Pensare l’educazione inclusiva come processo di disability literacy

Abstract

Today, the world of education is an increasingly complex topic, constantly under the strain of the enormous, varied and frenetic changes taking place in the socio-cultural fabric. These changes
have brought new educational issues to the surface, new forms of intolerance and social segregation, that are in conflict with the need to create an inclusive social context that will benefit all members of society. If we consider the classroom as a micro-ecosystem comprised of many different features, and created by the diverse needs of its “inhabitants”, the students, then it is important
to understand that these same students require immediate and practicable answers in terms of education, teaching, learning and social terms, and in terms of values. This fact inevitably leads
us to view special education as a form of “disability literacy” which should necessarily and comprehensively include the many different social contexts and the great variety of professionals involved,
who can do so much to help create a truly inclusive “environment”. Schools, after-school projects, families, social services and local authorities all need to come together and “network” in
order to develop and promote a culture of diversity that is still lacking in our modern civil society.