Narrative Analysis of Employment Support for Students With Developmental Disabilities: Using an Objective Analysis of Free-Expression Answers

Introduction

This study clarifies the following by analyzing qualitative data from the viewpoint of a narrative: (1) employment support for students with developmental disabilities in Japan and (2) the application possibility of narrative generation by computers. With regard to employment support for students with developmental disabilities, the authors defined free-expression answers by support workers as narratives and analyzed them. As for the application possibility of narrative generation, the authors attempted to apply narrative generation to real students with disabilities who required support.

In recent years, employment support for students with developmental disabilities has become socially important in Japan. Today, the percentage of students going from high school to university in Japan is about 50% (The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, 2017). Moreover, there are 5,436 students who have been diagnosed with developmental disabilities (or students who are suspected to have developmental disabilities and have received special consideration) in universities (Japan Student Services Organization, 2017). This number has increased by 567 since the last fiscal year. Moreover, students diagnosed with developmental disabilities before college admission and who are the targets of special support education are increasing in number. However, after graduating from university, some students experience failure when they enter the working world and notice a developmental disease. In the cases of those who fall in the latter category, it is not easy for youths who have gone on to university to understand their own disabilities and to choose employment suitable for persons with disabilities. In other words, it is not easy for a student to understand and accept his or her own disabilities. Under these circumstances, it is thought that giving dedicated employment support to students with developmental disabilities (or those who are suspected of having such disabilities) is important from the time such students enroll in university.

In addition, for students with developmental disabilities, “the shift from education to work” poses a problem. Specifically, the prognosis of a student diagnosed with a developmental disease is as follows. A total of 34% of highest annual students do not graduate. Moreover, 30% of those who graduate and cannot pursue higher education do not enroll in an institute of higher learning or do not take up posts that fall under regular employment. Thus, it is necessary for employment support that is focused on developmental diseases to be emphasized at the university level. However, such employment support is rarely provided at present. Specifically, “Dissemination of information pertaining to employment support and introduction of a support organization” is 35.2% and “Exploitation of the company to employ and support of job hunting” is 28% (Japan Student Services Organization 2017). In addition, even when a university wishes to provide such support, there are few support workers with “professional expertise in employment support for persons with disabilities.” Therefore, when job assistance is offered to a student with developmental disabilities (or a student who is suspected to have such a disability), they are anxious about support workers in university being anxious. The authors named this category V “difficulty of cooperation with the organs concerned outside a university.”