When AI makes inclusion part of everyday practice
Following the first session dedicated to the role of artificial intelligence in inclusive education, the second session of the ‘Inclusive Technologies: Wellbeing, Guidance and Educational Quality’ programme moved into the practical phase of experimentation. In the webinar organised by the Fondazione Mondo Digitale, as part of the PariPasso programme by Rizzoli Education, the focus shifted from the theoretical framework to everyday practice: what actually happens when a teacher uses AI to adapt content to a student’s needs?
At the heart of the session was the Pathway Companion platform, developed by Fondazione Mondo Digitale in collaboration with Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi, Roma Tre University and ITLogiX, with the support of Google.org. It is not a substitute for the teacher, but a tool designed to support them in the work of planning, personalisation and study support.
The webinar demonstrated, using concrete examples, how it is possible to start with existing materials – even simple scans of a few pages – and transform them into content that is more accessible, readable and tailored to the student’s profile. The platform allows profiles to be created securely, using pseudonyms and without collecting direct personal data, thereby maintaining a high level of attention to privacy and the educational context.
Guiding the audience through the system’s workings were Mattia Randazzo, Francesco Meloni and Roberto Raspa, who illustrated the platform’s workflow: from student profiling to content adaptation, from the generation of concept maps and quizzes to the sharing of interactive materials.
One of the most interesting sections concerned strategies to support students with reading and comprehension difficulties. Tools were presented such as the use of accessible fonts, the adjustment of font size, spacing and line spacing, customisable text-to-speech, the inclusion of images and pictograms, as well as various forms of syntactic simplification and guided text comprehension. The aim is not to simplify in a reductive way, but to make the content more readable, more structured and better suited to the way each student learns.
Roberto Raspa’s live demonstration was particularly effective, showing how to transform three pages of a textbook into content tailored for a simulated student with dyslexia. From that initial adaptation, the platform then generated a concept map, a personalised quiz and a shareable link for independent use of the material. A very clear example of how AI, if well-designed and managed, can lighten the teacher’s workload whilst simultaneously improving the quality of the support provided.
Another aspect also emerged strongly: inclusion is not just about the production of content, but its use. In the session shared with the student, in fact, the material can be further personalised by adjusting readability, audio playback, voice speed, map display and quiz access methods. The platform also records certain usage preferences, providing useful insights to progressively improve the adaptation of subsequent materials.
In this sense, Pathway Companion embodies one of the most interesting directions in inclusive education today: using technology not to standardise, but to enable sustainable personalisation, capable of valuing differences and strengthening independent learning. It is the same vision that drives the PariPasso programme, founded on the idea that inclusion and educational effectiveness can go hand in hand, step by step.
Watch the recording
Those who missed the live stream can watch the webinar on the Rizzoli Education YouTube channel and explore in detail an experience where artificial intelligence does not remain in the background, but becomes a practical tool for building learning environments that are more accessible, flexible and attentive to everyone’s needs.
NEXT EVENT
From technology to the classroom: when inclusion becomes everyday practice
23 April | Technologies for an inclusive school
The third event shifts the focus to the classroom experience. From digital storytelling to multimodal tools, the webinar demonstrates how to create environments in which every student can actively participate:
- simplified texts without losing depth
- integrated use of images, audio and interactivity
- collaborative activities and content creation
Storytelling becomes a shared space, where everyone finds their own way to be part of it. Not an ‘add-on’ activity, but a powerful educational tool for motivation, guidance and well-being.
