Italian schools face persistent architectural barriers

Recent studies and data from Tuttoscuola and Istat reveal significant architectural barriers in Italian school buildings, highlighting a persistent gap in accessibility for students with disabilities.

National data for the 2024-25 period shows that 56.4% of school buildings are equipped with elevators or lifts, while 78.1% have compliant stairs. Although improvements have been noted since 2020-21, accessibility remains a challenge. Specifically, only 40.5% of Italian schools are considered physically accessible to students with motor disabilities, a figure that drops to 36.7% in Southern Italy.

Regional disparities are stark. In the Mezzogiorno, elevator and platform availability stands at 36.5%, compared to 66.5% in the North-West. Furthermore, adapted restrooms are lacking in several southern regions; in Campania, only 42.4% of schools have facilities suitable for people with disabilities, while Calabria reports 44.2%.

The CNDDU has noted that despite existing laws such as Law 13/1989 and Law 104/1992, insufficient funding and maintenance delays continue to hinder progress. While the Ministry of Education and Merit (MIM) allocated approximately 18.7 million euros for the removal of barriers, only 12% of school complexes performed extraordinary maintenance to eliminate these obstacles in the most recent analyzed academic year.