Mother Talks About Facing the ‘18-Year-Old Wall’ with a Child with Disabilities

From AERA Digital

August 18 2026

TOKYO –  Chihiro Erikawa, who raises a child with disabilities and first encountered inclusive education during a stay in Hawaii, shares the importance of inclusive education and the structural challenges facing Japan.

On April 13, I (Chihiro) appeared on an NHK television program called Asaichi.

The theme was “Our Family Member with Disabilities Has Become an ‘Adult.'” It served as a sequel to last November’s broadcast, “Our Family Member Has a Disability,” which drew a massive audience response. This special segment focused on the issues that arise when a child with disabilities turns 18 and what life looks like afterward. I had the opportunity to explain the system from the perspective of both a family member and a professional field expert. Today, I would like to write about support for transition to adulthood for children with disabilities.

The Gap Between the Child Welfare Act and the Services and Supports for Persons with Disabilities Act

Recently, I have frequently heard and seen the term “18-Year-Old Wall.”

The “18-Year-Old Wall” refers to a phenomenon where the governing legislation for receiving welfare services shifts at age 18 from the Child Welfare Act to the Services and Supports for Persons with Disabilities Act. Because of this legal switch, individuals are often unable to access the same services they received prior to turning 18, creating significant disruption in daily life for both the individual and their family.

A particularly critical issue within this transition is that after graduating from special needs high schools, the facilities people attend from age 18 onward have shorter operating hours, directly impacting parents’ and guardians’ ability to remain employed. Up until age 18, children can attend “after-school day care services” if desired, where they can stay until around 5:00 or 6:00 PM. However, most facilities for adults aged 18 and older close around 3:00 or 4:00 PM, making it impossible for working parents to return home in time for their child’s arrival.

In fact, this happened in our own household. When my oldest daughter, who requires ongoing medical care, graduated from her special needs school and began attending a adult care facility, she was returning home around 3:30 PM. As a result, I had to reduce my workload from four days a week down to two.

Why does something like this happen? I believe it is because the Child Welfare Act and the Services and Supports for Persons with Disabilities Act are built on completely different concepts: “protection and growth” versus “self-reliance and social participation.”

Ideally, these two laws should connect seamlessly, but at present, there is a clear disconnect. After-school day care services under the Child Welfare Act incorporate the perspective of “family support.” In contrast, care facilities under the Services and Supports for Persons with Disabilities Act aim for “maintaining the individual’s daily life.” This conceptual difference directly affects how operating hours are structured, creating a structural gap in the system. Even though a child’s condition remains unchanged, the governing law forcefully switches at age 18, leading to situations where daily life becomes unsustainable. Today, dual-income households account for over 70% of families in Japan. Creating an environment where parents can continue working while raising a child with disabilities is an urgent priority.

Life After Parents Are Gone for Children Needing Medical Care

In addition to the “18-Year-Old Wall,” the program touched on the topic of “life after parents are gone.” My oldest daughter will turn 20 next month, making her a full-fledged adult by age. Yet, after my husband and I pass away, she will not be able to live on her own. She requires full assistance for everything: feeding (via a tube/PEG), bathing, getting in and out of her wheelchair, and even putting on her favorite DVDs. Currently, there is a severe shortage of residential facilities equipped to admit people who require full assistance and ongoing medical care, leaving families with almost no choices.

In urban areas, facilities have reached full capacity, while in regional areas, securing staff qualified to handle severe disabilities is a major hurdle -,meaning families nationwide are struggling with this reality. Over the past decade, the number of children requiring medical care has doubled. As medical advances cause these needs to expand further in the future, my earnest hope is that our society steadily builds functional systems to address these challenges today.

My very first live broadcast was an endless series of nervous moments, but thanks to the incredibly warm staff and fellow cast members, I managed to make it through to the end. Every time the show cut from the studio to a video segment, people encouraged me with comments like, “You’re doing great!” or “Don’t worry, you’ve got this!”, which truly helped me relax. Realizing how much care and preparation the staff put into producing a single feature every day—holding countless meetings and rehearsals—left me in pure admiration. I am deeply grateful for this valuable experience. Although the broadcast has ended, I intend to keep speaking out about transition support into adulthood.