Did you know? The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) is relatively recent: adopted on 13 December 2006, it was only ratified by Luxembourg in 2011. This treaty aims to promote, protect and ensure the dignity, equality before the law, human rights and fundamental freedoms of persons with disabilities.
For many, having their most fundamental rights respected remains a daily challenge.
One evening, at a birthday party, I met Carole, a 14-year-old non-verbal teenager. In her own way, she was participating fully and joyfully in the interactions thanks to a very special tablet. Her mum, a teacher, and her occupational therapist from the association rAAConteuses asbl (Storytellers) then opened my eyes to a world of possibilities.
They have, without a doubt, become true champions of inclusion.
Here is the extraordinary testimony of these « Storytellers« :
Disability is not an intrinsic characteristic of the person, but the result of an encounter between an individual and an environment that is not adapted to them. Moreover, the boundary between disorder, 'dys', disability and normality is much more blurred than one might imagine.
During forum organised with young people as part of FutureEd, the discussions highlighted the flouted rights from a dyslexic pupil and an autisticson. In both cases, the educational environment was not fully tailored to their potential. This finding is consistent with other accounts gathered by ALLI, particularly regarding support for the dyslexia in non coercive learning environments, where pupils can progress without being constrained by rigid standards. It also echoes the inspiring account of HRH Prince Louis from Luxembourg, who recounts in a podcast how dyslexia gave him a different way of interpreting the world – one that was more intuitive, more creative, and ultimately deeply enriching.
A democratic school in Slovakia also illustrates this reality: 32 % of its full-time pupils have special educational needs. Many find a real haven there – an environment that adapts to them rather than the other way round. The testimonials from examples of best practice in democratic education collected by EUDEC as part of the FutureEd initiative show how some schools have successfully adapted their practices to meet pupils’ real needs, without pigeonholing them.
The account of Abby Oulton, who runs an Agile Learning Centre in the United States is equally illuminating. It shows how flexible, non-coercive and child-centred educational approaches enable everyone to flourish, even when their life paths are unconventional.
These stories, whether they come from Luxembourg, Slovakia or the United States, all point to the same clear conclusion: when we choose to adapt the environment rather than asking people to conform to it, inclusion becomes not only possible, but natural.
⭐ Conclusion
Inclusion is not an abstract concept: it means including everyone, without exception. And it simply becomes possible once we are prepared to devote attention, effort and determination to it.
Where there’s a will, there’s a way. These examples are just a few illustrations of what happens when we decide to make the environment welcoming for everyone.
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Warning
Co-funded by the European Union. However, the views and opinions expressed are solely those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor the EACEA can be held responsible for them.
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The FutureEd project is a collaboration of ALLI asbl (LU), EUDEC ev (DE) and CollectiveUP (BE) and referenced under nr 2025-1-LU01-KA210-SCH-000351850.
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