- Syracuse University debuts inclusive study abroad program in Italy, uniting InclusiveU and SOE students for immersive learning on global inclusive education.
- Course explored Italy's progressive education system, blending lectures, school visits, and cultural experiences across Rome, Florence, and Padua.
- Program modeled real inclusion in action, fostering independence, friendships, and cross-cultural understanding among neurodiverse participants.
Syracuse University pushed the boundaries of inclusive higher education forward with its initial inclusive study abroad program, providing a powerful experience that blended cultural immersion and academic exploration of global inclusive education practices. Organized by the School of Education (SOE) in partnership with Syracuse Abroad and the Syracuse University Florence Center, the two-week study abroad program united 14 students seven current and past Inclusive students and seven matriculated SOE students on a tour of Italy's most famous cities, Rome, Florence, and Padua.
As guest lectured by faculty members Beth Myers and Christine Ashby, the course set out to study Italy's rich tradition of inclusive education, providing students with an opportunity to visit and learn from schools, universities, and community-based programs. With its highly developed progressive education policy that requires the integration of students with disabilities into general education classrooms, Italy provided a highly motivating case study for the students. The course provided an in-depth examination of these inclusive practices, consisting of daily lectures, guided tours, school visits, and research projects that enabled students to contrast Italy's educational system with the United States.
One of the most characteristic features of the program was its structure students lived, learned, and traveled as a group, making sure that inclusion wasn't something to be talked about but something to be experienced. Every aspect of the trip was a chance for learning and discovery, also Ashby explained director of the Center on Disability and Inclusion. "What was unique about this trip was the explicit emphasis on experiencing inclusion while we learned about it".
The project was also sponsored by the Florence Center and the Center on Disability and Inclusion, where students exchanged accommodations and participated in activities together, forming friendships and cross-cultural understanding. Observations of elementary and secondary schools in Rome and Florence gave them a firsthand view of inclusive education in action. They also made visits to universities, including attending a session with Syracuse alumnus Gianfranco Zaccai, a proponent of inclusive innovation through the Intelligence++ initiative.
Student reflections emphasized the profound effect of the experience. SOE student Elyas Layachi commented on how seeing Italian schools with full integration of students with disabilities was enriching and reflective. InclusiveU first-year student Jack Pasquale contributed, "As I am autistic, inclusion means much to me on an individual level, This was an amazing experience to get to know and work with different people, to enhance my independence and social skills".
This trailblazing course not only set the stage for more diversified international education experiences but also established a model of what careful, inclusive programming can do in higher education.
