障害児の為の最古の学校
今から８０年位前までは、障害児への教育は無駄な事と考えられていて、小学校にさえ、入れなかったのです。
この不公平な現状打開に立ち上がった松本氏は、1932年、障害児の為に全寮制（教師も共に）の学校を創りました。
そこでは、一般教育に加えて、個々の特質を伸ばす指導や、個別の治療、リハビリもできたのです。
戦時中は、都市部の一般の児童は、戦火を避ける為に国の支援で学童疎開をしましたが、障害児は対象外でした。
松本校長は、長野の上山田村で、何度断られても交渉を重ね、受け入れ先を決め、移動は国鉄に、治療器具の輸送は陸軍に頼み、子供たちの疎開を成功させました。なんと、その５日後、元居た世田谷の校舎は、空襲で全焼したのです。
終戦から４年後、学校は再建され、無事だった児童も戻り、都立特別支援光明学校となり、日本最古の障害児支援学校として、今日に至っています。
卒業生のなかには、有名な俳人をはじめ、各分野で活躍している方々もおられます。
現在、全国には、公立、私立合わせて1059校の支援校があり、障害児の未来
えの期待に手助けをしていますが、その原点をつくったのは松本校長だった事
を忘れてはならないでしょう。
The oldest special support school
About 80 years ago, handicapped children were ignored to educate, although Meiji constitution said every one has the right to have education.
Concerning about that, Mr. Matumoto opened the school for those
children in 1932.
The school had the dormitory, all students and teachers lived together, and there were appliances of physical treatment , too.
It was during World War 2, the government let school children evacuate from Tokyo to country side and helped their cost of transporting.
But the government didn’t let Matumot’s students do so.
Then principal Matumoto had to find a the evacuation place for his students, he went to small village in Nagano and asked the village chief to accept his students to stay in the village until the war-end, at first his asking was refused, but he tried to ask again and again at last they were accepted.
Fortunately, his action saved his students lives from the American bombing in Tokyo 1945 just 5 days after their evacuation.
Unfortunately, their school was burned down though.
4 years passed after World War 2, the school was rebuilt at the same place in Setagaya. It has been as the origin of the school for handicapped children.
Now there are 1059 public and private supporting schools in Japan, we appreciate his effort.