On 16 November, the Agency participated in a seminar discussing how policies and technology support inclusive education. This event took place in the European Parliament and was organised by Ádám Kósa MEP, in co-operation with Helga Stevens MEP, Silvia Costa MEP and the Agency.
EU Commissioner for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport, Tibor Navracsics delivered the opening speech. He emphasised an idea that I strongly relate to, as it is a fundamental premise for the Agency’s mission: ‘When all children, regardless of their differences, are educated together, everyone benefits’.
The Commissioner said that there have been tremendous achievements over the past few decades: a pupil with a disability nowadays has a much easier life than 30 years ago. The European Commission has the expertise and co-ordination capacity to support member states, as does the European Agency, and Mr Navracsics pointed out and the funds the Commission has made available undoubtedly have an impact.
Speakers at the seminar emphasised the fundamental importance of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2006). Two key messages we heard at this seminar is that schools must cater for all learners, and that technologies can play a huge role in making knowledge and learning accessible for everyone.
Both policy makers and the representatives from the technology industry highlighted accessibility as a key word, both in terms of physical accessibility and information accessibility in education.
A series of Agency projects have examined the role of information and communication technology (ICT) in inclusive education. The most recent ones are the ICT for Information Accessibility in Learning project, which developed a series of Guidelines for accessible information in learning, and the ICT for Inclusion project. I look forward to seeing new developments in the field of technology, as well as policies to support inclusive education that aim to ensure empowerment and full participation in society for people with disabilities.