Atendimento educacional especializado na rede municipal de educação de Belo Horizonte-MG: concepção de deficiência e perfil dos professores

Abstract

The objective of this study was to identify the profile and conception of disability among teachers of Specialized Educational Assistance (SEA) in the Municipal Education Network of Belo Horizonte (RMEBH), Minas Gerais. To achieve this, an observational, exploratory study was conducted using the survey method. All SEA teachers from RMEBH were invited to participate in the research. To characterize the participants' profiles, a questionnaire with closed-ended questions was used, covering sociodemographic data (age, gender, family income, ethnicity) and occupational profile of SEA teachers (education, teaching experience, time in the SEA role, number of students with disabilities served per week, weekly service hours). To identify the conception of disability, the Intercultural Scale of the Conceptions of Disability (ISCD) was used. Data collection was conducted through an online form, with the access link provided by the RMEBH coordination to the teachers' institutional email. Descriptive analysis of quantitative data, normality check (Shapiro-Wilk Test), association analyses (ANOVA), and correlation analyses (Pearson's r or Spearman's Correlation) between variables were performed. A significance level of p<0.05 was considered for all analyses. The study involved 68 SEA teachers, mostly women, over 40 years old, with more than 20 years in the network, trained in inclusive education, and motivated for the role. They serve an average of 21 to 30 students from 1 to 5 schools in the network, one hour per week. Regarding the conception of disability, the results indicate that most teachers tend to agree with social and metaphysical conceptions and tend to disagree with the biological conception. The study provides relevant information about the profile of these teachers and the functioning of the SEA service, highlighting its challenges and possibilities. Knowing and recognizing the profile of SEA teachers and their conceptions of disability is crucial for understanding what can be improved. It is essential that the SEA room is available in all schools and that the number of students assigned to each teacher is reviewed, allowing these professionals more time for planning and the opportunity to engage in in-depth case studies in collaboration with regular classroom teachers. The promotion of continuous training courses is also important to address the conception of education and disability and to encourage teachers in their work.