Paper short abstract:

This paper explores the how educators and parents in Japan have made the argument for government support of special education; an argument that promotes the value of the growth and well-being of children who might never be able to "pay back" or contribute to society in a recognizable way.

Paper long abstract:

This paper explores the how educators and parents in Japan have made the argument for government support of special education that has resulted in changing policies and improved support over time. The argument for the financial support of special education requires that educators and parents promote the immaterial value of the growth and well-being of a child who might never be able to "pay back" or contribute to society in a recognizable way; these children may never be able to work or even live independently. The paper thus considers the parents' and educators' strategies for obtaining financial support for the abstract values of human growth and well-being. These strategies are noteworthy given that the Japanese government has subsequently developed a relatively high level of educational support for children suffering from severe disabilities. The paper also considers how disability in children, both visible and invisible (in the case of children suffering from autism and ADHD), is interpreted by parents and educators, and how parents and educators discuss the relationship between the material disability/ability and the value of their child. The paper shows how discussions regarding special education embody tensions between arguments for the potential for developing social usefulness (developing children into productive members of society) and arguments for the inherent value of the human being apart from any possible ability of making a material contribution to the society.