CSIE’s contribution to the IMAS project (IMproving ASsistance in inclusive educational settings), took us back to Gleisdorf, in Austria, last week. Project partners, learning supporters and other contributors from all project countries met from 14 to 21 July to share their experiences and learn from one another, as well as to formulate recommendations for the way assistance for disabled children is organised in schools.

Participants visited a local summer school and held a series of meetings with a mixture of inspiring presentations and vibrant discussions, as well as country-specific focus groups. Among the highlights of the week was an inspiring presentation from inclusion consultant Richard Rieser, CEO of World of Inclusion pictured above, and contributions from learning supporters, project partners and a disabled young person who presented some of her experiences of assistance in her local school.

The IMAS project is a one-year project funded by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union. The project was launched in Gleisdorf, Austria, in November 2016 and is due to conclude in November 2017. It is led by the Austrian organisation Chance B and, in addition to CSIE, is joined by: Agency Vision (Bulgaria), ARCIL (Portugal), EASPD (European organisation based in Belgium) and TENENET (Slovakia). Collectively, the partners are considering the range of support available to disabled pupils in schools, and seeking to establish a common framework for scrutinising how assistance is organised in schools, so that disabled children are supported in ways which are consistent with the requirements of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. For more information please see the IMAS website.