Open Educational Resources for inclusive education: a tangible response for Italian school

The purpose of inclusive education is to allow all students to be welcomed into their school, placed in normal, age-appropriate classes and supported in their learning process (Bucholz & Sheffler, 2009). Therefore, a common learning environment needs to allow students with disabilities or heterogeneous abilities to learn along with their peers, attending most of the regular scheduled lessons (UNESCO, 2015; ISTAT, 2019). In the present chapter, after examining the concept of disability in the light of the biopsychosocial model (WHO, 2002), the role of technologies and Open Educational Resources (OERs) in supporting inclusive processes will be emphasized. A definition of Open Educational Resources (OER) is provided, along with an associated set of dimensions as contents, instruments, and resources. Indications are provided on how and where OERs can be found, and the reasons that should guide their choice. It will be emphasized how OERs can be adapted to the students' specific educational needs and how their "free and open" nature allows for equal access to different types of resources by overcoming economic obstacles both for schools and families. The concept of e-inclusion in the educational context will be declined, underlining the role played by teachers and what are the skills needed to carry out inclusive didactic actions using OERs. Some projects that come from a long experience of dissemination of OERs of the Italian Research Council are described. In particular, the So.Di.Linux and Essediquadro platforms will be presented, offering open resources and services to support inclusive educational and training processes.