Como docentes da UFRN abordaram o tema deficiência em pesquisa e extensão dez anos antes das cotas?

Abstract

Results of social movements for people with disabilities inclusion in society have reached college education. Federal higher education institutions (FHEI) go through a major milestone with modifications in the quotas law, which from the annual selection of 2018 reserves vacancies for people with disabilities. Teacher’s attitudinal barriers are one of main challenges these students will face in FHEI, as they have pedagogical and administrative impacts. Continuing the inclusion of people with disabilities in higher education needs to find ways to eliminate teacher’s attitudinal barriers. In this context, it is important to investigate successful experiences of FHEI to address these barriers. This work aimed to understand how the inclusion culture evolved at Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte in ten years before the quota law (2008-2017), from the perspective of teacher participation in research and extension projects related to the disability theme. A documental descriptive study was carry out on all projects registered in the academic computer system of the university. Collaboration among teachers and interdisciplinarity were the main characteristics of the evolution of research and extension projects related to the disability theme at the university. These characteristics seems to have played an important role in elimination of attitudinal barriers and in dissemination of inclusion culture in research and extension. As a consequence, almost all centers have been involved in these projects, with a wide variety of addressed themes and disabilities