Studies on the History of Special Education in Italy: State of the Art and Paths for Future Research

Abstract

The history of special education in Italy is a highly recent field of study. Prior to this, the theme had only been treated in a small number of publications that were limited in scope, primarily hagiografic and journalistic in style, and whose authors themselves worked in special education. In 1993, the article by Roberto Sani, devoted to Severino Fabriani, educator of female deaf mutes in Restoration Modena, marked the beginning of a history of special education that was researched using an interdisciplinary approach and situated within the broader framework of social and political history, and the history of institutions and cultural processes. Following in the line of enquiry into the history of special education inaugurated by Sani, further studies have been published since the beginning of the new millennium, by both established historians of education and young scholars joining the field. Some of these authors have maintained a focus on the world of education for the deaf; others have extended this model of interpretation to related field (educational institutions for children affected by rickets and by blindness). What avenues of research remain open to those wishing to pursue the history of special education? Numerous are the aspects still awaiting systematic investigation. It might therefore be to investigate the educational models and school programs offered over time for persons with disabilities affecting more than one sense (e.g., those who are both deaf and blind).