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<p>In recent years there is an increasing interest about STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts &amp; Mathematics) model in education. STEAM is a cross-disciplinary approach which breaks down the barriers among disciplines, offers a dynamic character in teaching and sheds light on various aspects of the aforementioned parts of STEAM equation with multiple benefits for all children including those with disabilities. Furthermore, the increasing interest and the development of museum educational programs for school groups provide unique opportunities in STEAM education that are not available in schools. The museum as nonformal learning environment and its exhibits, the qualitative characteristics of learning and the wide range of the expected learning outcomes enrich the design and implementation of STEAM educational programs providing meaningful learning experiences for all children. The present paper refers to a cross-disciplinary approach which connects STEAM education, Museum Education and Special Education for the design and implementation of an educational program for a school group of children with disabilities. The educational program “Making mosaics with bricks and colors” was based on a. the STEAM approach, b. the characteristics of learning in the museum, c. the principles of Differentiated Instruction (DI) and Universal Design for Learning (UDL), and d. the unique characteristics of a thematic technological museum for the industrial heritage in Greece where the educational program took place. Based on the experience of the implementation of the educational program and the qualitative data of the evaluation of the program, it is argued that STEAM education as well as collaborations between different specialists and between schools and museums provides meaningful learning experiences to all children including those with disabilities.</p><p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0653/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

People with vision impairment and multiple disabilities (MDVI) constitute a population with an enormous heterogeneity due to the combination of various disabilities. Education of children with MDVI concerns different domains and it is considered one of the most demanding fields in Special Education as each student with MDVI has different needs and entails unique educational challenges. In specific, the development of communication skills of children with MDVI is a fundamental domain of their education which affects their learning and active participation in all sectors of life. As a result, professionals are very concerned in which way they can design and develop effective intervention programmes, in order to assess accurately children's communication levels and in turn set realistic goals to consolidate and advance them. The present paper refers to an Erasmus+ project entitled "Promoting effective communication for Individuals with a Vision Impairment and Multiple Disabilities" (PrECIVIM) which acknowledges the need to train teachers in this field and bridges assessment and intervention for the development of communication skills for children with MDVI. The authors present and describe in this paper the following: a. the structure and the content of a training manual for the enhancement of teachers' and professionals' competences in communication skills of children with MDVI, and b. the training process, based on the developed training manual, in three countries (Greece, Cyprus and Romania) in different educational settings for children with MDVI. The obtained data regarding teachers' and professionals' feedback from the training process and their corresponding intervention programmes, revealed a range of good practices as well as concerns and challenges confirming the need of more focused training programmes regarding the education of children with MDVI. The authors conclude that the implementation of intervention programmes, when it comes to communication and levels of communication, depends significantly by a number of factors such as diagnosis, early intervention, system of support for professionals and families, assessment, teachers and professionals' competences, effective use of technology, alternative and augmentative communication, environment, and so on. Finally, it is argued that the aforementioned issues, should be an integral part of a systematic educational policy for the provision of educational opportunities in terms of equality and inclusion for all children including children with MDVI.

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