Creating a future where we can say, 'Dyslexia used to be a disability.' #April Dream
Nanka Co., Ltd. shares its 'April Dream' of a future where learning difficulties are no longer called disabilities, similar to how myopia is managed with eyeglasses today, through its tool 'Moji Sona'.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 2, 2026 at 02:30
- 🔍 Collected: April 1, 2026 at 18:37
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 21, 2026 at 07:49 (469h 12m after Collected)
Nanka Co., Ltd. supports April Dream, a project to make April 1st a day to share dreams. This press release is the dream of Nanka Co., Ltd.
## No one calls myopia a 'disability' anymore.
This is because, except for extreme cases, everyone knows the solution—'eyeglasses'—and the social implementation to provide them is widespread.
### So, what about 'learning difficulties'?
About 8% of elementary and junior high school students in Japan—2 to 3 in every classroom—have difficulty reading and writing. Many of them are thought to be 'not trying hard enough,' and sometimes they come to believe it themselves.
Our learning support tool, 'Moji Sona,' developed by Nanka Co., Ltd., aims to be like eyeglasses for myopia. We believe a future will come when Moji Sona is available to everyone nationwide, and children who need it can use it without hesitation to face their learning.
At that time, we believe we can say, 'I heard dyslexia used to be a disability in the past.'
## To begin with, myopia used to be a 'disability' too.
The word 'disability' has a strong ring to it. However, the 'disability' we want to convey in this article does not mean 'there is a problem with the person themselves.' The history of eyeglasses tells this story clearly.
Eyeglasses were invented in Italy at the end of the 13th century. Initially, there were only convex lenses for presbyopia, and concave lenses for myopia didn't spread until after the 15th century. In other words, for most of human history, people with myopia had no choice but to live without 'eyeglasses.'
In an era when it was necessary to protect oneself from external enemies and beasts, not being able to see far was directly linked to life and death. They couldn't hunt or detect danger. It is thought that people with myopia found it difficult even to survive without relying on their families.
### In those times, myopia was undoubtedly a 'disability.'
But it wasn't because their 'eyes were bad.' It was because society didn't have the tools to compensate for it. With the invention of eyeglasses and their accessibility to everyone, myopia ceased to be a 'disability.' It wasn't the eyes that changed, but the environment.
### 'Disability' is not an individual's characteristic, but a 'mismatch' between the individual and the environment.
If the environment changes, the 'disability' disappears. That's what we believe.
Learning difficulties are in the same situation right now. It's called a 'disability' because the 'eyeglasses for learning' have not yet reached everyone. If so, it is our mission to deliver those 'eyeglasses.'
## The story of a boy who closed his heart, thinking 'This is just who I am.'
When I was a student, I admired the protagonists of shonen manga. I wanted to live like that—working desperately hard, not giving up when hitting a wall, and finally succeeding.
But reality was different. Even though I tried my best, I couldn't keep going. This accelerated as I moved up in grades. Everyone else could do it, so why couldn't I? While constantly thinking that, I closed my heart, thinking, 'This is just who I am.'
### CEO Moribun realized his own dyslexia when he was 37 years old.
## No one calls myopia a 'disability' anymore.
This is because, except for extreme cases, everyone knows the solution—'eyeglasses'—and the social implementation to provide them is widespread.
### So, what about 'learning difficulties'?
About 8% of elementary and junior high school students in Japan—2 to 3 in every classroom—have difficulty reading and writing. Many of them are thought to be 'not trying hard enough,' and sometimes they come to believe it themselves.
Our learning support tool, 'Moji Sona,' developed by Nanka Co., Ltd., aims to be like eyeglasses for myopia. We believe a future will come when Moji Sona is available to everyone nationwide, and children who need it can use it without hesitation to face their learning.
At that time, we believe we can say, 'I heard dyslexia used to be a disability in the past.'
## To begin with, myopia used to be a 'disability' too.
The word 'disability' has a strong ring to it. However, the 'disability' we want to convey in this article does not mean 'there is a problem with the person themselves.' The history of eyeglasses tells this story clearly.
Eyeglasses were invented in Italy at the end of the 13th century. Initially, there were only convex lenses for presbyopia, and concave lenses for myopia didn't spread until after the 15th century. In other words, for most of human history, people with myopia had no choice but to live without 'eyeglasses.'
In an era when it was necessary to protect oneself from external enemies and beasts, not being able to see far was directly linked to life and death. They couldn't hunt or detect danger. It is thought that people with myopia found it difficult even to survive without relying on their families.
### In those times, myopia was undoubtedly a 'disability.'
But it wasn't because their 'eyes were bad.' It was because society didn't have the tools to compensate for it. With the invention of eyeglasses and their accessibility to everyone, myopia ceased to be a 'disability.' It wasn't the eyes that changed, but the environment.
### 'Disability' is not an individual's characteristic, but a 'mismatch' between the individual and the environment.
If the environment changes, the 'disability' disappears. That's what we believe.
Learning difficulties are in the same situation right now. It's called a 'disability' because the 'eyeglasses for learning' have not yet reached everyone. If so, it is our mission to deliver those 'eyeglasses.'
## The story of a boy who closed his heart, thinking 'This is just who I am.'
When I was a student, I admired the protagonists of shonen manga. I wanted to live like that—working desperately hard, not giving up when hitting a wall, and finally succeeding.
But reality was different. Even though I tried my best, I couldn't keep going. This accelerated as I moved up in grades. Everyone else could do it, so why couldn't I? While constantly thinking that, I closed my heart, thinking, 'This is just who I am.'
### CEO Moribun realized his own dyslexia when he was 37 years old.