Kohei Kato is an educational researcher, game designer and special education researcher who leads the Kaneko Research Institute in Tokyo. He has designed Challenge Dungeon RPG, a tabletop roleplaying game (TRPG) that provides accessible ways of getting to know fellow players, share interests, and develop a team identity. He has been organizing The Sunday Project (SunPro), a monthly TRPG club for young people on the autism spectrum and related developmental disabilities. In contrast to a more common “social skills training” approach that focuses on fixing autistic deficits and conforming to mainstream social expectations, SunPro is an inclusive platform organized around shared interests and social exchange within a common structure of play.
