Open Hearing on Inclusive Education at the European Parliament in Brussels, 9 April 2014: ‘A Dialogue on Inclusive Education and Disability in Europe’
Wed, 09/04/2014
Disability Intergroup member MEP Rosa Estaràs Ferragut and incluD-ed, the European Network on Inclusive Education and Disability, invite you to attend the first Open Hearing on Inclusive Education and Disability in Europe at the European Parliament in Brussels on Wednesday 9 April 2014, led by Fundación ONCE and co-funded by the European Social Fund.
The EU and EU Member States have signed the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) that aims to promote, protect and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by all persons with disabilities. The UNCRPD covers almost all policy fields and has a strong convergence of objectives with the overall European Disability Strategy 2010–2020, including the priority area of education and training. Article 24 of the UNCRPD requires the “development of an inclusive education system for all and lifelong learning.”
MEP Rosa Estaràs Ferragut is happy to host this first Open Hearing on Inclusive Education and Disability in Europe that aims to raise the issue of inclusive education in Europe. The Open Hearing aims moreover to sensitise and mobilise EU Parliament members as well as key European stakeholders in inclusive education, further promoting its development and indicating the main steps to take to move inclusive education into the future.
The Hearing will offer an overview of the first results in the process of implementing inclusive education systems in Europe, outline future challenges, and identify the main steps to take in the future to further promote the development of inclusive education systems, especially during the 2014–2020 legislative period.
The event will give voice to European institutions and actors that impact inclusive education in Europe (European Parliament, European Commission, European Agency on Special Needs Education, European Permanent Representations, the European Disability Forum, representatives of the incluD-ed Network and independent experts).
MEP Ádám Kósa, President of the Disability Intergroup at the European Parliament, will deliver the opening speech at this event.
Miguel Ángel Cabra de Luna (Fundación ONCE and leader of the incluD-ed network) will introduce the incluD-ed network and speak about the importance of inclusive education systems for people with disabilities and European society as a whole.
A keynote speech on Inclusive Education in Europe by Professor Serge Ebersold, INSHEA (France) will then clarify the main concepts behind inclusive education and different inclusive education system approaches, and draw a picture of the current situation of inclusive education throughout Europe.
The main session of the hearing, ‘Dialogue on Inclusive Education and Disability’, will focus on sharing the main actions in the field of inclusive education undertaken by the key actors invited, as well as highlighting future challenges in practice as well as for public policy-making.
Invited speakers are: Mrs Victoria Soriano (Assistant Director, European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education), Mrs Sophia Eriksson Waterschoot (Head of Unit - Education and Training in Europe 2020 Governance, European Commission, DG Education and Culture), Mrs Doris Pack (MEP, Chair of Committee on Culture and Education, European Parliament) and Mrs Simona Giarratano (Social Policy Officer, European Disability Forum).
Thanks to the diversity of participants a bigger picture of current and future challenges will be drawn, allowing a real understanding of what it means to advance the establishment of inclusive education systems throughout Europe. This is especially important considering the upcoming European Parliament Elections on 22–25 May 2014 and the achievement of the EU2020 strategy goals in education that are currently being revised.
The event seeks to contribute with its reflections to define the priorities in the field of inclusive education for the next European Parliament legislature as well as for the new European Commission.
The Open Hearing on Inclusive Education will take place on 9 April 2014 (12:30–14:00) at the European Parliament: Jòzsef Antall Building, Meeting Room (JAN) 6Q1 [Entrance by the building Altiero Spinelli (ASP) of the EP, side ‘Place du Luxembourg’], 60, rue Wiertz / Wiertzstraat 60, Brussels.
Please find the complete hearing’s programme here
For further information, please contact Annett Räbel or Anu Heikkinen at the incluD-ed Technical Secretariat (operated by P.A.U. Education) at or +34 933 670 434
