1st deaf person passes medical doctor exam

1st deaf person passes medical doctor exam : National : DAILY YOMIURI ONLINE (The Daily Yomiuri)

A 25-year-old deaf woman from Otsu has passed this year's medical doctor's license examination, the first such success since the Medical Practitioners Law was revised in 2001 to allow deaf and blind people to take the test, according to the Shiga University of Medical Science.

Kumiko Takezawa graduated from the university in the city earlier this year.

Takezawa, whose hometown is Akashi, Hyogo Prefecture, lost her hearing for unknown reasons when she was 2 years old. She attended ordinary classes from primary to high school, utilizing hearing aids and lip reading.

In a quest to determine the cause of her handicap, Takezawa decided to become a doctor when she was a third-year middle school student. She entered university in 2001.

Takezawa said: "I was able to overcome many difficulties with the help of my friends and teachers. I may become a doctor specializing in otolaryngology to help people with the same handicap as mine."

That's impressive but I wouldn't say the first deaf person. There are quite a number of deaf doctors in the USA alone....

Maybe for that region is the first.

I know that there were two deaf doctors at the University of Maryland hospital in Baltimore.

That's Japan.

Glad to see that happening in other countries.

It is great and hopefully she will open up many opportunities for Deaf people in Japan to explore in medical careers.

Wow thats a wonderful news... I hope this will catch on to other countries that we deaf people can do anything but hear. This will help us get thru the barriers and show them we can DO IT.

Congrats to Kumiko Takezawa. I wish her lot of luck!