ICALL brings European voices together to shape inclusive communities

European partners shared recommendations to strengthen ICALL’s training materials and support more inclusive communities across Europe.

The ICALL: Inclusive Communities for All project has successfully concluded a consultation process on its training materials and Massive Open Online Course (MOOC), bringing together local and regional authorities, disability organisations, civil society representatives, social economy actors and European networks from across the continent.

Two consultation sessions were held online on 23 June 2026 and 2 July 2026, facilitated by REVES Network and Out of the Box International, and confirmed the relevance and value of the ICALL learning resources, while providing important recommendations for their further improvement.

A total of 39 participants from 17 European countries contributed to the discussions, representing municipalities, regional authorities, disability organisations, community groups, cultural institutions and European networks. Participants included representatives from cities such as Reykjavík, Madrid, Cascais, Riga, Kaunas, Istanbul and Faro, alongside organisations working to advance disability rights and social inclusion across Europe.

The consultations focused on assessing the relevance, accessibility, usability and transferability of the ICALL MOOC and training curriculum. Participants explored how the materials could support local authorities and community stakeholders in understanding disability inclusion, implementing inclusive policies and fostering meaningful participation for people with disabilities.

The fedback was positive, highlighting the MOOC's practical orientation, thematic breadth, use of videos and incorporation of examples from inclusive community practices. Importantly, the consultations found that the training materials do not require fundamental redesign but would benefit from targeted improvements to strengthen their impact and accessibility.

Several key recommendations emerged from the consultations. Participants emphasised the importance of translating and adapting materials to local contexts, incorporating more lived experiences of persons with disabilities, and providing practical guidance on implementing inclusive policies and accessibility requirements. Participants also encouraged a stronger focus on long-term institutional change and the integration of disability inclusion across all areas of local policymaking.

The consultation findings will directly inform the final refinement of the ICALL training materials and MOOC, while also contributing to the development of policy recommendations for local and regional authorities. The project partners believe that these improvements will further strengthen the MOOC's capacity to support inclusive policymaking and community development across Europe.

About ICALL

ICALL is a three-year Erasmus+ Cooperation Partnership project running from December 2023 to November 2026. Led by EASPD, the project brings together partners from Belgium, Greece, Hungary, Poland and Finland to raise awareness and build the capacity of local authorities, service providers and community stakeholders to create more inclusive communities for persons with disabilities. The project is developing research, training materials, a MOOC and policy recommendations to support inclusive community development throughout Europe.

For more information, visit the project page.

Acknowledgements

Cities, regions and organisations to thank for their contribution to testing the training modules:

City of Torres Vedras (PT) , Tuscany Region - Department for Health, Welfare and Social Cohesion (IT), Società della Salute, Zona–Distretto Fiorentina Nord – Ovest (IT), Region Örebro County (SE) ; City of Cascais (PT), CLIC Cascais (PT), Generalitat de Catalunya, Inklusiv Wohnen/Stattbau Stadtentwicklungsgesellschaft (DE), Pfefferwerk Stadtkultur gGmbH (DE), FAMDIF/Murcia Region (ES), CSV Lazio (IT), CSA Coesi (IT), Fondazione ASM (IT), Małopolska Institute for Culture (PL)

Cities, regions and organisations to thank for their contribution to testing the MOOC:

Aspace (ES), National Platform of Women from Moldova (PNFM) (MD), ONCE Foundation (ES), City of Reykjavik (IS), Passalen (SE), Municipality of Vračar (SRB), Municipality of Cascais (PT), CLIC Cascais (PT), Saxony-Anhalt Region (DE), Fondazione MeSSInA (IT), Fondazione ASM (IT), Region Västra Götaland, Malopolska Institute of Culture

Material for the “Resources” section proposed by the participants: