The Komei School for the Physically Handicapped is located in a two-story building in a quiet residential neighborhood 20 minutes by train from central Tokyo. There are a total of 818 schools for physically or developmentally disabled children across Japan, and they are attended by approximately 80,000 students. The Komei School for the Physically Handicapped was founded in 1932 and is one of the oldest in the country. The school has 190 students ranging in age from elementary school all the way to high school, and they commute via school bus, family car, train, or by wheelchair.

Students enjoy talking with each other outside during break time.

The kids at the school have a variety of disabilities, including cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, and chromosome abnormalities. There are also a number of children with visual or hearing impairments. Inside the school, there are many teachers and support staff for the students, and in addition to teaching lessons, holding athletic meets, and taking the students on field trips, the teachers and staff also assist the kids with everyday activities, such as eating lunch.

One of the first things that a visitor to the school will notice is that students can move around freely by themselves. The area is barrier-free; there are slopes instead of steps and an elevator in place of stairs. Students can also enjoy relaxing in a small area outside that has a bench, a large tree, and a garden.

	There are many teachers at Komei, so students can learn at their own pace.

Students at Komei are grouped in classes according to the degree of their disabilities. For example, the high school students are divided into five groups, each of which takes lessons that suit the ability of the students. The content of the lessons for each group is different, but the groups that use textbooks study a basic curriculum not much different from that of other schools: Japanese, mathematics, science, geography and history, English, music, art, and physical education.

In the school's physical-training room, the kids work hard in order to minimize their disabilities to the greatest extent possible and improve their range of motion and physical health. This means strengthening not just their muscles but also the rest of their bodies. Second-year high school student Sachie Shima, who belongs to group five, undertakes one hour of physical training a week. She explains, "I inflate a balloon to strengthen my lungs, and I get massages on my body. It's tiring, but it's fun!"

In addition to the students who are able to come to school every day, Komei is working to teach kids who cannot; it has set up a special classroom in a nearby medical center in order to provide the same lessons for children who have difficulty leaving the hospital. And through another program, teachers make house calls in order to instruct disabled children who would have a hard time getting to school.