DIGITAL
ITALIAN SIGN LANGUAGE (LIS), CIVIC EDUCATION, AND INCLUSIVE DESIGN – PERSPECTIVES FOR EDUCATIONAL INNOVATION WITHIN THE INDEX FOR INCLUSION
1 Università degli Studi di Messina (ITALY)
2 Università degli Studi Magna Graecia di Catanzaro (ITALY)
2 Università degli Studi Magna Graecia di Catanzaro (ITALY)
About this paper:
Appears in: EDULEARN26 Proceedings
Publication year: 2026
Article: 0774
ISBN: 978-84-09-88444-5
ISSN: 2340-1117
doi: 10.21125/edulearn.2026.0774
Publication year: 2026
Article: 0774
ISBN: 978-84-09-88444-5
ISSN: 2340-1117
doi: 10.21125/edulearn.2026.0774
Conference name: 18th International Conference on Education and New Learning Technologies
Dates: 29 June-1 July, 2026
Location: Palma, Spain
Dates: 29 June-1 July, 2026
Location: Palma, Spain
Abstract:
This study is situated within the field of inclusive educational design aimed at the structural integration of Italian Sign Language (LIS) into school strategic planning processes. It adopts the Index for Inclusion (Booth & Ainscow, 2008) as a theoretical framework for the development of inclusive cultures, policies, and practices, while also considering civic education as a key disciplinary space for fostering educational reciprocity within teachers’ professional practice.The research aims to outline the dispositional profile and professional beliefs of teachers regarding inclusion and the education of deaf students, in order to examine the extent to which these factors may be considered indicators of organizational readiness for the systemic integration of LIS into institutional strategic documents.
The study involves the administration of two validated instruments: the SACIE-R scale (Forlin et al., 2011), designed to measure sentiments, attitudes, and concerns toward inclusive education, and the Beliefs about Deaf Education Questionnaire (BADE), aimed at investigating specific beliefs related to educational models for deaf students. The integration of these two instruments allows for the distinction between general dispositions toward inclusion and specific conceptions of deafness, thus enabling a multilevel analysis of organizational readiness.
Data analysis will allow the identification of potential critical issues, forms of resistance, or training needs. The findings will be translated into three operational indicators to support the revision of the Piano Triennale dell’Offerta Formativa (PTOF) and the design of professional development pathways consistent with the Index for Inclusion (Booth & Ainscow, 2008). In this way, the study contributes to the definition of an evidence-informed model for the integration of LIS as an infrastructure of communicative democracy within schools (Gaspari, 2024).