On Disability Studies. An International Comparative School on Disability, Education, Society, and Human Experience. 18–24 June 2027, Unicollege Mantua Campus & Venice – Italy. On Campus | Online | Academic Credit | Faculty-led Program.
On Campus, Online, Academic Credit, or Faculty-led Program
Fees
From €1,350 · faculty-led benefits and funding documentation available
Language
English
Understanding Disability Across Borders
Teaching and international dialogue in the Unicollege classrooms.
According to the World Health Organization, more than 1.3 billion people - roughly one person in six worldwide - live with a disability. Disability is the world's largest minority and one that any individual may become part of at any point in life through illness, injury, aging or changing circumstances.
As populations age and medical advances extend life expectancy, the number of people living with disability is expected to continue growing. Yet disability is never experienced in isolation. It connects directly with education, employment, mobility, healthcare, family life, technology, law, economics, architecture, culture, language, religion, public policy and international mobility.
These connections shape how societies understand participation, citizenship, dignity, independence and belonging. At the same time, educational systems, legal frameworks and cultural understandings of disability vary considerably from one country to another.
As universities and professional communities become increasingly international, looking at disability through a single national framework can leave important questions unexplored. Comparative understanding therefore matters more than ever. The challenge is no longer simply to discuss inclusion, but to consider how disability and inclusion are interpreted, organized and lived across different societies.
The Serendipity Summer School
The Serendipity Summer School on Disability Studies was created in response to this need for comparative and international learning. Designed as a continuing academic initiative, the School brings together scholars, educators, practitioners, institutions, policymakers, advocates, families and people with lived experience to examine disability through interdisciplinary and cross-cultural perspectives.
Hosted each year by Unicollege, an Italian accredited university with campuses in Florence, Mantua and Turin and a growing network of international academic partnerships, the School was founded through the collaboration of Professor Dr. Carrie Wysocki of the University of Findlay and Professor Dr. Giosuè Prezioso, Dean of Academic Affairs at Unicollege.
An international academic community
Selected speakers and contributors from around the world join the School both in person and online, creating a setting in which participants can examine different educational, professional and cultural approaches to disability alongside perspectives from their own institutions and communities.
Carrie D. Wysocki, PhD, Associate Professor in Education, University of FindlayProfessor Dr. Giosuè Prezioso, Dean of Academic Affairs at Unicollege
Watch Prof. Wysocki’s virtual message to all attendees
Professor Carrie D. Wysocki invites contributions to the 2027 edition.
Opportunities for supported participation
Students, faculty, staff and other participants may be able to use university, departmental, scholarship, travel, professional-development or external funding to support their participation. Unicollege can provide official invitation and participation documentation for these applications where appropriate.
Faculty-led Programs
Faculty or staff who bring 6 participating students as part of a faculty-led program have their program fee waived. Student fees follow the published registration rates. Airfare is not included.
Participants may register independently and request official invitation or participation letters to support scholarship, grant, institutional, travel or professional-development funding applications.
Italy as a Living Classroom: 18–24 June 2027, Venice, Mantua, Reggio Emilia
7 days18–24 June 2027
3 citiesMantua, Reggio Emilia, Venice
Every dayLectures, site visits, networking
Fri 18 JuneMantua
Welcome to Mantua
Italy as an extended classroom: students on the lawn of the Florence campus.
Arrival, connection, and the first conversations
Arrival & Check-in: Arrive in Mantua, check into accommodation, complete registration and collect your badge. The closest airport is Verona Villafranca Airport, approximately 30 minutes from Mantua.
Afternoon, Mantua Networking Tour: Discover Mantua, a UNESCO Renaissance city, and the Unicollege campus in its historic center.
Evening, Welcome Networking Dinner: Meet the international community of participants and contributors before the full academic program begins.
Sat 19 JuneReggio Emilia
Reggio Emilia, Education as Experience
One of the world's best-known centers of educational innovation
Breakfast
Morning, Opening Lecture: International Education and Global Perspectives on Disability, with the founders of the Serendipity Summer School.
Day Experience, Reggio Emilia: An experiential visit with expert-led sessions on the Reggio Emilia approach to disability and inclusion, including guided site visits and demonstrations of the method.
Light Lunch: Hosted by Unicollege.
Evening: Free dinner; participants make their own dinner arrangements.
Sun 20 JuneMantua
The Montessori Miracle
An Italian idea that transformed education around the world
Breakfast
Morning and Afternoon: A full day dedicated to Maria Montessori and her enduring contribution to autonomy, inclusion, human potential and learner-centered education.
Networking Buffet Lunch: Hosted by Unicollege.
Evening: Free dinner; participants make their own dinner arrangements.
Mon 21 - Tue 22 JuneMantua
The World Comes to Mantua
Two days of international comparison, scholarship and exchange
Seminars, workshops and moderated discussions: the working format of the School.
Breakfast
9:30 AM to 12:30 PM, International Lecture Series (Part I): Selected speakers from around the world, participating both in person and online, bring comparative perspectives on disability and education across different countries and cultures.
12:30 to 2:00 PM, Networking Buffet Lunch: Hosted by Unicollege.
2:00 to 5:30 PM, International Lecture Series (Part II): The comparative lecture program continues with selected international contributors. The final speaker and session schedule will be published by mid-March 2027.
Perspectives addressed in the lecture series
Education, Inclusion & TransitionInclusive schooling, higher education, family partnerships and transitions.
Rights, Policy & Global PerspectivesLaw, human rights, mobility, policy and comparative approaches.
Identity, Culture & Human ExperienceIdentity, language, representation, relationships, spirituality and the arts.
Technology, AI & AccessibilityAI, emerging technologies, ethics, accessibility and innovation.
Work, Entrepreneurship & Community ParticipationEmployment, entrepreneurship, independent living and belonging.
Neurodiversity, Health & Lived ExperienceNeurodiversity, invisible disabilities, caregivers, resilience and lived experience.
Wed 23 JuneVenice
Venice, The Final Classroom
A day in Venice exploring culture, accessibility and inclusion
Mantua, the starting point of the academic visits to Reggio Emilia and Venice.
Morning, Travel to Venice: Depart from Mantua for a full-day educational visit to Venice.
Light Lunch: Hosted in Venice.
Evening, Farewell International Networking Dinner: A closing celebration for the international community, marking the completion of the academic program.
Thu 24 JuneMantua
Departure
Independent check-out and travel
Check out of the accommodation and continue with independent departure arrangements.
Registration
Program costs may be covered personally or through a college, university, employer, scholarship, grant, travel award, faculty-development fund or other external source. Unicollege can issue appropriate official documentation to support eligible funding applications.
Faculty-led Programs
Bring 6 · Faculty Free
With 6 participating students, the accompanying faculty or staff leader pays no program fee. Student fees follow the rates below. Airfare is excluded.
Register independently at the applicable rate. Unicollege can provide official invitation and participation letters for scholarship, grant and institutional funding applications.
The fee table below remains the reference cost for on-campus participation. The way that cost is covered may vary depending on the participant's funding source or institutional arrangement.
Registration Phase
Period
Fee (Venice included)
Founding Registration
1 Sep – 30 Nov 2026
€1,350
Priority Registration
1 Dec 2026 – 15 Jan 2027
€1,550
Advanced Registration
16 Jan – 28 Feb 2027
€1,700
Standard Registration
1 Mar – 31 May 2027
€1,850
Late / On-Site Registration
1 – 18 Jun 2027, subject to availability
€2,000
What the on-campus program includes:
accommodation in Mantua
the full academic program
scheduled breakfasts and networking lunches
academic and networking activities
the Reggio Emilia educational experience
the Venice educational experience
English-language assistance
access to Unicollege facilities and a Certificate of Completion
Online Conference
€250
For participants who prefer to join remotely from anywhere in the world.
Online access covers lectures, panels, seminars and digital academic content on June 21–22. Accommodation, meals and field experiences are not included.
Academic Credit Option
+€350
Undergraduate and graduate students may optionally request an official transcript for academic credit. This is a voluntary add-on and is not required in order to participate in the School. Participants should confirm recognition requirements with their home institution.
Registration Procedure. Registration itself is free of charge. Following submission of a registration request, Unicollege will contact each applicant individually to confirm the participant profile (student, faculty member, panelist or attendee) together with the applicable participation and funding arrangement. Upon confirmation, a €200 registration deposit becomes payable.
The deposit will be retained until 28 February 2027 and refunded in full should the program be cancelled. If the program is confirmed, the outstanding balance must be paid to Unicollege by 14 March 2027.
Registrations may be cancelled without charge until 28 February 2027. After that date, should the on-campus edition not take place, participation may be transferred to the online format or any fees already paid will be refunded.
Program Continuity Note
To preserve the academic quality and international character of the School, Unicollege will confirm the on-campus edition by the end of February 2027. Should participation levels not support the experience as designed, the University may elect to deliver the School online or defer it to a later date. In the event of postponement, all participation fees already paid will be refunded in full.
