Italian Case: The Role of Learning Processes in University Inclusion

This proposal is focused on the first outputs of the doctoral thesis“Universitabile”based,specifically,on the relationship between educational inclusion(Ainscow&Miles,2009)and ICT(Information and Communications Technology).Starting from a review of the literature on the role of universities as places of inclusion and confrontation with diversity(Bolt&Penketh,2016;Moriña&Gavira,2015),the proposal analyses the inclusion strategies by three main universities in Rome:La Sapienza,Tor Vergata and Roma Tre through a mixed method approach.We will show the answers to interviews administered to operators of dedicated services.In this context,ICT,during the Covid-19 emergency,acted as a facilitator allowing people with disabilities to benefit from distance learning,but also as a barrier,since the evidence shows that technology,if conceived as a facilitator but designed only on the basis of the characteristics of able-bodied users,can represent an obstacle factor.In this sense,as found by Tsatsou(2020),the inclusion of people with disabilities can be facilitated by the use of digital technologies.This view is also found in Valentini(2008),who emphasises how the use of digital technologies is a prerequisite for the development of concrete solutions.To conclude,it would be appropriate to rethink technology on the basis of Universal Design,i.e.“an approach to the design of technologies that pays more attention to the concept of universal usability:buildings and tools should be conceived,designed and constructed in a way to be usable by all”(Fiocco&Martinati,2002,p.232).

DCDC2 gene polymorphisms are associated with developmental dyslexia in Chinese Uyghur children

Developmental dyslexia is a complex reading and writing disorder with strong genetic components. In previous genetic studies about dyslexia, a number of candidate genes have been identified. These include DCDC2, which has repeatedly been associated with developmental dyslexia in various European and American populations. However, data regarding this relationship are varied according to population. The Uyghur people of China represent a Eurasian population with an interesting genetic profile. Thus, this group may provide useful information about the association between DCDC2 gene polymorphisms and dyslexia. In the current study, we examined genetic data from 392 Uyghur children aged 8–12 years old from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China. Participants included 196 children with dyslexia and 196 grade-, age-, and gender-matched controls. DNA was isolated from oral mucosal cell samples and fourteen single nucleotide polymorphisms（rs6456593, rs1419228, rs34647318, rs9467075, rs793862, rs9295619, rs807701, rs807724, rs2274305, rs7765678, rs4599626, rs6922023, rs3765502, and rs1087266） in DCDC2 were screened via the SNPscan method. We compared SNP frequencies in five models（Codominant, Dominant, Recessive, Heterozygote advantage, and Allele） between the two groups by means of the chi-squared test. A single-locus analysis indicated that, with regard to the allele frequency of these polymorphisms, three SNPs（rs807724, rs2274305, and rs4599626） were associated with dyslexia. rs9467075 and rs2274305 displayed significant associations with developmental dyslexia under the dominant model. rs6456593 and rs6922023 were significantly associated with developmental dyslexia under the dominant model and in the heterozygous genotype. Additionally, we discovered that the T-G-C-T of the four-marker haplotype（rs9295619-rs807701-rs807724-rs2274305） and the T-A of the two-marker haplotype（rs3765502-1087266） were significantly different between cases and controls. Thus, we conclude that DCDC2 gene polymorphisms are associated with developmental dyslexia in Chinese Uyghur children.

Curriculum Adaptation in Special Schools for Students with Intellectual Disabilities(SID):A Case Study of Project Learning in One SID School in Hong Kong

Using a qualitative case study approach,the authors analyzed the curriculum adaptation process for one project learning activity in School K,which is a SID school in the context of school-university collaboration.Multiple sources of data were collected for triangulation,including interviews,documents and observations.Curriculum adaptation strategies in this study were analyzed from five perspectives:instructional goals,instructional content,instructional strategies,instructional settings,and student behavioral needs.It was found that curriculum adaptation efforts could help students with ID develop potential at their own level through project learning activates and teachers could also gain professional development during the university-school collaboration process.As for future studies,enlarging the sample size,involving teachers’past orientations and motivations in the project learning process,and collecting quantitative data could all be taken into account.