"Enabling Manager Technology", the approach of the International Classification of Functioning and Health in school environment

A Research Project, entitled “Disabled people’ access to educational, academic, and work environments”, was carried out in order to train students and members of school staff to become “Enabling Manager”(EM). The EM is a vocational and educational guidance for disabled high school students who have acquired competence to point out accessible paths to disabled students for their full fruition of educational or professional opportunities in the region Lazio (Italy). These competences are achieved by learning technological, socio-psychological, and environmental resources available in the area of the region Lazio. These competences serve to make operative the mainstreaming of students with disability in the educational institutions and job environments. For the training a multimedia support was implemented, a CD-Rom, entitled “Enabling Manager- for an accessible education” based on ICF viewpoint. The efficacy of the EM, as a guide for students, was observed in 7 high schools of Region of Lazio confirming the efficacy of the training method which meets the real disabled students’ needs. The empirical study was conducted with a qualitative method of direct observation. A professional observer attended the lessons led by an EM in a high school classroom. He then collected data regarding 3 principal variables: 1) content comprehensibility; 2) contents affecting on the student-teacher interaction; 3) relation between the usefulness of the CD-Rom with respect to the project aims. The results have confirmed the efficacy of the Project and have given relevant suggestions to improve the availability of the psycho-technological tolls.