On 13 October, Drs. Hurwitz and DeCaro and Professor Clymer participated in two very significant events in Tsukuba, Japan:

• A celebration of Tsukuba College of Technology (TCT) being elevated to national university status and renamed National-Tsukuba University of Technology (N-TUT), and,
• The N-TUT International Symposium 2005

Dr. Hurwitz participated in the official ceremonies to celebrate TCT becoming a national university. The ceremonies were attended by representatives of government, business, industry, education and the deaf community. More than 200 people participated in the festivities.

Immediately following the celebration ceremonies, the N-TUT International Symposium 2005 was held in Tsukuba. Plenary speakers were invited from Korea, Thailand, the Philippines and PEN-International. They offered their thinking regarding "The Current Status, Problems and Prospects of Higher Education for People with Disabilities in Asia." (see the program book) Approximately 150 individuals attended the conference. Dr. DeCaro, representing PEN-International, presented a paper regarding the work on PEN in the Asia-Pacific Basin. (see the PowerPoint) The four plenary sessions were followed by a panel discussion by the four presenters.