The photographic journey tracing back the history of school inclusion will be on exhibition in Florence from 16 March on the occasion of the convention “No one excluded. The long journey of inclusive education in the Italian school”, promoted by the Tuscany region school office and Indire (the conference will be held in Conventino ARTEX, via Giano della Bella 20).

The exhibition documents the development of inclusive education in Italy from the 30’ to now and is made up of photographs grouped into five thematic sections. The educational needs of children and teenagers with disability  are documented inside the school environment and in relation to educational methods, body care, socialisation and preparation to enter the job market.

The images come from Indire’s historical archive and from the archives of the following institutions: Archivio Fotografico Istituto dei Ciechi di Milano-Museo Louis Braille; Archivio Fondazione Pio Istituto dei Sordi Milano; Associazione Italiana Persone Down Onlus; Fondazione Pubblicità Progresso. The state recognised primary school Edith Stein, Parma, the Istituto Comprensivo Seravezza (LU), Istituto Tecnico Cristoforo Colombo, Porto Viro (RO), and the editorial team of «Per Noi Autistici» also collaborated to the project.

Pamela Giorgi, curator of the exhibition and Indire’s researcher explained, «not only reportages testimony disability but also schools’ methodological innovation which gradually developed also thanks to the introduction of new technologies in the educational practice.  Together with this, the photos show physical spaces and furniture reorganised in order to create environments able to respond to different educational contexts and needs and an opportunity for each student to find his/her specific way of learning, according to his/her natural attitudes».

The exhibition is open until 24 March 2018

Photo above: open-air elementary school “Sante de Sanctis” for abnormal psych students, Milan, 1930-1940 Indire’s historical archive