Empowering Inclusion Through Digital Education: The Atollo Project and IZZI Platform

Embracing Digital Technology in Education 

Across Europe, schools are increasingly integrating digital technology into everyday teaching. This trend accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic, which pushed educators to adopt online and hybrid learning on a wide scale. The European Union has recognized this shift with initiatives like the Digital Education Action Plan 2021–2027, which calls for “high-quality, inclusive and accessible digital education” in all member states. In mainstream education, interactive software, online resources, and virtual classrooms have become common tools for engaging students and enriching the curriculum. These digital approaches offer flexibility and new ways to learn – from multimedia content that makes lessons more engaging to platforms that allow collaboration beyond the classroom. 

However, as digital technology transforms mainstream education, it is equally, if not more important to ensure learners with special educational needs (SEN) benefit from these innovations. In fact, the move toward digital learning has highlighted a critical gap: without deliberate inclusion, students who require additional support risk being left behind. The pandemic’s rapid shift to e-learning exposed inequalities in access and skills, underscoring that any digital education strategy must address the needs of all learners, including those with disabilities or learning difficulties. To truly fulfill the EU’s vision of inclusive education for all, the same cutting-edge tools used in general classrooms need to be adapted and made accessible for students with special needs. 

Why Digital Tools Matter for Special Needs Education 

Digital tools have tremendous potential to break down barriers for children with special educational needs. When leveraged properly, educational technology can provide personalised, flexible learning experiences that traditional methods often struggle to offer. According to European education experts, ICT and online tools enable more interactive and personalised learning, tailoring instruction to the needs and pace of each student. This is especially beneficial for learners with SEN, who may require individualised approaches or adaptive content. Modern e-learning platforms can incorporate text-to-speech, visual aids, captioning, adjustable difficulty levels, and other accessibility features so that educational content is available to everyone, including those who cannot easily use standard textbooks or attend physical classes. Indeed, digital solutions make it possible for children who might otherwise be unable to participate, for example, due to mobility issues or long-term illness – to attend classes virtually and stay engaged with their peers. 

Moreover, technology designed with inclusion in mind can empower teachers to support diverse classrooms more effectively. A user-centred, universal design approach in educational software helps avoid usability problems and reduces the need for costly separate assistive devices. Features like customisable interfaces or AI-driven personalisation can adjust to different learning styles and abilities, enabling students with disabilities to use the same learning platforms as their classmates. Emerging innovations, such as artificial intelligence, virtual reality and augmented reality, hold promise to further enhance inclusive digital education by offering new ways to engage students and adapt to their individual needs. In short, when digital tools are thoughtfully implemented, they become powerful levellers: bridging the gap between mainstream and special education by giving every child the chance to learn with modern, engaging resources tailored to them. 

• Personalised Learning: Educational software can adapt content and pace to each learner’s needs, which is invaluable for students with SEN who may benefit from individualized instruction and practice. 

• Accessible Content: Digital platforms often include accessibility options (e.g. text narration, subtitles, high-contrast visuals) that make curriculum materials usable for children with visual, hearing, or cognitive impairments. This ensures learners with disabilities can access the same educational content as their peers. 

• Enhanced Engagement: Interactive multimedia, gamified exercises, and visually rich interfaces can motivate students who struggle with traditional textbooks. These tools turn learning into a more engaging experience, helping to maintain the attention of children with learning difficulties. 

• Learning Beyond Classroom Barriers: For students who cannot always attend school – due to health issues or other challenges – digital tools provide a lifeline. Online classrooms and resources allow them to continue learning and stay socially connected with classmates, promoting inclusion even from a distance. 

The Atollo Project: Inclusive Education Powered by IZZI 

The Atollo project has been working to revolutionise how children with disabilities learn by creating engaging digital content and tools that cater to their unique needs. The mission is not only to produce new learning resources, but also to build capacity among educators and foster a sustainable network of inclusive education stakeholders across Europe. This aligns closely with the EU’s emphasis on inclusive digital transformation in education, turning policy into practice on the ground. 

At the heart of Atollo’s innovation is its use of the IZZI digital platform. IZZI is an innovative software suite for creating and distributing educational content, and it has served as the digital backbone for several EU-funded education projects. It was developed by Profil Klett Ltd. In the Atollo project, IZZI was used to design, publish, and disseminate the interactive learning units. Special education experts from the partner institutions first authored a series of curriculum-based activities (initially focusing on mathematics and ICT skills) tailored to learners with intellectual and developmental difficulties. These engaging activities were then brought to life on the IZZI platform by Profil Klett’s dedicated team of content managers, animators, and IT specialists. The result is a rich collection of digital learning units that are not only pedagogically sound, but also highly interactive and user-friendly for both students and teachers. 

The Atollo IZZI platform interface showcasing interactive digital content modules for mathematics, adapted to different learning levels. These materials are designed to engage students with special needs while supporting teachers in the classroom. 

The Atollo Project’s use of IZZI demonstrates how technology can be harnessed to achieve true inclusion. The Atollo IZZI digital platform features a variety of interactive publications spanning different levels of math and other foundational skills, all tailored for students who need adapted materials. During a recent presentation on Croatian national television, viewers saw how the platform allows educators and students to navigate through exercises, illustrations, and quizzes across multiple difficulty levels. The content is visually engaging and easy to navigate, which helps capture students’ interest and also serves as a valuable classroom resource for teachers implementing inclusive practices. Importantly, Atollo provides training and tools to teachers alongside these digital materials, ensuring that educators feel confident using the platform to support learners of varying abilities. This comprehensive approach – combining cutting-edge content with teacher empowerment – is key to making inclusion work in practice. 

From Pilot Success to Public Launch (March 2026) 

Following the successful pilot phase, the Atollo team is now refining the digital materials using the wealth of data and feedback gathered. The improved content and tools are on track to be publicly available by March 2026, so that schools everywhere can adopt them and benefit from the project’s outputs. This public launch will mark a significant moment: educators across Europe (and beyond) will have free access to a suite of high-quality, accessible digital learning resources specifically designed for students with special educational needs. By integrating these resources into mainstream classrooms or specialist support programs, schools can take a big step towards truly inclusive education 

Sign Up for Updates

Teachers and professionals interested in Atollo’s inclusive digital resources can get early access and news on the upcoming 2026 release by signing up for the Atollo Project newsletter. By joining the mailing list, you’ll receive the latest updates, insights from the project, and notification when the materials become available. Together, we can leverage innovative digital tools to ensure no learner is left behind in the digital age.