Conference Program

In recent decades, disability studies have emphasised that disability cannot be understood merely as an individual condition, but as the outcome of social, institutional, and cultural factors that produce inequality (Medeghini, 2015). From this perspective, people with disabilities can be considered a social group subject to structural oppression (Thomas, 2007; 2024), generated by systems of beliefs, practices, and institutions that implicitly define who is fully entitled to social participation (Allen, 2005). As Campbell (2009) argues, these processes are underpinned by ableism: norms and expectations that construct an implicit ideal of ability and productivity.

These tensions are particularly evident in the transition from school to work for students with disabilities. They emerge through classification systems, organisational practices, and institutional expectations that structure educational trajectories in differential ways (Friso, 2017). Although inclusion policies have broadened access to education, the transition to adulthood and entry into the labour market remains one of the most vulnerable stages and among the least investigated by research (Traina et al., 2022). In this context, the Pathways for Transversal Skills and Guidance (PCTO) were introduced into the Italian school system to promote situated learning experiences and vocational guidance. However, recent studies (Pagani et al., 2025) highlight that their educational value depends on the quality of host contexts, student engagement, and the role of stakeholders shaping learning experiences.

This report presents preliminary results of an action research project conducted within “PCTO: a support system for students with disabilities”, implemented in the Milan metropolitan area and promoted within the EMERGO programme. The project aims to support school-to-work transition processes for young people with disabilities through guidance and mediation between schools, families, and workplaces. The research investigates how work placement experiences during upper secondary school contribute to the development of life projects and future expectations among students with disabilities (Tino & Ruzzante, 2016), and which conditions facilitate or hinder the educational potential of PCTO. The study was conducted at the Milan branch of the Enaip Foundation.

The research design adopts a qualitative approach based on narrative and semi-structured interviews with students with disabilities, parents, educators, curricular and special education teachers, and school representatives for inclusion and PCTO. Including multiple perspectives enables identification of convergences and dissonances between experiences, supporting data triangulation that enriches understanding of educational processes and relational dynamics. Data are analysed through reflective-interpretative thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2022), aimed at identifying emerging patterns, shared meanings, and interpretative differences among participants.

Preliminary findings show that PCTOs can represent meaningful contexts of learning and recognition, where students experience participation and skill development difficult to achieve in traditional school settings. At the same time, the analysis highlights challenges related to the discontinuity of experiences, the quality of work contexts, and the need for mediation between schools, families, companies, and local services. Overall, these results suggest that the inclusive potential of PCTOs lies not simply in access to work experience, but in the possibility of creating relational learning contexts capable of redefining participation and supporting transitions to adult life.

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