Press release January 2021

Inclusion! Also in adult education!
New EU project: Realising inclusion - together with people with disabilities

People with disabilities should participate at all levels of society as a matter of course. This applies all the more to education, and not only to schools, but to all areas of lifelong learning. A new EU project is tackling the question for the first time: How can inclusion actually be implemented in adult education?

Inclusion is a very complex task. It is not enough to ensure accessibility or to offer a few cooking courses for people with disabilities. The project entitled "All inclusive - Adult education and inclusion: new cooperative approaches (All in)" takes a different, comprehensive approach: inclusive adult education is to be realised together with people with disabilities and experts at five model locations in Europe.

First, a suitable network is established, the possibilities and potentials are analysed and finally, inclusion is realised step by step on site. It is crucial that the feasibility also plays an important role for the respective educational institution. The goal is that normal course offerings, e.g. computer courses, are also used by people with disabilities. For this, not only technical prerequisites have to be created, but also, for example, the trainers have to be trained, the marketing and the organisation have to be adapted, examinations have to be changed or financing models have to be sought.

These processes and experiences will be processed in various learning materials and guidelines, which will be made freely available and disseminated. Central will be political demands that will be formulated and disseminated at the end: Because all too often, poor funding conditions or other political framework conditions hinder inclusion.

The concept and idea comes from the Akademie Klausenhof (Germany), which is also coordinating the three-year project funded by the EU's Erasmus+ programme. As an experienced advisor in matters of inclusion and adult education, biv - the Academy for Inclusive Education from Vienna is involved. In addition to Akademie Klausenhof, the adult education institutions Geoss (Slovenia), Active Citizens Partnership (Greece), Agora (Spain) and KatHaz (Hungary) serve as model sites for inclusion. The European umbrella organisation for adult education EAEA, the German Association of Catholic Adult Education KEB and the Irish organisation Future In Perspective take care of the political part and the dissemination of the concern and the results.

Podcast series of the German National Agency "Access for all with Erasmus+ - Inclusion in vocational and adult education" / Podcast 3: Models for the future. About All IN with Michael Sommer and Stephan Armoneit (German)

Articles by All In partners

Inklusion? Gilt das auch für die Erwachsenenbildung?

(DE, by Michael Sommer / Akademie Klausenhof)

EPALE interview: The potential embedded in accessible culture. The challenges for educators

(available also in: PL ES BG DE FR LV NL, by Malgorzata Dybala)