University of Education.
In the 2027 Ranking for Support for Students with Disabilities, it is 5th in the nation with 731 points.
Kyoto University is 1st. Hiroshima University is 2nd. Ehime University is 3rd. Nagasaki International University is 4th.
And 5th is Miyagi University of Education.
Since the national average is 212 points, it is in a very high position.
But this time, I won’t just end it with ‘it’s amazing because it’s ranked 5th’.
Miyagi University of Education is, in the first place, a university for training teachers.
Moreover, you can also study special needs education professionally.
So,
how does the university itself, which teaches education for children with disabilities, support university students with disabilities?
We will look at that this time.
First of all, this university is quite selective about who it is for.
Miyagi University of Education is a national university.
However, it is not a comprehensive university like Ehime University or Hiroshima University.
It has a School Education Teacher Training Course in the Faculty of Education.
Basically,
it is a university for becoming a teacher.
Elementary education, secondary education, arts and physical education/lifestyle education, and special needs education.
The direction is quite clear.
Therefore,
it is not a university you should choose
just because it is a national university
or because it is ranked 5th in support for students with disabilities.
If you want to study law, economics, or engineering,
it is not an option for you in the first place.
Conversely, if you want to become a school teacher,
especially if you want to study special needs education,
it suddenly becomes very interesting for such students.
The special needs education program is quite authentic.
Miyagi University of Education has a major in special needs education.
Education for the visually impaired.
Education for the hearing and speech impaired.
Education for the intellectually and developmentally disabled.
Education for the physically disabled and chronically ill.
There are four courses.
According to the university, they have staff to cover all types of disabilities that are the subject of special needs education.
Furthermore, if you earn the necessary credits,
it is possible to obtain a special needs school teacher’s license in all five areas: visual, hearing, intellectual, physical, and chronic illness as well.
The university itself describes it as having one of the best curricula in the country.
I mentioned something similar when I introduced Hiroshima University and the University of Tsukuba, but
while it is a university that supports students with disabilities,
it is also a university where you can professionally study disabilities and special needs education itself
.
This is a major feature of Miyagi University of Education.
And, it was truly strong in supporting students with disabilities as well.
Miyagi University of Education has
a Support Office for Students with Disabilities
.
The university explains its purpose not only as supporting students with disabilities, but also as
fostering a ‘special needs education mindset’ in all students
.
This is a way of thinking typical of a teacher-training university.
It is not just about isolating students with disabilities and having a specialized department support them behind the scenes.
That is not all there is to it.
The students themselves, who will become teachers in the future, learn alongside students with disabilities.
They consider that experience to be part of teacher training as well.
I think this is what makes Miyagi University of Education unique and interesting.
The history of support is also quite long.
You cannot understand the characteristics of this university just by looking at the current support office.
In 1999, the ‘Information Accessibility Association’ was formed by student volunteers.
In 2004, the Project for Supporting Students with Disabilities in Their Studies was launched.
In 2005, the Guidelines for Supporting Students with Disabilities were established.
In 2007, it was selected for the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology’s Student Support GP.
And in 2009, the Office for Students with Disabilities was established.
When it was selected by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in 2007, Miyagi University of Education was already evaluated as a model school for supporting students with disabilities that was already responding to consultations from other universities.
In other words, this is not a university that only started recently because reasonable accommodation became mandatory by law.
It is a university that has been building up its efforts for a long time.
And now, it is on the side that other universities consult.
Currently, Miyagi University of Education is a
base school for the JASSO ‘Network for Supporting Students with Disabilities in Their Studies’.
It is one of the hubs where faculty and staff from universities, junior colleges, and technical colleges across the country can consult about supporting students with disabilities.
Looking at the other base schools:
University of Tsukuba. Nihon Fukushi University. Doshisha University. Hiroshima University.
Universities that have already appeared in this series are also listed.
In other words, Miyagi University of Education is not just supporting its own students.
It is on the side that other universities consult, asking, ‘What should we do in this case?’
I find this more persuasive than just a ranking number of 5.
Support for physical disabilities is also quite concrete.
For example, students with physical disabilities.
The support details made public by the university for faculty and staff include:
Individual consultations. Adjustments to activity content. Dispatch of assistants.
Consideration for absences due to hospital visits or sudden illness.
Adjustments or changes to examination methods.
And so on.
In cases where participation in the class activity itself is difficult,
bringing in specific equipment,
adjusting the activity content,
or considering alternative assignments
are also indicated as responses.
Furthermore,
dispatching assistants according to the student’s own wishes
is also clearly stated.
They don’t just stop at ‘we will consider students with physical disabilities,’
they even think about what will actually happen in class.
Rest areas are also provided.
For students with internal disabilities or chronic illnesses,
consideration for hospital visits or sudden illness.
Adjustments to examination methods.
Furthermore,
they also provide rest areas and study spaces.
The support office has soundproof rooms and multi-purpose rooms, and the Health Management Center and Student Counseling Office can also be used as rest areas.
This is also modest but important.
University life is not just about ‘being able to attend class.’
I made it to the first period. But I don’t have the stamina to last until the third period.
I want to lie down during a free period. I can’t rest in crowded places.
There are students like that too.
Can you spend the whole day at university? You need to think that far ahead.
And the most interesting thing about Miyagi University of Education is ‘teaching practice’.
This is the main topic this time.
Since it is a teacher training university, naturally there is teaching practice.
It also exists for students with disabilities.
In 2026, the university, in collaboration with the Japan Student Services Organization,
conducted a specialized seminar titled ‘Teaching Practice for Students with Disabilities: From the Case of Miyagi University of Education’.
Furthermore, the university explains that students with disabilities also conduct their teaching practicums at affiliated schools and local schools every year, just like other students.
I think this is quite important.
Within the university, the environment can be adjusted to a certain extent.
But teaching practicums are different.
You go to an actual school. It is an organization separate from the university.
There are teachers. There are students. There is a timetable.
You teach classes. You move around in the staff room.
In some cases, you also write on the blackboard.
You move around inside the classroom.
And if reasonable accommodation is needed, the university cannot decide it alone.
The university, the board of education, the practicum school, and the individual themselves.
It is necessary to coordinate among multiple stakeholders.
Miyagi University of Education shares these practical examples themselves with JASSO and the rest of the country.
This is a significant strength.
Universities where ‘can I enroll?’ is not enough
If a student with a disability is going to a teacher training university, I want them to think about this much before enrolling.
Can I take classes?
Can I take exams?
Can I move around campus?
It is not just that.
Can I go to a teaching practicum?
This is all part of the package.
Especially for hearing impairments, visual impairments,
or students with physical health constraints.
Accommodations that worked within the university are not guaranteed to work the same way in a school setting.
That is precisely why I want you to ask about it during pre-enrollment consultations.
“Have any students with disabilities similar to mine gone on to do their teaching practicum?”
“What kind of accommodations were made at that time?”
“Who will consult with the school where the practicum takes place?”
I think it is perfectly fine to ask very specific questions.
At Miyagi University of Education, there is at least a foundation for having this conversation.
The entrance exam difficulty is also realistic.
And then, the entrance exam.
According to the 2027 Kawaijuku border scores,
the deviation score for general admissions is 42.5 to 50.0.
The Common Test score rate is 53 to 63%.
For the Special Needs Education major, the early-stage border is 54% for the Common Test and a deviation score of 42.5 for the humanities track, and 53% and 42.5 for the science track.
The department rank is 45.0.
It is not an ultra-competitive national university.
Of course, since it is a national university, the Common Test is required.
There is also a required number of subjects.
Even so, I think it is
a national university that students who want to become teachers can realistically set as their goal.
Especially for students who want to study special needs education,
entrance exam difficulty, expertise, and support for students with disabilities
are three factors that overlap well here.
The location of Sendai is also not bad.
The main campus of Miyagi University of Education is in Aobayama, Aoba Ward, Sendai City.
It takes about 9 minutes from Sendai Station to Aobayama Station via the Tozai Subway Line.
From there, it is about a 9-minute walk, approximately 650 meters, to the university’s main gate.
If you take the city bus from Aobayama Station, it takes about 2 minutes to reach “Miyagi University of Education Front.”
Although it is a regional national university,
it is located in Sendai, a regional hub city.
This is also a point that differs slightly from Ehime University or Gunma University.
If you are a student considering where to go to college in the Tohoku region, this is a very realistic option.
On the other hand, if you have a physical disability,
don’t just stop at ‘it’s fine because there is a subway station’.
From Aobayama Station to the campus. Inside the campus.
And the location of your teaching practicum.
It would be better to actually check all of this.
However, the major prerequisite is that you ‘want to become a teacher’.
I have praised it quite a bit up to this point.
But Miyagi University of Education has a very obvious weakness.
It is a teacher training university.
As a university choice, it is narrow. It is ranked 5th in support for students with disabilities. It is a JASSO base school. It is also strong in special needs education.
Just because of that, it is not a university I would recommend to someone who has no intention of becoming a teacher.
If you were looking for a university with strong support and happened to find that Miyagi University of Education was ranked 5th,
then deciding to go there
is wrong.
The purpose of going to university is
not to receive support for students with disabilities.
What will you study? What do you want to do after that?
In the case of Miyagi University of Education,
this is particularly clear.
It is not the case that you should choose special needs education just because you have a disability.
One more thing.
Students with disabilities themselves
do not need to think, “Because I have a disability, I should go into special needs education.”
Students with disabilities and students who want to learn about disabilities are different.
Just because you have a visual impairment, you don’t have to study visual impairment education.
Just because you have a hearing impairment, you don’t have to study hearing impairment education.
There is no need to decide that.
If the individual wants to study it, that is of course fine.
Your own experience may sometimes lead to expertise.
However,
there is no obligation to make your own disability your major.
If you want to be an English teacher, study English.
If math, then math.
If an elementary school teacher, then elementary education.
On top of that, you should just receive the reasonable accommodations you need yourself.
I want people to think of these as separate things.
This time’s second opinion:
Miyagi University of Education.
2027 Ranking for Support for Students with Disabilities,
5th place nationwide, 731 points.
But looking into it this time, it was a more interesting university than its ranking suggests.
They teach special needs education professionally.
They actually support students with disabilities.
Students themselves are also involved in support.
They also accept consultations from other universities.
And,
they even send students with disabilities out for teaching practice.
Everything is connected.
Rather than being a “university with strong support for students with disabilities,” this place is…
A university that even turns support for students with disabilities into an educational resource for the university itself
might be a closer way to look at it.
You want to become a teacher in the future.
You are particularly interested in special needs education.
You are hoping for a national university.
Living in Tohoku/Sendai is an option for you.
And you yourself require some form of reasonable accommodation.
If these conditions overlap for a student,
I think this is a university you should consider quite seriously.
On the other hand, if you have no intention of becoming a teacher, there is little reason to choose it even if it is ranked 5th in the country.
And that is perfectly fine.
The support ranking is not a ranking for choosing which university to attend based on a high position.
It is one yardstick for finding the university you want to go to.
Miyagi University of Education is,
a very strong university when “what you want to learn” and “what kind of support you need” overlap well.
It is not for everyone.
That is precisely why it is interesting for those whose conditions match.
This is this time’s second opinion.
Next time is Sophia University.
Up to this point, we have continued with relatively realistic choices for further education and regional universities, such as Ehime, Gunma, Hokusei, and Miyagi University of Education.
For the 15th installment, we will return to Tokyo all at once.
And it is a highly competitive private university.
City center.
Internationality.
Name recognition.
And support for students with disabilities.
“If we prioritize support for students with disabilities, must we lower the university’s academic standards?”
Following Doshisha University, I will consider this question once again.
*This article is based on information publicly available as of September 2026. Reasonable accommodations are not determined uniformly based solely on the name of a disability; they are considered individually based on the student’s situation, the nature of the classes or practical training, and discussions with the university, training sites, etc. As entrance examination systems and support details are subject to change, please be sure to check the latest official university information when applying.
