Lacio Drom

Romani children in Italy have historically been placed in segregated or "special" schools under the pretext of addressing learning disabilities. In many case, these placements are based on "ethnic" biases rather than any verified need for special education.

This community narrative of Sinti*zze and Rom*nja has for the first time found a common public space for listening, recognition and confrontation thanks to amazing work of Eva Rizzin and prof. Luca Bravi , that provides critical insights into the systematic exclusion and discrimination faced by Romani children in Italy's education system, with thei latest book, entitled " Lacio Drom: storia delle classi speciali per zingari (1965-1982).
Throught testimonies of those who endured this system, they reveal how policies presented as inclusive were, in reality, tools of exclusion that denied students equitable educational opportuinities.

Similar patterns of segregation are evidente across Europe. In Poland, Romani children are still frequently placed in special schools for intellectual disabilities, often based on flawed psychological assessment conducted in Polish - a language many Romani children do not speak fluently.
In Slovakia , as well, segregation in education remains deeply entrenched. Despite EU anti-discrimination laws, many Romani children are funneled into "special schools" under pretext of mild mental disabilities.


Photo by Jana Kießer