Competence in spatial thinking, usage of maps or other spatial tools is not self-evident for all; it is a dexterity, which can be cultivated. Strengthening spatial thinking in school education has been linked to positive results, such as success in STEM, promotion of innovation and mitigation of social inequalities. For students with visual impairment (VI), spatial thinking is, additionally, a critical compensatory ability for functionally utilizing spatial experiences. It can contribute to students’ mobility, independence, academic progress, social integration and professional development. Spatial thinking can provide a basis for inclusive education, through open-ended problem solving tasks and scientific inquiry activities, which stimulate students' interest and promote cooperation in the classroom, with multiple benefits for all students. Tactile maps, as well as innovative spatial tools exploiting Information and Communication Technologies, can be valuable aids in this direction.Project “VISTE: Empowering Spatial Thinking of Students with Visual Impairment” was a Strategic Partnership for school education supporting innovation and the exchange of good practices, co-funded by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union (9/2016 – 8/2019).The project’s mission was to create a methodological, semantic and technical infrastructure for cultivating spatial thinking in inclusive educational environments. The objectives were: •to address the needs of school students with VI, by strengthening their spatial skills, and •to cultivate these skills through cooperative activities with sighted students, so as to enhance integration of students with VI in mainstream education. The project’s main target groups were school students (11-15 years old), teachers, teachers’ trainers and other professionals involved in education.The consortium consisted of 5 partners from 4 European countries: the National Technical University of Athens (Co-ordinator, Greece), Institut National de Recherche en Informatique et en Automatique (France), INTRASOFT SA (Luxembourg), Casa Corpului Didactic Cluj (Romania), Eidiko Dimotiko Sxolio Tiflon Kallitheas (Greece) and Liceul Special pentru Deficienti de Vedere Cluj-Napoca (Romania). Its members (a university, a research institute, a software company, a teacher’s training centre, and a primary and a secondary school for the visually impaired) brought in different areas of expertise; meanwhile, the project also benefited from additional co-operation with several other organizations active in relevant fields.Four intellectual outputs were produced.1.An innovative inclusive educational framework for empowering spatial thinking in students with visual impairment was researched and developed.2.Educational spatial thinking components were designed, implemented and evaluated. They include educational scenarios which address a range of scientific fields, classes and curricula and utilize open learning tools.3.An innovative ICT toolkit, to assist the work of educators, has been designed, implemented and validated. Its first pillar is the web-based VISTE Community of users (platform), which allows teachers to share open educational resources developed in the project and cooperatively develop new ones. The second pillar is an augmented reality toolkit, which VI users can use to explore tactile maps with complementary audio information, to receive guidance to construct their own maps, or to explore tactile material in a quiz mode. The prototype was extended in order to also enable teachers of VI students to create their own audio-tactile material. Furthermore, a virtual reality toolkit has been designed and validated, which can be used as a street simulator in order to train VI students in orientation and mobility lessons.4.A guide of good practice and policy recommendation has been formulated, based on the experience gained during the project. Additionally, two joint staff training events provided teachers of VI students the opportunity to enhance their knowledge and skills and develop common resources, as well as to receive training on integrating augmented/virtual reality and 3D printing in their educational practice. Finally, 12 multiplier events and a variety of dissemination activities diffused project results to wider audiences. The project has won an award of excellence at the Edumanager.ro Gala forum in Romania. It has received a warm reception by the 175 school students (including 85 VI students) directly involved in its educational activities. It has equipped hundreds of education professionals with skills and motivation to serve the needs of their students using the VISTE approach, while the potential exists for further impact via the online community, the open access of intellectual outputs and the activities of teachers’ trainers. Project results have been communicated to the research community via publications and presentations at major conferences.