On November 26, students of the Kansai University Bekka Program visited the Osaka Prefectural Central School for the Deaf as part of the "Academic Japanese" course, engaging in cultural exchange activities including presentations about their home countries and regions.

This course focuses on developing students' communication skills through presentations and discussions on specialized topics. For this visit, the theme was "Communicating with people who have diverse characteristics," providing an opportunity to put into practice what students had learned in the classroom.

In preparation, the students read academic texts on information accessibility and communication support, summarized the content, and presented it in class. Through this, they learned the importance of adapting their communication methods according to others' needs and characteristics. The visit served as a practical extension of this learning.

On the day of the visit, twenty-four Bekka students, divided into five groups, interacted with about twenty junior high school students at the school. In the first activity, the international students introduced their home countries and regions, their national sign languages, and schools for the deaf in their countries. They used a combination of photos, written text, and sign language they had practiced specifically for this visit.

The junior high school students also actively communicated using sign language and written messages on the board. Communication naturally took shape without relying solely on spoken language, as both sides made efforts to express themselves clearly.

In the second half of the program, students enjoyed a lively game of "Sign Language Karuta," forming mixed teams of Bekka students and the school's students. The　classroom was filled with smiles as participants worked together, using sign language clues, striving toward a shared goal.

Before the exchange, a teacher at the school shared the following message:
"We would like to observe how our students communicate in an environment where sign language is not universally understood. The Bekka students may also face challenges, but we hope both sides will grow through mutual effort."

As the teacher anticipated, both the junior high school students and Bekka students approached communication difficulties with a positive attitude. They used a variety of strategies--sign language, gestures, facial expressions, and writing on the board--experimenting and adjusting as they interacted.

The experience allowed everyone to discover the possibilities of communication beyond spoken language and provided a meaningful opportunity for mutual learning across differences.