The main objective of this project was to improve the learning opportunities and participation of children with disabilities and to promote inclusion in schools by: - Increasing the competences and training of professionals to use technology as an instrument to better attend the special educational needs of children with disabilities and to promote inclusion inside and outside the classroom. - Disseminating knowledge and raising awareness about inclusive education practices to the whole educational community (principals, counselors, families, local authorities, etc.) - Strengthening alliances between schools and local associations working in the field of disability to support an effective implementation of inclusive education in schools. - Collaborating with other European organisations to develop a training programme and educational material about inclusive education and technology. - Increasing our capacity as organisations to influence inclusive practices in schools, learning from other European organisations and national contexts.
In recent decades, the presence of children with disabilities in mainstream schools instead of special schools has increased. In this situation, quality training of educational professionals becomes crucial in order to be able to meet the specific needs of pupils with disabilities. Accordingly, the ABLE TO RISE project stems from the will of the partner organisations to transfer their expertise and knowledge attending the needs of children with disabilities to educational professionals working in schools. Technology has proven to have numerous benefits for learning and there is a variety of assistive technologies that can be used to create more inclusive educational environments, ranging from communicating devices for chlidren with speech disorders to adapted keyboards for children with reduced mobility or sensory impairment. An adequate implementation and use of electronic devices in the classroom can allow children with disabilities to participate more and to adapt the learning process according to their needs. For this reason, we decided to create a training programme for professionals to apply new technologies for the implementation of inclusive education practices in their schools.