Improving Inclusive Education: Quality of Life and Self-Determination

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to provide a basis for theoretical reflections for the recognition of the importance of the construct of Self-determination as a fundamental dimension of the Quality of Life, also for people with disabilities. In this sense, the main empirical studies that analyse the existing correlation between Self-determination and Quality of Life are summarized, to highlight the relevance that these constructs occupy in the sectors of education, special education, and public health. Following this file rouge, the delineation of educational paths aimed at the aid of innovative models and practices is envisaged, starting from the drafting of Individualized Educational Plans (IEP), a key tool for the design of inclusive teaching paths, based on the construction of self-determined people, causal agents of Quality Lives. Keywords: self-determination, quality of life, disability, IEP, inclusion, education