From 4 to 8 January 2005, Dr. Mayumi Shirasawa visited PEN headquarters and New York City to make preparations for the March 2005 delegation that will form the core of PEPNet-Japan. The visit included discussions regarding the establishment of NETAC (Northeast Technical Assistance Center) at NTID. In addition, Ms. Desiree Duda (NETAC Coordinator in NYC) led discussions at New York University regarding the manner in which Hunter College, NYU and Fashion Institute of Technology support deaf students and work with NETAC.

From 13 to 23 March a delegation of 15 university faculty members and administrators from across Japan visited the USA to explore different models in the USA for implementing at PEPNet-Japan. The delegation visited NTID, New York University, LaGuardia Community College and Hunter College. In preparation for the meeting, a report prepared by Dr. M. Shirasawa regarding a Japan-wide survey of support services for deaf students in postsecondary education was distributed to all those with whom the delegation visited in the USA.

The delegation will now meet in Japan to prepare a five-year plan for the development and implementation of PEPNet-Japan.