Conference Program

“Inclusion is a transformative process that ensures the full participation of all children, young people and adults in quality learning opportunities, while respecting and valuing diversity and eliminating all forms of discrimination in and through education.’ Inclusion represents a commitment to making schools and other educational settings places where everyone is valued and belongs and where diversity is seen as enriching” (UNESCO, 2019).

The Italian school system has a long tradition of inclusive education, that began in the 1970s. Since then, legislation has evolved to guarantee students with disabilities and those with other special educational needs the right to personalized education. Law 104/92 establishes the right to education and schooling from birth, guaranteeing the right to education and instruction for persons with disabilities within educational institutions of all levels and types.

Therefore, an inclusive school should put in place all available facilitators and remove any barriers to learning and participation for all students. However, the conception of rights and benefits was rooted in a medical-individual model of disability that remains evident, even in recent legislation, thereby impeding innovation in this area (Ianes, Dremo & Dell’Anna, 2020).

The annual survey 'Scholastic inclusion of students with disabilities' started in 2008 and allows monitoring of various aspects of the inclusion of students with disabilities over time. The survey comprises two parts. The first part is a census addressed to all schools in Italy and aims to assess the more objective aspects of inclusion in the educational/learning offer. The second part is a sample addressed to a sample of students with disabilities representative of the reference population. This part aims to explore students' epidemiological characteristics, the aids used, unmet needs and aspects related to participation. Finally, the survey uses also a set of questions borrowed from the ICF to explore the functioning levels of students with disabilities.

This study uses survey data to analyze the levels of inclusion of students with disabilities within the school context. The aim is to identify the main critical issues still present in the education system and the positive signs and effective practices that foster participation.

Particular attention is devoted to describing the heterogeneity of educational needs that characterizes the school population. Based on information collected on individual students, the study proposes classifying them into homogeneous groups according to types of need and levels of participation. This provides a more systematic interpretation of the data and helps to identify possible intervention pathways.