1971: STARTING POINT OF EDUCATIONAL INTEGRATION Law number 118: education of pupils with disabilities in normal classes of public school.

R ejection of pupils with disabilities punished criminally Everybody at normal school, also pupils with long-term disabilities:  physical  mental  intellectual  sensory

Law 517/1977: SEN teachers for SEN pupils Dyslexia, dysgraphia and dyscalculia ≠ handicap and disability No SEN teacher for dislexic, dyscalculic and dysgraphic pupils

Handicap ≠ disability  any limitation in learning, speaking, walking or some other activities (individual dimension)  loss or limitation of opportunities to take part in the life of the community on an equal level with others (social dimension) disabilityhandicap

How many pupils with disabilities at public school? Totally 2%  Around 10,000 at pre-school,  around 40,000 at primary school  around 70,000 at secondary school (50, years old and around 20, years old) Of them  2% with visual handicap  7% with a hearing handicap  15% with a physical handicap  76% with an intellectual handicap Some special schools still exist but with very few pupils

Composition of the classes No more than 20 pupils in the classes with disabled pupils

Inclusion  From integration to inclusion.  Importance of inclusion emphasized also by the European Community

Integration vs Inclusion  Children with special needs in mainstream classrooms  The disabled learner must fit into mainstream classes  Deeper level of participation for students with disabilities in normal learning activities  Attempt to adapt the mainstream class to the needs of the disabled learner  The child is usually assisted by SEN teachers IntegrationInclusion

How to achieve educational inclusion? A number of institutional procedures defined by Law 104, issued in 1992  A handicap certificate  A functional diagnosis  A dynamic functional profile  Individualized educational plan

Who are SEN teachers and what they do?  regular teachers of the classes like the subject teachers  specialized teachers whose main aim is granting integration and special education  the lesson planning  marking and assessing work  in the classroom during the lessons  special equipment and special strategies  contacts with parents or guardians SEN teachers areSEN teachers