School, the inclusion of children with special educational needs: a classroom for everyone, the “Rainbow Room”

ROMA – According to Istat data, over 338 thousand students with disabilities, both physical and intellectual, represent 4.1% of those enrolled in Italian schools. This growing trend requires an ever-increasing commitment to create inclusive school environments, where all students can develop their potential in stimulating and accessible contexts. Schools must therefore be equipped with support figures and adequate structures to guarantee an equitable and integrated education.

The “Rainbow Room”. It is precisely in this direction that the project is placed Rainbow Rooma classroom designed to promote the inclusion of students with disabilities in the Primary School of Cherasco, in the province of Cuneo, which will be inaugurated on Saturday 21 September, at 10.30 in Piazza Giovanni Paolo II. The project was realized thanks to the Lions Club Cherasco, in collaboration with local associations and the Lions Club Racconigi, who raised half of the necessary funds. The other half, for a total of 22 thousand euros, was financed by Lions Club International Foundation (LCIF).

The goals to achieve. In the Cherasco school there are 40 children with special educational needs, of which 6-7 with serious disabilities, but the goal is that all 250 children enrolled in the institute also use this space, thus creating a unique model of inclusion, empathy and integration, which embraces the entire school community.

The result of careful study. The choice of equipment and furnishings of the Rainbow Room It was the result of a careful study, which saw the joint involvement of doctors and teachers: furniture, games, the same colors with which the space was painted, were selected to allow children with disabilities to experience the school moment (educational and recreational), in total safety and relaxation, with their classmates and using dedicated tools.

The involvement of school staff. The Rainbow Room it also extends to the outdoor spaces, in the garden, where special equipment has been placed to further enable inclusion even during breaks. The project has also actively involved school staff and figures specialized in assisting children with disabilities, to ensure that the solutions adopted fully meet the educational needs of the students.

“Empathy and inclusion”. Dice Leonardo Potenza, Chairman of the Board of Governors Lions: “Inclusion and empathy are powerful tools to build a better society, where every individual has the opportunity to express their potential. The project Rainbow Room represents a concrete step towards a more equitable education, in which diversity becomes a wealth and integration a daily reality”.