Between May 16th-19th, 2023, at the invitation of the Voluntary Service for Educational and Social Inclusion – Stara Zagora, representatives of the National Association of Resource Teachers – experts in the field of inclusive education, along with university professors, visited the University of Reykjavik, Iceland. The project for collaboration and planning of joint activities was implemented with the support of the Small Bilateral Initiatives Scheme of the Active Citizens Fund – Bulgaria, under the Financial Mechanism of the EEA 2014-2021, and was based on the partnership with students and professors from the Institute of Educational Research and the Faculty of Education at the University of Reykjavik.

The University of Iceland (UI) is the leading state institution for scientific research and higher education in Iceland. Inclusive education is a mandatory course not only for all pedagogical specialists, but the very teaching methodology across various disciplines is based on differentiated learning according to individual needs. During the visit, the model of inclusive education at the University was presented, along with its practical application in the teacher and special educator training programs. The partners from Bulgaria and Iceland had the opportunity to share practices in inclusive education and curricula for preparing teachers to work in inclusive environments. Opportunities for long-term collaboration in the scientific and academic fields were discussed, as well as the development of joint projects in the area of inclusive education.