Abstract:

The present article presents the third stage of an ongoing research program at EKLYA School of Business, a consular institution near Lyon, France, dedicated to inclusive pedagogical innovation. Embedded within the adapted polyvalent employees in commerce and distribution (EPCD) program, a two‑year vocational training pathway welcoming learners with intellectual and developmental disabilities (notably Down syndrome and autism spectrum conditions) into co‑learning environments alongside approximately 650 neurotypical business and engineering students, this study investigates how inclusive education can be conceptualized and evaluated beyond conventional academic or economic criteria. The EPCD experience constitutes a laboratory for analyzing the conditions under which inclusion fosters both individual empowerment and collective transformation within higher education.

At this stage of implementation, the neurodiverse students have transitioned from their initial on‑campus learning phase to professional apprenticeship placements with retail partners, marking their first steps toward integration into future employment contexts. This progression offers valuable insight into the continuum between inclusive learning and professional inclusion, highlighting how pedagogical, institutional, and corporate actors jointly shape pathways of competence development and social participation.

The research mobilizes the Social Return on Investment (SROI) framework as a critical and reflexive heuristic rather than a solely econometric instrument. It examines how SROI can encompass the qualitative, relational, and developmental forms of value generated through inclusive pedagogies and experiential learning. Drawing on mixed‑method data—semi‑structured interviews, participatory observations, and preliminary quantitative measures—the study compares the aspirations and outcomes of neurodiverse learners, their families, teaching and administrative staff, and health or social care professionals with the perceptions and expectations of their neurotypical peers. It also explores how participants construct meaning around inclusion, visibility, and social recognition, and how these narratives intersect with the normative assumptions embedded in impact measurement tools.

By anchoring SROI within educational theories of inclusion, social learning, and participation, this contribution introduces the notion of inclusive impact evaluation—an approach that recognizes co‑constructed, experiential, and developmental dimensions of value. It argues that, when adapted to pedagogical contexts, SROI can evolve beyond accountability to function as a formative and transformative instrument, evidencing and sustaining inclusive learning cultures while advancing principles of epistemic and social justice in vocational training.

Keywords:

SROI, Autism, Down syndrome, Inclusive education, social learning.