The Italian school inclusion and integration process still involve considerable troubles and difficulties: “integration is not at issue, yet it is often unsatisfactory” [1]. Junior high school and high school students with intellectual disability tend to take little part in the learning process or, even worse, to remain in a situation of separation most of the time [2]. This two-group experimental study focused on six classes from a vocational high school. The assumption was that a learning environment expressly designed [3] to encourage analogical tools, processes and languages can effectively help all students – not only students with intellectual disability - to learn and to relate better. The “ecological approach” [4], started from a rearrangement of the traditional classroom, which was divided into different learning environments, specifically designed for static, movement, materials and new technologies. The setting of the students’ tables and of the teacher’s desk - which is no longer an “active mediator” in high school [5] - was rearranged in order to allow all students to play an active part in the learning experience. Throughout a few weeks, the new learning environment based on the “capability approach” [6] made it possible to set [7] the specific analogical languages of that student with intellectual disability – such as images, pictures, charts, cards, drawings, videos, concept maps – allowing the whole class to experience a laboratory learning training. Cognitive tests proved that the experimental classes managed to develop better learning processes in specific cognitive domains. Furthermore, the socio-metric test results, which were recorded in a few socio-grams, showed an increase in popularity and involvement of the students with intellectual disability.

intellectual disability, learning environment, analogical languages, laboratory