A Associação de Pais e Amigos dos Excepcionais de Barbacena e o atendimento às pessoas com síndrome de Down (1962-1976): diálogos com Pestalozzianos

Abstract

A case study of the Association of Parents and Friends of Exceptional (APAE) founded in the city of Barbacena, Minas Gerais, Brazil, in 1962, is presented, aiming to understand the proposed model for the multidisciplinary care of the person with Down syndrome in this institution and what is the relationship of this service model with the theoretical assumptions derived from the work of psychologist and educator Helena Antipoff. Antipoff was responsible for the creation, in Brazil, of an array of diagnostic, treatment and exceptional education classes and special schools, among which stand out the Pestalozzi Society of Minas Gerais, founded in 1932, and the Pestalozzi Society of Brazil, established in 1945 in Rio de Janeiro. Having actively participated in the movement that culminated in the implementation of the first Association of Parents and Friends of Exceptional Children in 1954, she influenced the formation of a large contingent of professionals engaged the area in later years. In the history of the country, the relationship established in legislation between government, private institutions and the education system was characterized by a complementarity of actions: private groups such as Pestalozzi Societies and APAEs, were responsible for the services offered to students with deeper deficiencies, while special classes in public schools attended the population with mild learning difficulties. The research was based on the analysis of unpublished documents, publications and interviews with technicians and students with Down syndrome. Documentary research was conducted at Memorial Helena Antipoff, located in Ibirite, Minas Gerais, the Center for Research and Documentation Helena Antipoff - CDPHA, (located at UFMG Central Library building) and the Association of Parents and Friends of Exceptional Children of Barbacena, Minas Gerais. The Bulletins of the Pestalozzi Society of Brazil were also examined. References were found to the founding of the first Brazilian APAE, created as a result of contacts maintained between the Pestalozzi Society of Brazil team, led by Helena Antipoff, and the American couple George and Beatrice Bemis, linked to an association for the education of retarded children in the United States. Statutes, reports and programs of APAE of Barbacena were also scrutinized. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with two students with Down syndrome, a psychologist and three educators, one speech therapist, who worked with the Down, seeking information about the experiences lived in the APAE of Barbacena. The results showed that in this institution the implementation of multidisciplinary care to people with Down syndrome followed the guidelines formulated by Helena Antipoff concerning the scientific identification and education of exceptionals and the training of professionals. The interviewed teachers reported their professional experience and the importance of training courses they took at Instituto Superior de Educação Rural (Superior Education Rural Institute) Rosários farm and at Brazils Pestalozzis Society. The students with the downs syndrome related their lives experiences and the sectors they liked the most in the institution and also their personal achievements.