Creating a Future Where We Can Say, "Reading and Writing Difficulties Used to Be Considered a Disability." #April Dream

Nanka Inc. supports April Dream, a project that aims to make April 1st a day for sharing dreams. This press release describes the dream of Nanka Inc.

### No one calls nearsightedness a "disability" anymore. Nearsightedness is no longer called a disability because everyone knows the solution—glasses—and the social implementation of making them available is widespread.

### What about "reading and writing difficulties"? About 8% of elementary and junior high school students in Japan—2 to 3 children in every class—face difficulties in reading and writing. Many of them are told they "aren't trying hard enough," and sometimes they start to believe it themselves.

Our learning support tool "MojiSona," developed by Nanka Inc., aims to be like glasses for nearsightedness. We envision an environment where anyone across the country can use MojiSona without hesitation to face their learning challenges. We believe a future will come when we can say, "Reading and writing difficulties used to be considered a disability."

### Nearsightedness was once a "disability." The word "disability" has a strong resonance. However, the "disability" we refer to here does not mean "there is a problem with the person themselves." The history of nearsightedness illustrates this clearly.

Spectacles were invented in Italy in the late 13th century. At first, there were only convex lenses for presbyopia; concave lenses for nearsightedness only spread after the 15th century. For most of human history, people with nearsightedness had no choice but to live without glasses. In an era when protecting oneself from predators was vital, not being able to see far was directly linked to life and death. Those with nearsightedness likely found it difficult to survive without relying on their families.

In that era, nearsightedness was undoubtedly a "disability." But it wasn't because their eyes were "bad." It was because society lacked the tools to compensate for it. Once glasses were invented and became accessible to everyone, nearsightedness ceased to be a disability. What changed was not the eye, but the environment.

### "Disability" is not a person's trait, but a "mismatch" between the person and the environment. If the environment changes, the "disability" disappears. We believe that reading and writing difficulties are in the same situation right now. It is called a "disability" because the "glasses for learning" have not yet reached everyone. Thus, it is our mission to deliver those "glasses."

### The story of a boy who closed his heart, thinking "I guess this is all I am." As a student, I admired the protagonists of shonen manga. I wanted to live like them—working frantically, never giving up when hitting a wall, and eventually succeeding. But reality was different. I worked hard, but I couldn't keep it up. As I moved up in grades, this feeling accelerated. I wondered why I couldn't do what everyone else could. I kept thinking, "I guess this is all I am," and closed the lid on my heart.

CEO Moribun realized he had dyslexia at the age of 37. If only I had known sooner. If only I had encountered a learning style that suited me earlier. That thought is the starting point for creating MojiSona. There are children, parents, and supporters fighting these traits right now. That is why we are making this app.

### Difficulties in reading and writing, but not "incapability." Children with reading and writing difficulties do not have low intelligence. They have the ability to think. They can speak. They can type or use flick input. However, using the learning method of "reading characters and writing on paper" causes them to make mistakes, take more time, and get tired.

We don't tell a nearsighted person to "squint harder." We tell them to wear glasses. Similarly, children with reading and writing difficulties need a "different way of learning," not just "more effort."

MojiSona is a tool to create that "different way of learning." By simply taking a photo of educational materials with a tablet, the app reads them aloud. Children can write using their voice or a keyboard. Since they already have the ability to think, if we supplement the "reading and writing" parts, their true potential will be unleashed.

Materials with mixed vertical and horizontal text. Furigana scattered everywhere. Diverse answer field formats. We want to make various classroom materials usable just by having a child take a photo with a tablet. We hit many technical walls, but we reached this point by listening to the voices of many affected individuals, parents, and teachers.

*A teacher who ran around the staff room to collect opinions, saying "This will help that child!"* *Children who told us without hesitation, "It would be better if it did this!"* *Every single function of MojiSona was carved out of such voices.*

### Our Dream: A society where the term "disability" is no longer needed. Everyone learns differently. Some suit reading, others suit listening. This is not a "disability" but simply a "difference." If there are tools that fit those differences, no one will struggle. To realize this future, we are working on two axes:

**Usage as Reasonable Accommodation.** Delivering a learning style that fits each child with difficulties. Making it so that children who need it can use MojiSona continuously, regardless of their environment or grade level, just as someone with nearsightedness wears glasses.

**Widespread adoption as Basic Environmental Improvement.** Beyond individual accommodation, we aim to spread MojiSona as an infrastructure that can be used in any school nationwide. Just like a ramp that is there for whoever needs it, we want MojiSona to be a tool that can be used naturally, no matter where you are born or which school you attend.

When these two wheels are aligned, we believe a society will arrive where the word "disability" naturally becomes unnecessary for reading and writing difficulties.

#### We will create a future where we can say, "Reading and writing difficulties used to be considered a disability." So that everyone can naturally choose their way of learning, no matter where they are born or which school they attend.

### About MojiSona "MojiSona" is a learning support tool for children who experience difficulties with reading and writing (dyslexia, foreign roots, auditory dominance, etc.). It enables an environment where materials captured by camera or imported data can be quickly read aloud and entered via voice. It can be used on browsers on various tablets.

▼ MojiSona Official Website: https://mojisona.com/

**Company Profile** - Company Name: Nanka Inc. - Representative: CEO Keita Moribun - Location: Startup Plaza Hyogo, 56 Naniwa-cho, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture - Established: March 2025 - Business: Planning, development, and operation of the learning support app "MojiSona" - Official Website: https://nanka.net/