A human rights-based approach to augmentative and alternative communication: enhancing the right to inclusive education in Italy in a digital world and a post-COVID era

Abstract

The right to inclusive education is a fundamental right for children with disabilities since it provides them with the necessary skills to fully exercise their human rights and participate actively in society. Article 24 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities embodies the principle of ‘inclusive education’, recognizing the right of people with disabilities to access education, the necessity of establishing a consistent ‘inclusive education system’, and aims at ending discrimination and fostering equal education opportunities for students with disabilities. However, nowadays there are still many challenges that children with disabilities face in schools, concerning the lack of access to digital tools and services, as well as the lack of specific and adequate support, in particular with the COVID-19 outbreak. Through the case study of Italy, this thesis focuses on the issues that children with speech, language, and communication needs have faced in primary schools since the COVID-19 pandemic and the increasing digitalization of school materials and contents. Therefore, the purpose of analyzing Article 24 CRPD, is to examine the right to inclusive education in Italy, investigate the extent to which Italian laws and policies are in line with the CRPD, and underline the challenges in the system. To explore such issues, this thesis proposes an interdisciplinary framework that examines the interaction of communication theory and human rights law in today’s digital world, specifically investigating how a human rights-based approach to alternative and augmentative communication in Italian primary schools can enhance the right to inclusive education for children with speech, language and communication needs, facilitating digital participation in a post-COVID era.