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

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

For many people, this is a place that is unfamiliar to them, but "Heinetsu Sensei" has been working as a teacher for over 10 years and enjoys overwhelming popularity, with 95,000 followers on X (formerly Twitter).

His SNS posts about his gentle and slightly funny daily life at a special needs school have gained popularity, and he has evoked sympathy for the difficulties faced by all people, regardless of whether they have a disability or not, and he has many fans among the general public. Following on from the first part, Professor Hirane and Takaya Matsuda, the representative of HERALBONY, will philosophize about the word "common sense."

Part 1 is here>> [Normal Temperature x Matsuda Takaya] Isn't it okay to have more fun with being "not normal"?

The common knowledge that the most effective people to run a business are able-bodied people

Takaya: When I talk to other business managers, it seems that unfortunately, very few of them see people with disabilities as a workforce to keep their business running, especially as an immediate asset.

However, the number of positions available to companies for people with disabilities has increased. The statutory employment rate for people with disabilities (※) will be 2.5% from April 2024, and is set to rise to 2.7% in July 2026. However, there are still few employment opportunities, and it is still difficult to find places where people with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities can work. In the capitalist system, it has become common sense that it is "able-bodied people" who run businesses.

(*The statutory employment quota system is a system that requires private companies and national and local public organizations to employ a certain percentage of people with disabilities.)

Hirane: So, Heralbony's business is supported by the sales of artists with intellectual disabilities. In other words, not only do people with disabilities not exist in the business world, but artists are actually providing for them?

Takaya: That's right. People often say to me, "It's amazing that you are working to support people with disabilities," but that's not the case. Rather, we are the ones receiving the "support." In a sense, we are a company that depends on people with disabilities.

Hirane: The business model itself overturns the conventional wisdom of the business world. Far from viewing people with disabilities as a labor force, they are challenging a business model that puts people with disabilities at the center. It is precisely because they are taking on such a challenge that Heralbony is so cool.

Takaya: In the world of disability welfare, various social movements have arisen and demanded an environment in which people with disabilities can work as a matter of course, which has led to changes in laws and systems. Heralbony is able to do what it does because there were people who stood up and raised their voices at each stage. Now, we are trying to show that a business model in which people with disabilities are the main drivers of business can be established within the framework of a capitalist economy. If we can do that, it should have an impact not only on the arts, but on other industries and business types as well. I believe that the common sense of the business world will eventually change as well.

The importance of knowing what people can't do, regardless of whether they have a disability or not

Hirane: There was talk that in the business world, people with disabilities are not considered to be a force for running a business. This may be a bit off topic, but I feel like the world is now polarized into either not acknowledging people with disabilities at all, or shining too much of a spotlight on them when they are included.

Normally they are like nothing at all, but when it comes to dealing with people with disabilities, they are highlighted as something special and packaged in an emotional way. I think it's important to be more natural and just "be there."

Takaya: The reason why people often say "disabled people are pitiful" and why they are put in the spotlight and made into the main characters of moving stories is because it is common knowledge that disabled people are special beings who should be helped.

Hirane: Yes. Of course, there are areas where support is needed, but I'm concerned about the trend of focusing only on that. I often hear stories of disabled siblings being told, "You have to do it for your brother/brother, because he can't do it," but that "we have to help" mood isn't so common in special needs schools. There may even be a kind of dry atmosphere of, "Please do what you can yourself."

Takaya: Maybe it's because we don't know what they can and can't do, so we end up treating them as though they're too special and feel like we have to help them anyway we can.

Hirane: I think it's very important to know what each person can and can't do. However, it's very difficult and requires experience. I can guess about my students at school, "This child seems to be able to do this," but when I meet someone on the street for the first time, I have no idea what they can do or what kind of support they need.

To go even further, at special needs schools, students practice being able to present to others "what they can do and what kind of support they need." People with disabilities practice being able to communicate to those around them what they want them to do.

Takaya: That's a very important compromise when people with differences spend time together, regardless of whether they have a disability or not.

Hirane: Yes. I think it is very important for teachers to give children the perspective that "You can do this and that now. But if you ask someone like this, you will be able to do what you can't do." They can't just wait for help, but can take the initiative.

For example, at schools for the hearing impaired, communication is mainly done through sign language, but at the same time, they also practice ways of communicating that do not rely on sign language, since there are many environments in the general society where sign language is not understood.

Takaya: That compromise is possible on both sides, isn't it? At Heralbony, we have also started various initiatives to make it comfortable for deaf and hearing people to work in the same office, thanks to the inclusion of deaf employees. Of course, not all employees can use sign language perfectly, but they are naturally learning the basics of sign language, such as greetings. Furthermore, the number of hearing-impaired people attending talk events has been increasing recently. The staff who interact with them are also happy to be able to communicate if they can use even a little sign language. After all, the most important thing is to take it for granted that hearing-impaired people "exist," and I think it's good to make compromises between the two parties within that context.

The person with the most followers is a teacher at a special needs school, which I'm proud of

Hirane: I often post on social media that "I don't want to be a school teacher, I want to be a special needs school teacher," and this is simply because I think being a special needs school teacher would be more free and interesting.

Takaya: How did you become a special needs school teacher?

Hirane: I didn't particularly want to do it. The Board of Education asked me if I wanted to work at a special needs school, and I said, "Yes, I understand," and that's how it all began (laughs). But I don't think I was originally suited to teaching the kind of thing where you just write a bunch of words on the blackboard and teach one-sidedly. I did my teaching practice at an elementary school, and when an elementary school student was practicing for a choir competition, he asked me, "I don't want to sing, but if I don't sing, the teacher gets mad at me. Why do I have to sing?" and I couldn't answer him.

Takaya: It can't be explained logically. Traditional school education has been about forcing students to sing because "everyone has decided to sing," or "it's common sense."

Hirane: Yes. But at a special needs school, they also accept participation in the form of "I'm not good at singing, but I'll play the castanet." The idea is to let the child do what they want as much as possible. If there's something they really don't want to do, they have to compromise. I felt that this was more free and suited me.
And now, I am using social media as a weapon to try to infiltrate the "common sense" of special needs schools into the general education field (laughs). What do you think? Aren't special needs schools the best?

Takaya: That's wonderful.

Hirane: I probably have the most followers among all the active teachers' SNS accounts. I hope that the fact that special needs teachers are the most popular will be a source of pride for children attending special needs schools and their parents. I feel like there is an invisible hierarchy between special needs schools, support classes, resource rooms, and regular classes. Like, regular classes are at the top. In reality, they are all just options, and they should all be on the same level.

Value in business goes beyond just correctness and efficiency

Takaya: I feel an invisible hierarchy in the welfare facility system. To begin with, the name is "employment support facility", but should everyone aim for the same "employment"? Especially in the area called "employment support type B", the average wage is about 15,000 yen a month. Even if you work hard to learn and become able to do light work such as crushing empty cans, you only receive about 5,000 yen a month. Because each person has a different disability, it is not realistic to expect everyone to step up and aim for the same summit. On the other hand, if you focus on the uniqueness that each "difference" creates, it can create value and become a business.

Hirane: Does Heralbony have plans in the future to create employment facilities for people with disabilities using approaches other than art?

Takaya: Yes, I would love to try that. For example, in the Netherlands, there is a cafe chain called "Brownies & downieS" run by staff with intellectual and developmental disabilities, mainly those with Down's syndrome. It is not a welfare facility, but a profit-making business. I have been there, and the staff's communication is unique and it is a comfortable place to be. They never follow the manual. When I ordered a coffee, they repeatedly said, "Why don't you make it a latte? How about a latte?" I think that staff member is good at making latte. So I gave in and ordered a latte (laughs).

Hirane: That's interesting (laughs). The business is based in an environment where you order a coffee and are forced to buy a cafe latte. I think they're relying on their customers to enjoy the "passive" nature of unexpected communication, rather than judging things based solely on correctness or efficiency.

By the way, I once went to a silent cafe called "Reaching Out Tea House" in Vietnam, which is run by deaf staff. Orders are made through writing and sign language, and talking is prohibited inside the cafe. It was a unique space and it was really nice.

Takaya: So having deaf people working is connected to the value of "enjoying silence." Also, if you frequent the store, you might be able to at least say hello in sign language. That's a compromise. Looking at it from another perspective, being deaf can also be seen as "being able to use a language that doesn't require sound." Apparently, when hearing-impaired people go scuba diving together, they can converse normally even underwater.

In certain environments, differences can be a strength. If there are people who think that "a cafe where you can enjoy silence is interesting," it can become a business. It is up to the recipient to decide whether something that is outside of common sense can be turned into "value." I would like to expand my "capacity" as a recipient.

Hirane: That's right. I think that's the "aesthetics of reception" in pro wrestling and the "tsukkomi" in manzai. How can we make something outside of common sense look strong, beautiful, and interesting, and get the audience excited? I want to always question existing rules and common sense, and be interested in all kinds of "values."