This project, an Erasmus+-KA3 between 2021 and 2023, aimed at developing and implementing innovative methods and practices to foster and facilitate inclusion in education and promote common values. It is based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) as a framework to build bridges between countries with different policies between different professions and theoretical backgrounds. We examined the perception of inclusive education and the impact of using an Inclusive Assessment App, “I AM,” in the classroom, focusing on participation rather than deficiency. Based on an inclusive mindset, the project created a tool that supports teachers in inclusive practices using participatory action research when designing the tool. The tool will be practical for key actors in the field of education and have implications for policy and research.

Inclusive educative systems are characterised by including all students in the sense that students are present, participate and learn in school with other students. The ICF framework of I AM focuses on improving and facilitating inclusion by assessing the school environment, emphasising functioning and participation rather than individual deficiencies. The aim is to address the common challenges most countries face concerning inclusion in a school welcoming all students. A shared challenge is that many students needing additional support often also participate in school activities to a lower degree than others. Another challenge is that teachers face problems attending to individual students and groups simultaneously. Focusing on participation and environmental factors presents a new way to address such issues. Facilitating inclusion through the relationship between participation and the environment relates to Availability, Accessibility, Affordability, Accommodability and Acceptability as different aspects of the environment. These 5 A:s were used to analyse inclusiveness.

In collaboration with teachers, this study aimed to create and evaluate a tool, an app called I AM, that was based on the ICF to examine if it could support teachers in their work. The teacher training consisted of two workshops. The first was related to the ICF framework, participation, and environmental factors. The second workshop focused specifically on using the app, identifying important issues related to usability and discussing applications in the classroom. The intention was to include thirty teachers from four countries each in this pilot study (Austria, Belgium, Germany, and Portugal.) Those teachers, the I AM group, should receive training in using the app based on the ICF, focusing on participation activities rather than individuals’ need for compensatory support. The data collection also included focus group discussions with teachers about the tool’s usability during field trials and questionnaires on their perception of inclusive education before and after piloting the tool. The questionnaires were also administered to a comparison group of teachers. Questionnaires about the tool’s usability were also administered to the I AM group.

There was a challenge in recruiting the number of respondents as planned. Instead of 120 teachers responding twice in the I AM group, we received about 60 teachers in the I AM group and only 40 in the comparison group. At the first measure point, we received 87% of the expected responses in the pilot group and 67% of the comparison groups’ responses on the questionnaires. Teachers did rate their perception of inclusive education relatively high.

No significant differences were found between the initial and subsequent measures, but a detailed breakdown reveals nuanced patterns. The study employs the 5A:s framework (Availability, Accessibility, Affordability, Accommodability, and Acceptability) to assess perceptions of participation and environmental factors supporting inclusive education. While teachers agree upon the Acceptability of all students, the levels of Accessibility and, perhaps even more, the Affordability of working with inclusiveness seem to be lower. Teachers need time to use the tool and fully grasp the ICF mindset. Teachers already acquainted with the ICF framework, with a more inclusive mindset, found it comprehensive and saw the relevance of the I AM and how to use it efficiently as a tool for planning and communicating. The most salient critique concerned aspects relating to suggested interventions offered in the app, which added to complexity by demanding reading scientific literature in English.

Lessons learned from the project highlight the complexity of introducing inclusive education concepts across different countries and the importance of involving teachers, school boards, and administrators. Currently available in English, German, and Portuguese, the I AM tool seeks to maximise accessibility and applicability across countries. The tool encourages a shift in assessment methods to a focus on functioning in everyday life, fostering a more individualised and inclusive approach to education. The project envisions the I AM tool as a sustainable link between theory, policy, and practice, contributing to a more inclusive European education system and, indirectly, increased economic productivity and social participation.