1. 1

2. RAFFAELE IOSA USR-ER:
via De’ Castagnoli, 1
MIUR* Technical Inspector 40126 Bologna – Italy
in Emilia Romagna direzione-emiliaromagna@istruzione.it
* Ministry of Education, University
and Research Home:
via Ariosa, 35/A
48100 Ravenna – Italy
rafiosa@tin.it
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3. Bologna – 4th May 2011
Inclusion of Students with
Disabilities in Regular
Schools:
Overview and Possible
Cooperation between
Partner Regions
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4. THE ITALIAN MODEL
FOR THE INTEGRATION
AND INCLUSION OF
STUDENTS WITH
DISABILITIES
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5. -I-
30+ Years of Integration Policies:
RELEVANT MILESTONES
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6. Law n. 517/1977
• The Italian Parliament establishes the
integration of all disabled students in regular
classes, from scuola materna (preschool) to
scuola media (lower secondary school)
= students aged from 3 to 14
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7. Sentence n. 515/87 of the
Constitutional Court
• The sentence acknowledges the right
of disabled students to attend upper
secondary schools (students aged
from 14 to 18)
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8. Law 104/92
“Framework Law for the Assistance, the Social
Inclusion and the Rights of Disabled People”
• It is the first framework law on this topic
• It deals with all aspects of the life of disabled people and
their families (education, health and social aspects):
- Assessment of a handicap
- Prevention and early diagnosis
- Treatment and rehabilitation
- Social inclusion
- Right to education and training
- Labour market integration
- ….
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9. Law n. 68/99
• It’s a quite innovative law which
guarantees the right of disabled
young adults to have access to work
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10. -II -
SOME CONSIDERATIONS:
• The idea of including all individuals (regardless of
their personal situation) in what is commonly called
“NORMALITY” is no doubt part of our culture and
tradition;
• This same culture /tradition led us to close, back in
the 70’s, psychiatric asylums, foundling institutions
for orphan and deserted children and special schools
• This same culture / tradition has been promoting
the inclusion of foreign students into regular
schools/classes
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11. • NORMALITY is therefore the
main feature of our education and social
experience
• Working and focusing on NORMALITY
doesn’t mean at all to forget special needs
• On the contrary, by acknowledging all young
learners’ special needs
• and by getting over the dichotomy that
opposes what is normal to what is
special …
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12. …our goal is to build…
A SPECIAL NORMALITY
that students can live and
perceive as
A NORMAL
NORMALITY 12

13. Growing up in a “special normality” that is
accepted as a “NORMAL NORMALITY” is
very important not just for disabled students
but for ALL STUDENTS
WHY?
Because it gets children (and adults) used to
an open, supportive and caring society
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14. - III -
RESULTS
• In spite of the problems that we had to face
and are still facing (organization, training,
economic issues), the outcomes of our 30+
years’ integration policies are extremely
positive and they have been acknowledged by
all governments, regardless of their party
label
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15. 4 EXAMPLES:
1) An international psychological survey has
shown that the IQ (Intelligent Quotient) of
students affected by Down’s Syndrome
integrated in regular classes in Italy is 25-30%
higher than students affected by Down’s
Syndrome and attending special schools in
Germany and Belgium:
A NORMAL NORMALITY SEEMS TO
HAVE A THERAPEUTIC EFFECT ON
STUDENTS’ INTELLIGENCE!
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16. 2) A research carried out by the European
Agency for Development in Special Needs
Education proved that integrating disabled
students in regular schools is less expensive
than keeping them in special schools:
A NORMAL NORMALITY IS LESS
COSTLY THAN A SPECIAL
SPECIALITY WHICH KEEPS
OPPOSING WHAT IS NORMAL TO
WHAT IS SPECIAL
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17. 3) In Emilia Romagna more than 60% of
disabled students finish the upper secondary
school by obtaining either a regular high
school leaving qualification (what we call
“maturità”) or a certificate identifying the
specific skills and abilities reached:
IN A NORMAL NORMALITY
DISABLED STUDENTS CAN FOLLOW
A REGULAR EDUCATION PATHWAY
FROM THE BEGINNING TO THE
END
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18. 4)Lots of disabled students find a “normal” job
after leaving high school:
A NORMAL NORMALITY PROMOTES
WORK INTEGRATION OF PEOPLE
WITH DISABILITIES
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19. - IV -
FACTORS PROMOTING
SCHOOL INTEGRATION
1) LESS STUDENTS PER CLASS
We try to keep the number of students
reasonably low (20-25 rather than 25-28),
which makes it a bit easier to think of a
personalized teaching methodology
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20. 2) LEARNING SUPPORT TEACHERS
Learning support teachers are there for the whole
class group, not just for the disabled students, and
they work together with the other teachers of the
class.
Therefore, all teachers have didactic responsibility,
including learning support teachers.
Learning support teachers help to define a
personalized methodology for disabled students, but
they also have a core role as far as the cooperation
between all students and teachers is concerned.
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21. 3) PERSONALIZED PROGRAM (what we call
PEI = Piano Educativo Individualizzato)
Each disabled student has the right to a personalized
program (PEI).
The PEI is (re-)defined every year by the school and
the social services, and accepted by the family.
The curriculum that disabled students follow is the
regular one, with some adjustments.
At the upper secondary school (students aged from 14
to 18) the curriculum may differ for disabled students
affected by serious diseases.
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22. 4) MORE PROFESSIONAL EDUCATORS
When the situation is particularly serious,
more professional educators work with the
disabled students to help them reach a level of
personal autonomy
In upper secondary schools we often have
university students acting as “tutors”, while
caretakers (school staff) help students in the
different daily situations and needs (toilet,
meals, etc)
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23. 5) COUNSELLING AND TRANSITION TO
ADULT LIFE
Particular assistance is granted to disabled
students during the transition from Scuola
Media to Scuola Superiore (from lower to
upper secondary school) and from Scuola
Superiore (upper secondary school) to adult
life
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24. 6) LOCAL COOPERATION
Social services, local councils, schools and
families work together to define the most
suitable integration pathway.
In each one of the 9 provinces of the region
there is a public structure having a
coordinating, promoting and assessing role
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25. 7) BROAD USE OF TECHNOLOGY
The use of assistive technology for disabled
students has developed and increased over the
last years.
In Emilia Romagna we have research centres
specialized in producing assistive technology
for schools.
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26. -V -
DISABLED STUDENTS:
WHO ARE THEY?
• This terminology question is not a minor
detail, as there are different interpretations
Europe-wide
• The definition we use refers to the ICD10
(International Classification of Diseases – 10th
version) by the World Health Organization
(WHO)
BUT…
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27. • ... Our diagnosis are carried out by using a
new and different tool called ICF
(International Classification of Functioning,
Disability and Health).
• The main difference is that the assessment
carried out takes into consideration not just
the medical/clinical aspects but also the bio-
psycho-social aspects.
• In one word, we can definitely say that this
new approach is HOLISTIC
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28. -VI -
TWO OUTSTANDING
OUTCOMES IN EMILIA
ROMAGNA
• 1) In Emilia Romagna most deaf students don’t have
to pay for their cochlear implant and quite relvant
didactic rehabilitation experiences are carried out
with these students after surgery
• 2) Emilia Romagna is very well known for the
quality of the services provided to disabled students,
which is the reason why many families with disabled
children decide to move here
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29. -VII -
CRITICAL ISSUES
• Class sizes
• Teacher training
• Teamwork at times missing in lower and upper
secondary schools, where support teachers are too
often the only one who work with disabled students
• Most disabled students attend vocational secondary
schools because our Licei are often less prepared to
integrate and include them in their classes
• Severe disabilities
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