The Agency has published a new book to celebrate the Agency’s 25th anniversary. Celebrating 25 years on the path to inclusive education reflects on changes and developments in the field of inclusive education over the last 25 years, as well as exploring the Agency’s history and achievements.
The book follows the Agency’s journey from a newly-established framework for European collaboration, to an acknowledged and trusted partner that Agency member countries turn to in their efforts to make their education systems more inclusive and equitable. It includes statements from Agency colleagues and member country representatives outlining the Agency’s influence on them and their work, and considers the Agency’s future aspirations.
The book was launched during the Agency’s bi-annual meeting of country representatives in May. The meeting provided a chance to celebrate the Agency’s achievements over the last 25 years with current and former colleagues, country representatives, Chairs and Directors.
The celebration speeches and the new book share a recurring theme: an appreciation of the continuous optimism, co-operation, respect and openness within the Agency and across its member countries. Speakers and contributors to the book celebrated the opportunity that Agency membership provides to share common principles and learn from one another in work to improve education systems. This has led to many developments and steps forward in Agency member countries’ education systems over the last 25 years.
Several speakers reflected on the name change in 2014 from the European Agency for Development in Special Needs Education to the European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education as a milestone in the Agency’s history. The change of name, which is also described in the book, mirrored the change in thinking in the education field, from a focus on special educational needs to a focus on including all learners in education.
The publication is available to download on the Agency website.
