The John S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation, as part of its broader strategy for the implementation of inclusive cultural actions, supported the implementation of the programme entitled “Inclusion in Action”, aiming to shape a culture of inclusion within the school community through children’s cinema. The Programme, designed in collaboration with accessibility consultants “liminal” and “TheHappyAct”, was launched in a pilot format in May 2023 and will run until the school year 2024-2025, with the goal of fostering audiovisual literacy and an inclusive mindset in primary school students. Within the framework of the Programme, students of General and Special Education schools have the opportunity to equally experience a shared inclusive cinematic journey by watching fully accessible short films at the Greek Film Archive. During the first stage of the Programme, preparatory workshops are held within the school units in order to familiarise students with various accessibility tools (SDH subtitles, Greek dubbing, interpretation in Greek Sign Language, audio description, sensory processing and social stories), while discussions and activities on the importance of inclusion follow after the educational screenings. Teachers also receive material with basic principles on how to discuss and approach disability, while the Fully Accessible Digital Screening Platform offers additional free accessible film content.

• 391 General and Special Education students, along with 100 teachers and parent-escorts participated in 10 screenings during 2023.

“The ‘Inclusion in Action’ programme offers teachers an opportunity for interaction between General and Special Education schools in joint activities focusing on Art. Students develop imagination, creativity, teamwork and an inclusive spirit of collaboration. We believe that the Programme provides an initial impetus to a culture of inclusion through the messages of short films and the interaction between Special and General Education schools in the preceding and subsequent activities that were carried out.”

Elissavet Koutsogianni

Teacher, 1st Experimental Primary School of the University of Athens (Maraslio)

Maria Kyriazi

Special Education Teacher, 1st Experimental Primary School of the University of Athens (Maraslio)

George Perros

Special Education Teacher, 10th Special Primary School of Athens