Legitimação do Direito de pessoas com deficiência à acessibilidade na pós-graduação da UFCAT

Abstract

This dissertation investigated the legitimation of the right of persons with disabilities to accessibility in graduate education at the Federal University of Catalão – UFCAT. The general objective was to identify and analyze factors that constitute the legitimation of the right of persons with disabilities to accessibility in stricto sensu Graduate Programs at UFCAT. The research is a descriptive case study, with a qualitative approach. Data production was carried out in person at UFCAT through three brainstorming meetings addressing access, admission, and permanence/degree completion. Participants included representatives of the Dean’s Office for Research, Graduate Studies, and Innovation - PROPESQ and two Graduate Programs - PPG 1 and PPG 2 in the broad field of Human Sciences. The participants comprised two representatives of PROPESQ; four representatives from PPG 1 (a graduate program coordinator, a technical-administrative staff member, a student, and a professor); and one professor from PPG 2. The data were systematized based on the methodology of the Nuclei of Meanings. The analyses pointed to institutional advances in the field of accessibility, while also highlighting the need for improvements in public and institutional policies to ensure continuous support. Policies and actions related to accessibility in graduate studies at UFCAT were identified: a) Spontaneous adjustments: PPG 1 as a pioneer in implementing supplementary slots for students with disabilities, even before official institutional regulations; b) Curricular differentiation and accessibility: adjustments in teaching methods and strategies, extended deadlines, and adaptation of teaching resources by professors and coordinators; c) Role of the Accessibility Center: identification, mediation, and articulation of offers and demands of students with disabilities, including individualized and institutional support when necessary; and d) Collaborative and cooperative practices: joint actions among professors, technical staff, and students to ensure accessibility. Although cultural, economic, and structural challenges are still present in the organization and functioning of the Graduate Programs, institutional policies and practices have demonstrated a growing commitment to access, accessibility, and the process of making accessibility effective for students with and without disabilities. Considering otherness as one of the pillars of the civic recognition of differences, potentialities, and needs, it is essential that good accessibility practices be recognized and reinforced, while discriminatory practices be identified, revised, and modified in the systematization of accessibility practices within the culture of graduate programs.