Catania Third‑Sector Forum demands co‑programming for school inclusion of disabled students

The Forum del Terzo Settore of the province of Catania praised recent institutional efforts to improve school inclusion for students with disabilities, but it called for a genuine co‑programming process before the draft programme agreement is approved. The technical table convened by the Metropolitan City of Catania discussed a draft aimed at harmonising Asacom services and sustainable‑development plans, with the intention of submitting the document to the Sicilian regional government as a model for the whole island.

Forum spokesperson Dario Culisano welcomed the administrations’ willingness to open a co‑programming table, describing it as “a significant step toward the shared‑administration model required by current law”. He expressed strong regret that the draft was not the result of a participatory process with third‑sector entities, citing Law 117/2017, which obliges public bodies to involve the third sector through co‑programming and co‑design, and the Constitutional Court’s 2020 decision on horizontal subsidiarity. The Forum urged immediate implementation of the co‑programming table to analyse the needs of disabled students and their families, set priorities, identify effective tools and build policies that truly respond to community requirements.