[Normal Temperature x Matsuda Takaya] Isn't it okay to have more fun with being "not normal"?

A "special needs school" is a school primarily attended by children with intellectual disabilities.

In a place that is unfamiliar to many people, there is a teacher who has been working there for over 10 years and enjoys overwhelming popularity, with 95,000 followers on X (formerly Twitter).

His name is Heinetsu. His kind and slightly funny SNS posts about his daily life at a special needs school have gained him popularity, and his book "How to Raise a Child with Developmental Concerns" has sold over 30,000 copies. He has created sympathy for the difficulties faced by all human beings, regardless of whether they have a disability or not, and he has many fans among the general public.

"HERALBONY and the Philosophy of Language" is a series that weaves together the "philosophy of language" with opinion leaders active in various fields. In the fourth installment, Professor Hirane and Takaya Matsuda, the representative of HERALBONY, will philosophize about the word "common sense."

Is what everyone believes to be common sense really "common sense"?

It is often misunderstood, but even when it comes to intellectual disabilities, each person is different, and not everyone is necessarily good at drawing pictures or creating works, like the artists under contract with HERALBONY. Just as some people are fast runners and others are not, each person has different abilities, strengths and weaknesses. Hirane's words, which sincerely confront each person's differences and consider how to ease the difficulties of living, are surely a relief to parents.

Hirane (hereinafter Hirane): Thank you. I'm also a fan of HERALBONY, so I'm happy to meet you today. I also visited the pop-up "HERALBONY ART COLLECTION" held at Hankyu Umeda Main Store in June, and all the works were cool and super cool.

I was also blown away by the original art provided for Starbucks Coffee (SHIBUYA TSUTAYA 2F store) in Shibuya (an original work by HERALBONY contract artist Nozomi Fujita, created with the themes of Shibuya and Starbucks). The energetic colors and heat of the work reminded me of Basquiat.

Takaya: Thank you. Today, I would like to think about the word "common sense" together with Hirane.

I presented an installation called " Common Sense Exhibition " for my graduation project at university. I created several works on the theme of "What is common sense?" For example, my brother has autism and is mentally disabled, but he always carries a piece of paper with specific instructions written on it, such as "Leave the house at XX o'clock" and "Get on the train at XX o'clock."

Heinetsu: It's a form of visual support that makes it easier to understand what you need to do at any given time.

Takaya: Yes. Doing exactly as instructed on that piece of paper is what my brother does every day, and that is "common sense." I filmed my brother's life and made a short movie. I also compared tap water in India with tap water in Japan to visualize the difference between what is "normal" in India and what is "normal" in Japan, and made a poster showing a homeless person who is often seen as "pitiful" by others, but who looks forward to planting and nurturing flowers every day. Through these works, I wanted to ask whether what everyone believes to be common sense is really "common sense."

A relative once told Fumito and I, "You twins should live for your brother." Does that mean that people with disabilities are pitiful and cannot enjoy life? Is that really common sense? I think that this sense of incongruity was at the root of the production.

Something outside of what you think is "right"

Heinetsu: There was a memorable incident while I was working at a special needs school. I pointed to a circle drawn on a piece of construction paper and said, "Color this." Then, a first-grade elementary school girl heard me and carefully started coloring my "finger."

Of course, what I meant was "Please paint inside the circle on the construction paper." It was common sense to me that if you point at something and say "here," you are referring to the object you are pointing at. But her common sense was different. She very carefully covered my finger in blue paint (laughs).

Watching my fingers being painted blue, I was honestly happy. I knew she was responding to my request and painting them with all her heart. However, some people might get angry if they were in the same situation.

Takaya: Ah, that's true. There may be more people who say, "It's strange and wrong to paint your fingers."

Heian: From the perspective of what an arts and crafts class should be like, most people would think that coloring inside the paper is "correct" and coloring the teacher's fingers is "incorrect." However, from her perspective, the teacher told her to "color here," so she colored what she thought was "here." That would be "correct."

Tolerating this "difference" is the same as broadening common sense. If you are always judging whether something is right or wrong based on your own standards, you will find it increasingly difficult to accept anything that falls outside of your own idea of ​​right.

It's okay to be amused by things that aren't "normal."

To many people, this is "wrong," and they may even be told to "read the atmosphere." But in reality, the failure to read the atmosphere caused laughter and the awards ceremony was a big success. Far from being wrong, it created value. In other words, it can be said that being unconventional can lead to value and talent.

Hirane: The atmosphere at HERALBONY was so lively because there were so many people who thought, "It's awesome that they suddenly burst onto the stage." That's wonderful.

One of the reasons I like special needs schools is because there is an atmosphere where it's okay to laugh at funny things. Once, during a relay race at a sports day, a child ran off the course chasing a grasshopper that crossed in front of him. He was running and noticed it, and he was so worried about it that he couldn't even concentrate on passing the baton (laughs). You definitely shouldn't do that in a relay race. The next child was worried because the baton hadn't arrived (laughs). But everyone laughed at the time. It couldn't be helped, he was worried. That feeling that it's okay to laugh is important.

According to the rules of the relay race, the act of the person who started running may not be acceptable. However, the person who is "receiving" the action must have the capacity to accept it without rejecting it. I think there is something in common with the "aesthetics of reception" in professional wrestling. The way the person receiving the technique sees the opponent's technique changes depending on how they receive it.

Takaya: The "aesthetics of reception," huh? I see. It's not that people with disabilities are pitiful, but the way people around them "receive" them that makes them "pitiful." This is not limited to disabilities, but when someone deviates from a certain common sense, they tend to be rejected, pitied, or avoided, but maybe there are times when it would be better to be amused by them.

Hirane: Maybe "being funny" and "discrimination" are too close. It's funny when someone slips on a banana peel, isn't it? But I think there are a lot of people who wouldn't laugh if a disabled person slipped. There's a difference between discriminating and laughing and accepting it and saying, "That's good, that's okay."

 

There are moments when deliberate "separation" can be a relief

Hirane: I go to a special needs school, so I'm a little removed from the common sense of general compulsory education. In so-called regular classes, learning goals are set for each grade, and the curriculum is usually created accordingly. It's set up like this: addition and subtraction in the first grade, multiplication in the second grade, division in the third grade, and so on. But is it really okay for that to be the norm? I wonder. If a child is struggling with multiplication and then learns division, they usually won't understand it. If a child who doesn't understand multiplication takes a division class, it ends up just sitting there.

Of course, there are good points to group lessons, but the reality is that we don't have the time or money to provide individual support to help each student with their problems. This is why we're in an environment where people are easily trapped by common sense about how things "should be."

Special needs schools, on the other hand, do not have textbooks to begin with. Lessons are tailored to each child, taking into consideration what they can and cannot do, and what they should be able to do.

Takaya: So it's an environment where they can learn while taking into account their differences. However, the global trend is leaning towards "inclusive education" where all children learn together in the same environment. In 2022, the United Nations recommended that Japan end "segregated education," which separates children with disabilities from those without and educates them in separate environments. What are your thoughts on this, Hirane?

Hirane: It's a difficult issue. I think it's very important to create an environment where people with disabilities and those without are in the same environment, without making any distinction between them. On the other hand, from the perspective of a teacher at a special needs school, it is important to note that there are some people who find it easier and find a place to belong by being separated.

That's because I often receive messages on my social media such as, "I was saved by entering a special needs school," and "I always felt that people looked at me at daycare and kindergarten as if I was different, but as soon as I entered a special needs school, I felt like my differences were accepted." By deliberately separating them, the place can play a role like a shelter. So, separating them in itself is not necessarily a bad thing.

Rather than hiding people with disabilities, we deliberately create spaces where they can be seen as a focal point.

Takaya: The question is whether or not the separation will create a divide that leads to discrimination and prejudice.

Hirane: Yes. I think it has to do with whether you can accept different common sense and tolerate discrepancies.

However, it is not good for people to grow up without ever seeing anyone with a disability, or to have no opportunities to come into contact with them in their daily lives. People tend to be afraid of things they do not know well. This negative feeling can lead to discrimination.

Takaya: It's not that we should lump all educational facilities together, but that we should create more environments in our daily lives where it's "natural for people with disabilities to be present." Indeed, when I talk to people who support HERALBONY, they say that when they give HERALBONY products as gifts, they are often asked by children, especially, "What are intellectual disabilities? What kind of people are they?" Recently, there are many children who have no people with disabilities in their classes at school.

Hirane: HERALBONY actively holds events and award ceremonies to introduce artists, doesn't it? That kind of attitude is very wonderful. It's not just about looking at the works and saying "That's nice" or "That's cool," but also about drawing attention to the artists. Rather than hiding or hiding people with disabilities, we encourage those who want to be in the public eye to do so. I feel that we, the teachers, also need to be more proactive in creating such an environment.

In the second part , we will continue to philosophize with Hirane about "common sense," discussing what Matsuda thinks is common sense in the business world and how it can be updated, with a focus on values ​​that go beyond just correctness and efficiency.

Part 2: Don't just accept it as common sense. Disability welfare will expand the future of education and business [Heinetsu x Takaya Matsuda]