Inclusion in education means placing children with disabilities into a general education with necessary support to make sure the student is successful in general education. One key is that children are “based” in general education classrooms. By being based in general education students with disabilities are viewed as members rather than visitors to the class, and as a result they are more likely to be accepted and befriended by peers. Inclusive education is an approach to education that supports and welcomes diversity amongst all learners. It is a concept of effective schools where every child has a place to study and teachers become facilitators of learning rather than providers of information (ICEVI: 2012). Major barriers towards implementation of inclusive education practices in 2017 presented during the ICE2017: International congress on education for the 21st Century, 3-4 May 2017, Thailand: stigmatization; knowledge, skills and creating inclusive environment for students with special educational needs (disabilities); marginalisation of the people with disabilities in the community; cultural and public acceptance; government efforts to support people with disabilities (welfare and social services, education, employment opportunities). Therefore, this consortium discovered the need to train so called “inclusive education ambassadors” – teachers, trainers, psychologists, resource tutors who can support the development, implementation and mainstreaming of successful inclusive education practices. The approach will be to follow the universal design of learning which will enable accessible provision of education to all students with and without disabilities. The inclusive education ambassadors should have: • professional skills to work towards integrative schools and do active outreach to open up schools as institutions towards inclusive education practices • knowledge and skills in managing diversity. • ability to suggest strategies to promote inclusive practices at mainstream schools • ability to create a learning community in which everyone – staff, students, parents are involved and valued for their input-to promote the inclusion and integration of all students no matter what their origin, previous experience, abilities and social skills are • ability-to support teachers and schools staff in dealing with diversified groups of learners. All the participating schools during piloting process will: • share their experience and good practices focusing on abilities rather than disabilities • improve their individual support system introducing the good practice of other countries reducing the risk of failure and preventing students drop outs • learn how to make effective and motivating study materials adapted to the individual needs of every student which will lead to a greater success • use the project and its intellectual outputs as a resource in long-term development of the mainstream schools. All the teachers and school staff involved in the project will: • raise their motivation to recognize and support individual needs of students • develop new professional skills, competences and inclusive education strategies • be trained as inclusive education ambassadors which will be maintained beyond the project lifetime as a sustainability action. The key outcome of this project is the empowerment of participants in the sense of their capability to identify techniques and approaches that are suitable for them in everyday life and their work. All the schools will use the project as a resource in long-term development of the school. This will be reached by the development of the following Intellectual outputs: IO1: Principles, beliefs and role of the inclusive education ambassadors guide. IO2: Handbook “How to strengthen the implementation of the inclusive education at mainstream schools?” IO3: Guide for setting up and delivery of cross-school peer support IO4: Mobile app for blended learning and cross-school networking and communication Those results will be approbated in Bulgaria and Turkey under the know-how supporter partner from Belgium. The consortium include: P1 The second biggest university in Bulgaria as leading inclusion pedagogical master. P2 The national representative umbrella organisation of teachers and professionals working with students with disabilities P3 Public mainstreaming school from Plovdiv, Bulgaria experienced in integration of students with disabilities P4 Public mainstreaming school from Istanbul, Turkey interested to integrate students with disabilities P5 Inclusive consultancy body with extensive experience in teachers' training in Flanders which will transfer know-how to this partnership.
An estimated 93 million children worldwide live with disabilities (UNICEF data 2021). Like all children, children with disabilities have ambitions and dreams for their futures. Like all children, they need quality education to develop their skills and realize their full potential. Yet, children with disabilities are often overlooked in policymaking, limiting their access to education and their ability to participate in social, economic and political life. Worldwide, these children are among the most likely to be out of school. They face persistent barriers to education stemming from discrimination, stigma and the routine failure of decision makers to incorporate disability in school services. Disability is the single most serious barrier to education across the globe. Inclusion in education means placing children with disabilities into a general education with necessary support to make sure the student is successful in general education. One key is that children are “based” in general education classrooms. By being based in general education students with disabilities are viewed as members rather than visitors to the class, and as a result they are more likely to be accepted and befriended by peers. With this project the inclusive education in Bulgaria and Turkey was extended as an approach to allow sutiable delivery of education, that supports and welcomes diversity amongst all learners including those with disabilities, learning difficulties, talants etc. It is a concept of effective schools where every child has a place to study and teachers become facilitators of learning rather than providers of information. With this project we have trained more than 150 teachers in Bulgaria and Turkey as “inclusive education ambassadors”. In this role we involved teachers, trainers, psychologists, resource tutors, who support the development, implementation and mainstreaming of successful inclusive education practices. Our approach followed the universal design of learning, which enabled accessible provision of education to all students with and without disabilities and learning difficulties. As such those ambassadors gained professional skills to work towards integrative schools and do active outreach to open up schools as institutions towards inclusive education practices. We have equipped them with necessarily knowledge and skills in managing diversity and we have enabled them to be able to suggest strategies to promote inclusive practices at mainstream schools. At the end of the project the participated ambassadors have the ability to create a learning community in which everyone – staff, students, parents are involved and valued for their input-to promote the inclusion and integration of all students no matter what their origin, previous experience, abilities and social skills are. In addition, they acquired ability to support teachers and schools staff in dealing with diversified groups of learners. All 20 participating schools during piloting process shared their experience and good practices focusing on abilities rather than disabilities. They improved their individual support system by introducing the good practice of other countries (like Sticordi measures from Belgium) and therefore reduced the risk of failure and preventing students drop outs. These teachers, trainers, psychologists, resource tutors learnt how to make effective and motivating study materials adapted to the individual needs of every student which led to a greater success and also learnt how to use the project and its intellectual outputs as a resource in long-term development of the mainstream schools. They have raise their motivation to recognize and support individual needs of students, they have developed new professional skills, competences and inclusive education strategies and were trained as inclusive education ambassadors which will be maintained beyond the project lifetime as a sustainability action. Among key outcomes of this project is also the empowerment of participants in the sense of their capability to identify techniques and approaches that are suitable for them in everyday life and their work. As final project results, we have developed the following Intellectual outputs in EN, BG, TR & NL languages: IO1: Principles, beliefs and role of the inclusive education ambassadors guide Extra outputs: Annex I: CONSOLIDATED SURVEY RESULTS Annex II: DISTANCE INCLUSIVE EDUCATION IN THE CONTEXT OF COVID-19 (exclusive additional result prepared as support to teacher during COVID-19 pandemic) IO2: Handbook “How to strengthen the implementation of the inclusive education at mainstream schools?” IO3: Guide for setting up and delivery of cross-school peer support IO4: Mobile app for blended learning and cross-school networking and communication They are freely accessible via: - https://inclusive-ambassadors.eu/elearning - Google Play - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.inclusiveambassadors.mobile