OUC project on special needs education 

The Open University of Cyprus (OUC) is participating in the consortium implementing the new research project entitled I_AM: Inclusive education using Animation and Multimedia, the aim of which is to achieve the long-term goal of an effective and inclusive education for children with special educational needs and disabilities in mainstream schools.  

Its rector Petros Pashiardis, professor of educational leadership, is leading the Open University of Cyprus research team. 

The two-year research project I_AM is funded by the Erasmus+ programme.  

Its general objectives are to develop and implement innovative methods and practices, using amongst others, animation movies and multimedia, to foster and promote inclusive education and training of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities in mainstream schools, to support educational staff in addressing diversity within classrooms, and to promote inclusiveness amongst children and their communities.  

To achieve its objectives, the project will focus on the active participation of educational staff, children with and without special educational needs and disabilities and parents.  

The project’s consortium is led by CMT Prooptiki (Greece), and the other partners are the Open University of Cyprus, the Maria Grzegorzewskiej University (Poland), the Institute of General and Special Education Studies and Research (Greece), the NGO Platforma – Urban Culture Company (Greece) and the Hand in Hand Foundation (Hungary).