Despite progress in recent years, many students with disabilities across Europe continue to face barriers that prevent them from fully participating in mainstream education. Against this backdrop, the final conference of the ACT-INCLUSIVE project took place in Brussels and online on 12 November 2025. The event brought together teachers, students, project partners and policy-makers to explore and share new approaches and tools to make mainstream schools more inclusive.

ACT-INCLUSIVE (Actors of Change Towards Inclusive Education) is a three-year collaboration across six countries (Belgium, Cyprus, France, Hungary, Slovenia and Spain) that raised awareness about inclusive education and empowered students with disabilities. The project also equipped teachers, school staff, and other members of the school community with the skills to manage diversity in the classroom and foster inclusion.

Over three years, ACT-INCLUSIVE has reached multiple schools, supported hundreds of students through non-formal activities, and trained teachers and school staff using tools co-created with young people, educators and civil society organisations.

What happened at the final event

The conference offered a mix of presentations, reflections and creative engagement.

The event opened with welcome remarks from the European Commission's project officer and a presentation of the project’s key outputs:

• Comic Book on inclusive communication for teenagers;
• Toolbox with non-formal activities promoting inclusiveness;
• Training & Awareness (TAR) Manual, designed as a guide for school staff.

During the first panel discussion, project partners and educators from the six pilot countries reflected on their experiences, highlighting what worked, what challenges they faced (from physical barriers to persistent attitudinal obstacles), and how the project activities (notably workshops) helped to improve the situation.

The second panel featured students, the winners of the “What does inclusion mean to you?” art contest. They shared their perspectives on inclusion and their role as actors of change, demonstrating how both students with and without disabilities contribute to building more inclusive learning environments.

“We are tomorrow. It depends on us how we shape tomorrow… To live in a better world, where everyone feels safe and has a voice”, said one of the students.

The day concluded with a networking reception and an exhibition of the students’ artworks, offering a personal and creative viewpoint on what inclusion means in their lives.

Looking ahead

All project resources are being made publicly available and can be used by any school wishing to improve inclusion in its classrooms. The collection of good practices also offers inspiration and concrete methodologies to implement non-formal activities that promote inclusion beyond traditional curricula.

The conference made clear that the impact of ACT-INCLUSIVE will continue beyond its official timeline. The models of cooperation developed during the project (bringing together schools, NGOs, students, families, and service-providers) will continue to provide a foundation for ongoing work on inclusive education.