筑波大学附属視覚特別支援学校のWEB

Overview, mission and educational objective

 We are the only National University Corporation’s Special Needs Education School for the VisuallyImpaired. We aim to be “the national center of education for the visually impaired,” set up three bases of future prospects and promote educational research with the University of Tsukuba through our educational practice. In order to accomplish these goals, we have the following educational objectives for students.

  • Foster students who can overcome their disabilities, promote well-balanced development in their lives, participate in society positively to contribute.
  • Make good use of the senses the students have,respect their autonomy and individuality, develop their independent thinking and judgment, acquire the power of action, learn knowledge, skills and attitudes to take part in society.

Educational activities and features


From childcare to vocational course
Our students come from not only all over Japan but neighboring Asian countries.


 There are Kindergarten department, Lower secondary department, Upper secondary department, and Vocational courses attached to upper secondary department. Our school has a dormitory on the site.
 Blind students use braille as a writing and reading system. Furthermore, we provide teaching materials and tools made specifically for them. Especially in babyhood, we afford as many opportunities as possible to touch real things and acquire real experiences. We wouldn’t like them to know the words alone.
 Low vision students use printed letters. We set individual environments based on their visual conditions and provide enlarged textbooks, enlarged teaching materials, and low vision aids or devices such as hand-held magnifiers or Closed Circuit Television magnifiers.
 In addition, we have “activities for independent living”to help them to make the most of their remaining vision, walk independently and improve eye-hand coordination based on their development or needs.

Skills to help students learn, think and act positively

 Educational Departments and their description are as follows.


A science (biology) class scene
at a junior high school
- Observation of a pig skull
  
  A class scene of
 Waku Waku Mo Mo cow school
  (Observation of a cow)
  • Kindergarten Department:
     While offering childcare through playing educational games, we help children raise their future possibilities. We have a class for children between the ages of 3 and five, and recently set up a class for babies under 12 months to do necessary support.
  • Elementary department:
     We offer education equivalent to lower secondary school. Through subject learning, activities for independent living, and daily activities, students will acquire their academic abilities and basic skills.
  • Lower secondary department:
     We offer general education equivalent to lower secondary school. Through subject learning, we’d like them to develop basic contents and work on problems independently.
  • Upper secondary department:
     We offter education equivalent to upper secondary school. While respecting each student’s individuality and personality, we help them nurture well-balanced development. After graduation, about 80 % of the students enter ordinary universities, and 20 % of them choose vocational course.
  • Music course:
     Our school is one of the few special needs education schools for the visually impaired that offer a music course. We have a music course in upper secondary department and vocational course and give all-round instruction.
  • Acupuncture, Moxibustion and Manual Therapy course:
     We offer a three-year vocational course to upper secondary graduates and train them as acupuncture, moxibustion and manual therapists. We also receive visually-impaired foreign students from neighboring Asian countries.
  • Physical therapy course:
    We offer a three-year vocational course to upper secondary graduates and train them as physical therapists. They learn basic knowledge of physical therapy and its skills.
  • Dormitory:
     Our dormitory is located on the premises and its instructional care staff help the students broaden their views and participate in the society positively through living in a group. About 85 students of lower and upper secondary department live there. They hold events such as a dormitory festival and hiking by themselves and enjoy them.

Dormitory events (Dormitory Festival)

Organization Chart
Kindergarten (Senior / Junior)
Elementary (Class for the blind and low vision / Special class for the multiple impaired)
Lower secondary (Class for the blind / Class for the low vision)Dormitory
Upper secondary (General / Music)
Vocational Course along with upper secondary department
(Acupuncture, moxibustion and manual therapy / Physical therapy / Music
/Acupuncture, moxibustion and manual therapy training)

Approach to the three centers of future education.

Pursue and promote the development of education for the visually impaired

 We always pursue leading educational practices of kindergarten, elementary, lower secondary, and upper secondary department (including vocational course) in consideration of their individual educational needs.
 We provide educational support for the visually impaired infants, children and students in regular schools such as “special support classes for the students in regular elementary school.” For infants in the early childhood (0 to 2 years old) and their families, we aim to develop the support system as part of Social Contribution Project of the University of Tsukuba.


Support activities for infants in the very early stage

Expansion of the partnership between the University of Tsukuba and Laboratory Schools

 Our lower secondary department and the laboratory junior high school have got to know each other for ten years through sports events and roundtable conferences. And our elementary school department visits the farm at Sakado High School to harvest potatoes. Furthermore, students of acupuncture and physical therapy course visit the University of Tsukuba Hospital to receive practical instruction of anatomy as part of the partnership between our school and university.

Providing ample opportunities to learn with teachers and students in the University

 We hold an annual study meeting of the education for the visual impaired intended for inservice teachers. We offer open classes and section meetings based on each major or subject as an opportunity to see educational practices and acquire advanced knowledge and skills. We also offer many opportunities such as training sessions and study meetings: training sessions for renewing educational personnel certificates or orientation and mobility specialists. In addition, we provide the opportunities for would-be teachers to get practical training and experience nursing, assistance services or communication with the elderly and / or people with disabilities.


Teacher’s Certification Renewing Program B

Visitors and trainees from overseas

Variety of international exchanges and contributions

 Since Kindergarten stage, we’ve tried to encourage students to become more interested in foreign countries and their cultures while providing opportunities to master practical English skills through the English room. We accept two international students with visual impairment per year as ones of the acupuncture, moxibustion and manual therapy course. They come from Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, and other Asian countries. At the same time, we have provided support for vocational education with massage (including anma called in Japan) in India for several years as part of support for the visually impaired.
 We also accept trainees and visitors from African and Asian countries ordinarily.

Brief history

May 1875Rakuzenkai was organized as a philanthropic society for educating the deaf, dumb and blind.
December 1876The Educational Institution for the Blind was established.
February 1880Two children enrolled, and classes began.
May 1884Educational Institution for the Blind was changed to Educational Institution for the Blind and Deaf.
November 1885Came under direct control of the Ministry of Education.
October 1887Renamed to Tokyo Blind and Deaf School.
April 1909Tokyo Blind School was established.
May 1949Became part of National Education School for the Blind.
April 1950Became part of Tokyo University of Education, and renamed as National Education School for the Blind affiliated with Tokyo University of Education.
April 1973Renamed to the School for the Blind, Tokyo University of Education.
April 1978Renamed to the School for the Blind, University of Tsukuba.
April 2004Renamed to the School for the Visually Impaired, University of Tsukuba (National University Corporation).
April 2007Renamed to Special Needs Education School for the Visually Impaired.
January 2020Signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for international exchange with The Christian Foundation for the Blind in Thailand Under the Royal Patronage of His Majesty the King(CFBT).
2020/07/01