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Abstract.

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Introduction

Throughout history, many derogatory terms have been used to designate people with functional diversity (FD): impaired, disabled, handicapped, etc. However, this situation has been changing thanks to several documents that focus on the person, not on his/her limitations. Documents such as “the text of the United Nations Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities”; the Royal Legislative Decree 1/2003, of December 3, which approves the Codified Text of the General Law on the rights of persons with disabilities and their social inclusion; or more recently, the Organic Law 8/2013, of December 9, on the Educational Quality Improvement (LOMCE), for which the basic principles are now taken into account: quality, equity, educational inclusion, flexibility, not discrimination and educational participation.

In general, as it can be seen, the need to meet the requirements of people with FD is a remarkable aspect in the recent laws. However, it is common that the current educational reality in such centers is quite distant from what it should be. Therefore, it is necessary to propose solutions that “will help in the education, the learning, the development of various capabilities, the discovery and the subsequent use of multiple intelligences” (Flórez, 2016, p.60).

It therefore expresses the need to establish children’s literature as a way of inclusion for all individuals. Through stories whose protagonists are people with FD, we may delve into the lives of these people and develop values, feelings of empathy and a connection with the world that surrounds us. Children’s literature has its most valuable role in providing entertainment and enjoyment by itself, but on the other hand, it is also an excellent means of providing, through a language of symbols, satisfactory answers to a child’s existential problems during his development. In addition to all of this, it is necessary to emphasize its contribution regarding reading and writing skills, to expand the imagination, to provide general or specific social attitudes, and to inculcate values as well, and help address certain topics and issues that seek a solution to a problem.

Lastly, we conclude with the idea of an “Inclusion Proposal” that combines both aspects; the importance of educational inclusion and the possibility of improving said situation through children’s literature, with the tale as a pedagogical resource.

Inclusive Education

From Special Ed toward Inclusive Education: life in Spain.

The Special Education sprang to define a type of education that is different from the one practiced with individuals whose development followed what was considered ‘normal’ patterns. What the US intended throughout this operating process, as a system parallel to the regular teaching, was to compensate for shortcomings and solve specific learning problems so that people with FD could achieve autonomy and personal independence.

The society that we live in is a dynamic one, and is currently undergoing a profound change, by which it is necessary for today’s education to provide an innovative response, and for teachers to consequently prepare themselves for said educational innovation. They must break from traditional teaching practices and move toward new approaches in the construction of knowledge, learning and the forms of school organization, as demanded by the current system.

Looking at the different periods and models by which society has gone through, we will identify the evolution of the educational attention given toward these people.

Ancient Societies

People with a “deficiency” suffered rejection and segregation from society, condemned to live without any type of advancement. The demonology model predominated first, and subsequently gave rise to the biological model.

The Middle Age or the Psychiatric Obscurantism Period

People with DF had few options for progression and usually ended up as either jesters in palaces, or as beggars on the streets. The church’s efforts in various fields also stand out: defending human dignity for the sick, charitable action for the most disadvantaged and marginalized individuals of society and putting an end to infanticide.

Psychiatric Naturalism

Mental illness began to be related as something inherent in human nature during the Renaissance. Thus begins the so-called psychiatric Naturalism and humanistic ideas. The first experiences of educational care also arise, but there are differences depending on whether the person has physical or mental disabilities. In Spain, the figures of Ponce de Leon and JUan Pablo-Bonet in the 16th and 17th centuries should be noted; the creation of a class for the deaf in 1800, sponsored by the City of Barcelona; and the Royal School for the Deaf in Madrid in 1802.

The 20th century: the era of institutions: The medical model predominates, which considers a disabled child as a sick individual who should receive medical attention. On the other hand, a sick child was considered as not able to decide for himself; by which these institutions became organized into boarding facilities. The fundamental aim was to keep disabled people separated from society.

In Spain, the first section for “abnormals” is created in the “School for the Blind, deaf-mute and abnormals” (1911, Barcelona). In 1914, the “National Board for Abnormals” is created, which would later be divided into three sections, giving rise to the “National Institute for the Deaf, Blind, and Abnormals” (1921).

SE in Specific Centers

A network of special schools begins to appear for students who, for some reason, could not be in the regular system; dealing with the “deficit” in specific centers and differentiated classes.

In Spain, it was not until 1945 and the enactment of the Primary Education Act of 17 July that the elementary education of the “mentally retarded” was contemplated once more, recognizing the Public Administration as the creator of Special Ed schools With the creation of the “Spanish Society of Pedagogy” (1949), the first epidemiological studies on mental disability were carried out in the country. In 6 March 1953, the “National Board of Abnormal National Education” is created.

During the 1960s, an economic progression occurs in Spain that has an impact in the field of education, which saw the increase in the construction of schools. In 1965, 16 October 2925 Decree is enacted, which regulates the activities of the Ministry of National Education for Special Ed (first official document on the management of Special Ed).

In 1964, the first Therapeutic Pedagogy courses in Spain (16 November) are convened to train teachers in the Special Ed as required in those centers that were being created. Later, the General Education and Financing of the Educational Reform in 1970, introduces Special Ed for the first time within the General Education System, and places it under the General Direction of Vocational Training and Educational Outreach, creating the Office for Continuing and Special Education; enrolling students with FD to Special Ed schools and creating specific classrooms within ordinary schools when such problems are milder.

In 1970, the Social Service for the Recovery and Rehabilitation of the Disabled (SEREM, Servicio Social de Recuperación y Rehabilitación de Minusválidos in Spanish) is created under the Ministry of Labor, to deal with those tasks related to assessing and determining aid and treatment. In 1978, its name is changed to the Social Service Institute (INSERSO, Instituto de Servicios Sociales), known today as the Institute for Social Services and the Elderly.

The National Institute for Special Ed (1975) is subsequently created as a result of the implementation of the General Education Act. Years later, this produced the National Special Ed Plan (1978), with the document being considered the Magna Carta of Special Ed in Spain, as placed within the socio-political context of the time, after the enactment of the Spanish Constitution (1978).

This document will promote the implementation of School Integration and the progression of the Normalization process in Spain, as it introduces the principle of service normalizations and school integrations for the first time. It incorporates, in turn, the principle of individualization and sectorization.

However, the compliance with the National Special Ed Plan would have to wait until 1982, when the Social Integration for the Disabled Act would be promulgated, picking up issues relating to personal aspects, health, education and work related to the integration of these people.

Through this Act, Spain adheres to the Declaration on the Rights of Mentally Retarded Persons (United Nations, 1971) and the Declaration on the Rights of Disabled Persons (United Nations, 1975), laying down the foundations for school integration.

School Integration

This stage is dominated by the sociological model, which arises as a reaction to the disabled model which consider a disability as a disease. The “mentally disabled” person is treated as an individual capable of learning, and considers him to be a citizen with the same rights and obligations as any other.

This normalization assumes that people with FD should, to the extent possible, acquire the behaviors common to their cultural environment, developing a type of life that is as normal as possible while performing the same activities as all others do. Concerning public authorities, they understand normalization from the point of view that people with FD should also use normal public services; this implies schooling in ordinary schools.

The implementation of school integration in Spain is characterized by a long journey that begins with the country’s democratization process. Since the 1960s, there was an attempt to provide schooling for people with FD in ordinary schools in place of specific centers, taking the process of normalization as a basis. However, due to the political, economic and social problems inherent to the dictatorship that Spain was immersed in, this educational approach was delayed (García Pastor, 1993, quoted in Arnaiz, 2003).

Spain joined the school integration movement in 1985, through Royal Decree 334/1985 on the Special Ed Decree and the Ministerial Order of 20 March of the same year, on the planning of Special Ed and the experimentation with school integration. It followed the United Kingdom approach, specifically what was picked up by the Warnock Report (1978), incorporating the concept of special educational needs, which was officially adopted under the LOGSE enactment (1990).

This fact was fundamental for the country, as was the recognition of people with FD to be taught in an as much standardized environment as possible. Many students were “removed” from closed off Special Ed classrooms so as to be integrated in regular classrooms.

Inclusive School or a “School for All”

The implementation of school integration seems to be encapsulated in a different world, reducing the attention paid to a very small number of students with special educational needs. This is due to the fact that an international movement was begun by professionals, parents, and people with FD themselves to fight against the Special Ed’s idea that was taking place.

In the United States, the so-called “Regular Education Initiative” (REI) movement appears, which purpose will be the inclusion of FD children in ordinary schools. The inclusion movement appears (at the end of the 1980s and early 1990s), as a continuation of this movement within the American context and that of school integration movements in other parts of the world. In Spain, we must highlight the works of Arnaiz (1996), García Pastor (1993) and Ortiz (1996), quoted in Arnaiz (2003).

From here, schools are faced with the challenge of developing a pedagogy able to educate all children, regardless of their capabilities. To this end, the UNESCO Report, carried out by the International Commission on Education for the Twenty-first Century, proposes four basic pillars that should focus on education throughout a person’s life (Delors, 2013): Learning to know, learning to do, learning to live together and learning to be.

On the basis of these statements and reports, we can see that the causes that encouraged the emergence for inclusion are essentially two: recognizing education as a right; and considering diversity as an essential educational value for the transformation of the centers.

However, it is necessary to work toward achieving this school, as only a bad interpretation of the “special educational needs” concept has materialized so far. What is established is an effective response to the student body diversity, quality education for all through transforming the curriculum, teacher training, effective leadership, modification of the school’s culture and organization, as well as a commitment to change (Marchesi, Palacios and Coll, 2005).

The Organic Law 8/2013, December 9, for the improvement of the educational quality (LOMCE), highlights the importance of the following concept: Students with Specific Needs of Educational Support (ANEAE, Alumnado con Necesidades Específicas de Apoyo Educativo). This establishes that it has to do with students who require from a different educational attention than the ordinary ones, for they have special educational needs, specific learning disabilities, ADHD, due to their high intellectual capacities, due to a late incorporation into the educational system, or due to personal conditions or school history (LOMCE, 2013). This implies that the educational centers must have the necessary means so that all students reach their maximum personal, intellectual, social and emotional development, as well as the objectives as set out in the Act.

In this sense, with the publication of the 8 March 2017 Instructions, the detection protocol, the ANEAE identification and the organization of the educational response are all brought up to date, which had been used until then for promoting greater inclusion.

Therefore, the challenge of inclusive education involves three key challenges: a reduction of inequalities to diminish educational and social disparities; respect for diversity, which involves taking the specificities of each group of people from each region, their cultural practices and the nature of the subject involved, all into account; and, the belief that it is necessary to educate for diversity in a pluralistic and democratic society, which means that it must lead to a respectful coexistence of differences, especially diversity as a corporate and positive value (Fontes, et al., 2006, quoted in Messias, et al., 2012).

New pedagogical practices: enriching experiences.

If we associate diversity with “inclusion”, we will be able to observe how the concept of diversity is internalized far from what it really means to be inclusive in today’s centers. A radical paradigm shift is needed in education that reflects and accepts these differences, becoming enriched by them, sharing spaces, activities, common lessons, etc., but if we are all different, why apply the same to all?

There is a need to move toward a more inclusive and cohesive society, and to do this we must not forget that INCLUSION is not a place, but an attitude and a value that should illuminate policies and practices that give birth to a fundamental right such as quality education, and a school practice with a need to learn within the context of a school culture that accepts and respects differences (Echeita, 2006).

Until now, it had been supported on an approach that was exclusively centered on individual issues, where all the strategies were addressed to the individual. This perspective has led to many negative effects, such as “labeling, the partial framing of answers, limitations to opportunities, the misuse of resources and a lack of commitment toward social change” (Vega Fuente, 2004, quoted by Gento, 2006). .

The need for a more effective and inclusive school is, therefore, imminent if it it seeks to provide an educational response to each and every one of its students. In this way, a reform process must be set in motion that affects the conception, curricular and organizational reality of such centers and classrooms, as well as its methodological strategies. Though we live in the 21st century, we are surrounded by 20th century schools, thus we can no longer be anchored to the past. We must abandon said static situation and move toward a more dynamic attitude, allowing us to carry out innovative processes to adapt to the changing reality.

This reality poses one of the fundamental challenges of inclusion referring to the training of teachers. The teaching staff must adopt new commitments in their role, have a favorable attitude toward diversity, as well as adequate training for providing educational attention. In general, we see a lack of training today to deal with this diversity (Cooper and Kurtts, 2004; Dendra, Durán and Verdugo, 1991; García, García, García and Rodríguez, 1992, quoted by Gento 2006) in spite of teachers’ positive attitude before said inclusive philosophy (Chiner-Sanz, 2011; Jiménez, Rodríguez, Sánchez and Rodríguez, 2018).

With regard to this last idea, it is necessary to train teachers to gain knowledge in various academic disciplines, enabling them to understand, assume, plan, justify and reflect on their own practices and ways of performing (Pérez, 2010, quoted by Arnaiz, 2012). A different training to address a change in mentality and the use of strategies so that each student experiences as much as possible, with the result of being projected beyond educational institutions (Parrilla, 2007, quoted by Arnaiz, 2012).

It is necessary to “rethink the school from a new educational model” (Chaves, Do Nascimento y Castellar, 2018). The best way to overcome any obstacle in this sense can be through experiential learning, where all students progress through exploring, creating, discovering and experiencing their surroundings. Learning through experience and the senses is a learning process that has no beginning and no end, as it is always present every day, while also having the great advantage of being within everyone’s reach. Promoting respect toward others should be the basis for classroom inclusion. The fact that everyone understands that being different is the best that can happen to us.

Children’s Literature

Concept and history of “children’s literature”.

The words “children’s literature” are not exempt from being debated, since there is no international unanimity with regards to the gender. It is, thus, important to delimit and clarify each of these words, and how to delve into them. Hence the need to create a historical frame of reference that would clearly illustrate the main creative and ideological flows when writing for children (Hernández, 2006).

For Freire, as quoted by Sáenz, 2005, literature is “one of the fine arts that expresses beauty by means of the word” (p.10). According to writer López, quoted by González, 2015, children’s literature is the one that “is appropriate for human development without renouncing the universality of subjects” (p.29). Lastly, Soriano, quoted by González, 2015, conveys the idea that literature is “a literary and historical communication, in other words, it is located in time and space between an adult speaker or writer, the sender, and a recipient child, being the receiver, and who by definition, only experiences part of the reality and the linguistic, intellectual, emotional, etc. structures that are characteristic of adulthood” (p.29).

The concept of children’s literature is determined by its claim of globalization, by which all productions that carry the word as its main vehicle with an artistic or creative touch, with a child as intended receptor, should be admitted under this construct (Clarkson, 1989). However, although this type of literature is now increasingly becoming popular, it lacked literary quality and conditions in past years, likewise denying the need to introduce certain qualifiers (for children) to this concept, ignoring the existence of a wide range of literary productions whose main characteristic was to have a child as recipient. It is important to remember that just because it is “for children”, it does not cease to be literature, and so its specific name should be given recognition in the same way as a detective novel or women’s literature.

An issue of concern is that children’s literature as a discipline of study does not exist in Literature, Pedagogy nor in the Psychology faculties. In the best of cases, we can find it as a part of a subject within the Teaching of Literature or the History of Literature. How will future teachers learn about children’s literature to address further learning based on the student’s interests? And what is worse, how will they put it into practice, so that their students are able to benefit from the experiences this can offer? This absence has contributed not only to a lack of awareness of children’s literature, but also contribute to it being discredited. It is discredited in such a way that it ends up out of the classroom and, consequently, the child’s beginnings in literature is done through those intended for adults.

If we embark on a journey through the history of literature, we can see that the first creations to which children had access were traditional literature, composed of subjects that did not appear to be suitable for them, even if they are no different than comics, television and film productions nowadays (Hernández, 2006). In the 18th century, as a resulting concern for children, a publishing production intended exclusively for children was created, which would mark the historical starting point for children’s literature. These were the so-called “lessons” or “morals”, disseminated through fables and stories, establishing the principles for these types of publications.

With time, certain productions began to be considered suitable for children, though their original intention was not as such. This was the case of Jean de la Fontaine and his cultured fables, full of didactic purposes, even becoming the end-of-year award for students in the 19th century. During this period stands out the force of the romantic movement that gave rise to the second great moment in children and youth’s literature, with the publication of Children’s and Household Tales (1812) by Jacob and Whilhelm Grimm. Later, around 1835, Hans Christian Andersen’s children’s stories were published in Denmark, becoming the third milestone for children’s literature. Although Andersen wrote many plays, novels and travel books, he was best known for his more than 150 stories written especially for children, thus creating a style of much influence (20th century).

Subsequently, there is much awareness in Europe that asserts that “children” are a real public that must be addressed. Since then, a greater interest was placed on writers and publishers to meet the new needs demanded by an increase in children’s literacy rates and the gradual change in family models.

From the second half of the 19th century, there was a multiplication of European authors who thought of children and young people with such works as: the two volumes of Alice (Alice in Wonderland and Alice Through the Looking Glass) by Lewis Carroll; many of Oscar Wilde’s stories; Treasure Island by Robert L. Stevenson; The Jungle Book and other titles by Kipling; The Adventures of Pinocchio by Collodi; and the large collection and first great editorial boom of the genre, Five Weeks in a Balloon (1863), by Jules Verne.

In Europe, children’s books for sole educational purposes begin to appear with the arrival of the printing press, and it is not until the twentieth century when authors pursue them once more. However, many of the published works are from teachers, full of good intentions but with poor writing skills, who still referred to early childhood as a period required to be quickly overcome. The second half of the 20th century marked the beginning of children’s literature at the global level.

The tale as a resource for addressing classroom diversity: selection criteria.

One of the most used resources for teaching culture in a society is the ale. Through the oral story of different facts and events, people build their own history, identifying and becoming a part of it. For this reason, the story becomes an important resource for transmitting information from one person to another and is especially effective when used with children, since they are captivated from the first moment by the way in which it is told, they even identify themselves with the characters, while stimulating their creativity. It can be said that the tale is essential for gaining knowledge in a dynamic and playful way (Fonseca and Sánchez, 2014).

When defining the tale, we find ourselves with a multitude of authors who have different ways of describing it. For Pelegrín (1989, quoted by González, 2015), “the tale has an immensely wonderful power, since everything that the child learns through it gains momentum, acting in unrealistic, magical and even absurd ways that fill their mental universe with cathartic and evocative nuances” (p.30).

For his part, writer Guillermo Cabrera (2001) points out that:

The tale is as old as mankind. Perhaps more ancient still, since primates could have told tales grunting, which is the origin of the human language: one grunt being good, two grunts being better, and three grunts forming a sentence. But before that, whether sung or written, there were tales made from prose: a tale in verse is not a tale but something else: a poem, an ode, a narrative with metrics and perhaps with rhyme: a sung but untold occasion, a song. (p.12).

For Bosch (1999, quoted by Fonseca and Sánchez, 2014), a tale is the story of a fact that has unquestionable importance and which must be compelling to general readers. On the other hand, Reina (2012, quoted by González, 2015), described it as a short story of imaginary facts, with a single character, for moral or recreational purposes, which stimulates the imagination and awakens a child’s curiosity. While for Burgos and Loor (2009, quoted by Fonseca and Sánchez, 2014), the tale is a short story written in prose, which tells fantastic or fictional facts, in a simple and concentrated way, as if it had happened in reality.

In this way, the tale is established as a short and brief narrative, which may be based on actual facts, but lies within the realm of fiction. It is characterized by having an exposition, climax and resolution, with the participation of several characters, who create a plot through their actions.

The tale has many classifications, as many as authors, however, none of these classifications expresses a clear concept that defines where to include a book addressing people with FD. Since children come to learn anything in a playful manner with a tale, why not explain the differences between people through this method?

In this way, they will better understand those differences that shape us as people, why their schoolmate does things differently than they do, or even talks differently.

Children can be educated on the diversity through the story from two perspectives; from classic tales that address “disability”, and from the current stories undertaking this concept from a broader perspective. Whatever the adopted method, a number of criteria should be taken into account when selecting those stories to work on diversity:

• Clear and simple language.
• Vocabulary and scope according to the reader’s age.
• Books that provide sensory experiences (visual, auditory, tactile, kinesthetic) and that invite the reader to participate.
• Interesting stories, with natural non-artificial language, whose topics are rich and inventive.
• Original and non-stereotypical artwork, broadening aesthetic sensitivity, rich in meanings, consistent, sequential in the creation of its environments and characters, and extending the book’s meaning.
• Illustrations can even be used without words to invite children to tell their own stories basing on ingenious approaches.

The magic of stories and the moral values they hold, enable to subtly create awareness about FD. Not only does this achieve in introducing the concept of “disability” to students, but it also enables a better understanding of this collective (Sandoval and Carpena, 2013).

Proposal for working on the inclusion of students with functional diversity through children’s literature in first year primary education: tales.

Introduction/Justification.

Attention to diversity is the great challenge of the education system, and being demanding, of society as a whole. An adjustment is required of the educational intervention for the real needs of students in schools, so as to ensure quality educational action, which itself requires the important task of reflection and teamwork from facilities and the faculty. There is still a long way to go in today’s society. Minority groups are consistently discriminated and excluded from both learning and participating in society.

Education and society, therefore, go hand in hand, as one depends on the other. The changes created in society are experienced by education, and vice versa. This is where the importance of creating changes resides, and what better way for a teacher to do this than from his own classroom, with the support of the entire teaching staff.

If we want to be fairer, more inclusive, where we once saw “incapacity” and change that into “capacity”, it is necessary to begin with this group; with children in the classroom, making an early intervention in understanding diversity and preventing social exclusion. When reviewing research on the topic sought to be accomplished, we see that this is certainly scarce. Many speak of inclusion and diversity, but how do we truly encourage the required change?

The aim is, therefore, that this proposal works the FD in the classroom through children’s literature, raising the student’s awareness about each and everyone’s possibilities and limitations in this way, while respecting them as well. Tales draw the children’s attention by definition and have always been present throughout history, but apart from transmitting knowledge, they also transmit culture, which is a compelling reason to take them into account as a means of achieving the proposed goal. The child experiences, feels, lives, and puts himself in someone else’s shoes through a tale; therefore, by working on values, feelings and emotions, we make the student grow as a person, understanding his world and respecting those around.

Dr. Margaret Chan (2011) of the World Health Organization, said in a press release: “We must do more to break the barriers which segregate people with disabilities, in many cases forcing them to the margins of society”. We must pay attention to the person and not the “disability” as, otherwise, apart from being a negative aspect for the child, it would deprive society of all that the person would have to offer.

Objectives.

• Develop communication as a facilitator of interaction.
• Improve interpersonal relationships.
• Identify “functional diversity” as presented by characters in stories, and think about how we may help them.
• Encourage creativity and interest.
• Accept and respect the abilities of the individual.
• Remove barriers for students with specific needs of educational support.

Content.

• Functional diversity.
• Children’s tale.
• Reading, writing and oral expression.
• Emotional well-being: mental stability, absence of negative feelings, satisfaction and self-concept.
• Interpersonal relations: positive and rewarding social relationships.
• Personal development: education, learning opportunities, functional skills.
• Self-determination: autonomy, goals, and personal preferences, decisions and choices.
• Social inclusion: participation, integration and support.
• Rights: knowledge and defense of human rights, privacy and respect.

Recipients

The group of people for which this proposal is intended would be any group-class of first-year elementary school (6-7 years old). To properly adapt the proceedings with the children from this age group, it is necessary to take into account the psycho-evolutionary features of this group in all areas of development (Trianes and Gallardo, Delval, 2012; 2011; Palaces, Marchesi and Coll, 2013; García, 2014).

Methodology: proposal development.

The established inclusion proposal is designed to be worked on during an academic year. It will take place within a classroom, with some sessions being carried out in the school yard or in the space assigned for physical activity. It will also count on the support of the center’s management and all its teachers, conducting collaborative and cooperative work in order to achieve the effective inclusion of all students, hoping that it can be extrapolated to the rest of society.

All members of the class must act as active agents with participation from the teacher, interacting with students and intervening constantly. Explanations by the teacher should be brief, clear and concise, justifying each activity and offering students the reasons why they are carrying it out. The rules and procedure will be explained.

On the other hand, we will ensure that all students carry out the activity correctly during the sessions, taking their different views into consideration so as to create respectful habits for the opinions of others, fostering motivation and participation.

The main aim of education is the person’s integral development. In order to achieve progress toward said path, we will therefore use a methodology that takes the different paces of learning into account, fostering the ability for independent learning while promoting teamwork. Such will be the teaching styles used: task assignment, reciprocal teaching, guided discovery, problem solving and cooperative learning, enabling participation, promoting socialization, applying cognition, promoting creativity and encouraging individualization. To this end, activities will be carried out through tasks, working in small and large groups.

Before the start of the proposal, a record will be carried out to observe exclusion behaviors that students of the classroom may submit other colleagues to, as well as any violent behavior or verbal violence. Once this is done, the sessions will begin. The proposal will consist of integrated didactic units and will always follow the same methodology; it will begin by brainstorming ideas to make way for the content to be worked, and will always conclude with a photograph of the group and what was worked on during the day. The session will be assessed through direct observation and control.

The reason for the proposed book selections to be used for the session is determined by the relationship between the book subject and the ephemeris worked on at the school, since they represent both the social and cultural history as a series of values that create our identity. Below is a list of stories related to the ephemeris, their timing and the number of sessions:

• Four Little Corners by Jérôme Ruillier: This story teaches important values such as solidarity, search for solutions, acceptance, integration and teamwork. Work with the book will coincide with the International Day of Peace. Week of September 21 (5 sessions).
• The Black Book of Colors by Menena Cottin and Rosana Faría: Through this book, we can understand how colors are perceived for a blind person, inviting us to know how sight is transformed into thousands of smells, tastes, sounds, and emotions. Work with the book will be done in conjunction with the International Day of Sight on the Week of October 10 (5 sessions).
• Los zapatos de Marta by Meritxell Margarit, with illustrations by Marta Montañá: To understand the difficulties that a person with motor disability may face and what his needs might be, we only need to spend a day with Marta. We will understand why some people use canes and special shoes for walking, in addition, we will also learn such values as friendship and respect. Work with the book will coincide with the International Day of Spina Bifida. Week of November 21(5 sessions).
• El Caso de Lorenzo by Isabelle Carrier: Through this story we will understand that everyone is different, that each one of us has some characteristics that make us peculiar, unique and unrepeatable. Work with the book will be done in conjunction with the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. Week of December 3 (5 sessions).
• Butterfly Ears by Luisa Aguilar, with illustrations by André Neves: We will understand certain inappropriate behaviors, such as the verbal violence some children are subject to because of their peers. Work with the book will be done in conjunction with the School Day of Non-Violence and Peace. Week of January 30 (5 sessions).
• The Day when Saida Arrived by Susana Gómez Redondo, with illustrations by Sonja Wimmer: We will read about such values as friendship, tolerance, respect and multiculturalism, highlighting the beauty of learning from one another. Work with the book will coincide on the Day of Love and Friendship. Week of February 14 (5 sessions).
• Man of Color! by Jérôme Ruillier: This story reflects the values of friendship and multiculturalism in the face of prejudice and xenophobia in a surprising and suggestive way. Work on the book will coincide with the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. Week of March 21 (5 sessions).
• Pink Monster by Olga de Dios: This book shows us the value of difference, making us understand diversity as an enriching element to our society. We will use the adapted version from Arasaac’s pictographs (Aragonese Portal of Augmentative and Alternative Communication) to understand the way people with autism spectrum disorders communicate. Work with the book will be done in conjunction with the World Autism Awareness Day. Week of April 2 (5 sessions).
• Elmer by David Mckee: We end our proposal with this book, speaking once more about diversity, of difference as an added value that enriches us all and helps us be good people. We will also do so by introducing the essential resource that is music. Through it, we express a multitude of emotions and feelings in a spectacular way, helping us to become uninhibited and better display our qualities. Work with the book will be done in reference to the European Day of Music. Week of June 16 (5 sessions).

The sessions will have a duration of fifty-five minutes a day during the established week. These hours will vary each day according to the content to be worked on, for example: if we want to carry out a small interpretation of the book, it may be done during the Artistic Education hour; if we want to encourage cooperative play, we may do so during the Physical Education hour. All the activities carried out in the different subjects, will go hand in hand with the story theme for the week.

The resources that will enable the desired actions will be, among others:

• Human Resources: teaching staff, classroom teacher, a teacher specialized in an area, educator and psychologist.
• Material Resources: prints, consumables, audiovisuals, ICTs, three-dimensional models, specific material to the areas, etc.
• Of Time and Space: the school, classrooms, playground, fitness centers and sport fields, etc.
• Lastly, it is necessary to establish some general teaching guidelines to encourage inclusive education:
• Encouraging a barrier-free environment at the methodological, behavioral, organizational and social level. Meaning setting aside a rigid curriculum.
• Commitment and cooperation from the entire educational community, as well as those that comprise the interactive groups among the different members.
• Use of a specific methodology that enables interaction between all students, as for example: Project Based Learning (PBL), flipped classroom, interactive resources to facilitate experiential learning, multiple intelligences, gamification in the classroom, design thinking, and thinking based learning, etc.
• Assume a professional research-action role, where the teacher studies their students’ learning process.
• Eliminate the idea of using the student’s evaluation results (qualification) as a criterion, as this could lead to the student’s failure at school. It is preferable, instead, to focus on addressing the process.

Lastly, if the educational proposal is carried out and we would like to know its effectiveness, it would be advisable, once the intervention is applied, that a meta-assessment be done with such questions such as:

• Are the task objectives motivational?
• Does the proposal create learning contexts?
• Is there an improvement on social inclusion in the classroom?
• Is it gratifying for the teacher?
• Does it also develop the professional and personal competencies?

Before the start of the proposal, the classroom teacher will carry out a systematic observation and record the behaviors of students that are not considered to be inclusive. During the sessions’ course, the teacher will have an observation sheet, by which he will make an overall record on the knowledge that the students during the session are supposed to have gained at the end of every week. A report will be drawn up with both pre and post observations.

Conclusions

We have lived through a long period of ups and downs to reach what today seems to be fair and quality education for all, going from exclusion to inclusion in little more than two decades, while all fields of knowledge want to be a part of this history and provide their own perspective on the “problem”, which has perhaps created so many disagreements.

But real life is far from what we assume we have reached with regards to inclusion. Failure, marginalization or exclusion is what is still experienced today in many schools, particularly in students categorized as requiring from specific needs of educational support, supposedly protected by the laws in force.

If UNESCO already stated in 1994 that schools must find a way to successfully educate all children including those with severe disabilities, why is there a feeling of failure, of not having achieved enough? Society needs to find a path that is more fair and inclusive, which should begin in schools, as they know how to create a formidable motor for a change.

To believe that change is possible, apart from dreaming it, we must work on it. Schools can mean a great contribution. We must commit ourselves to new inclusive practices, to enable the change from our schools and our peers. Today, we know more about the conditions, processes and practices that can guide us toward an effective transformation. We must not be satisfied with the assertion that a person’s development is conditioned by social and personal determinants that can lead to failure or exclusion. The result of our student body is not predetermined, but is being constructed through the interaction with their peers and teachers. It is precisely the school community’s consistency of values and goals that enables us to make the journey toward improvement, as a complete system to be mobilized toward a common ideal.

To believe that change is possible, apart from dreaming it, we must work on it. Schools can mean a great contribution. We must commit ourselves to new inclusive practices, to enable the change from our schools and our peers. Today, we know more about the conditions, processes and practices that can guide us toward an effective transformation. We must not be satisfied with the assertion that a person’s development is conditioned by social and personal determinants that can lead to failure or exclusion. The result of our student body is not predetermined, but is being constructed through the interaction with their peers and teachers. It is precisely the school community’s consistency of values and goals that enables us to make the journey toward improvement, as a complete system to be mobilized toward a common ideal.

In this sense, teamwork from the entire teaching staff is of particular importance. Therefore, since we have a wide range of specialists in education, we should take advantage of this resource, moving toward a cooperative work where the professional may provide guidance to other teachers and students in the regular classroom without the need to “isolate” a child. If we continue to relegate children who are supposedly “incapable” and send them into specific centers and classrooms, then we are reinforcing the social isolation that we want to eliminate. We must pay attention to the emotional dimension and the personal welfare of everyone, as this is one of the fundamental aspects and topics for improved learning.

And by taking into account the emotional dimension and personal well-being, a proposal was put forward for inclusion through a resource available to all, such as literature; we can use it to create a change of perspective within our classrooms. Literature is imagination, expression of emotions and feelings, understanding…this is definitely social, emotional, and cognitive development. Over the years, the education has focused on contributing to the education of critical, responsible and interactive individuals in society, and we are therefore going to take advantage of the values conveyed by moving to an alien world to achieve all of this. Said world is the one that reveals to us the stories where knowledge is presented in a fun and dynamic way, so that we may address a book that deals with people’s FD, and so better understand the differences that shape us, to enrich each other while forgetting the difficulties.

In conclusion, it is necessary to emphasize that, although everything discussed aims to create new “levers for change” (Echeita, 2013), there are still inconveniences, however, that must be overcome once and for all. Some teachers usually reject the implementation of new methods, since they imply a change in the habits and traditional planning, and, as we already know, this is always a problem. A change of regulations may be inconvenient, as well as the development of projects that train teaching staff in all education areas and skills necessary to deal with any adversity, any challenge, since a large investment on the government’s part would be required. However, is education not one of the basic pillars of the welfare state?

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