Escolarização de estudantes surdocegos: o que dizem profissionais da educação no estado de Minas Gerais

Abstract

The development of deafblind children depends on their mastery of language skills, which, in our culture, is related to their incorporation into educational spaces. However, we have found, through a survey of works on this subject, few studies dedicated to verifying how many deafblind children attend Early Childhood Education and the initial years of Elementary School, to problematize data regarding their schooling, to analyze the outcomes of their schooling in the daily routines of schools, the educational and communication strategies, and assistive technology resources adopted, and who the education professionals assisting them are. Considering that educational realities are noticeably diverse in the country, depending on the professionals involved and the working conditions, this study analyzed the practice of education professionals toward deafblind students in Minas Gerais. To achieve this, an analysis of enrollment data was carried out, using as reference the School Census, the Statistical Synopsis of Basic Education from the National Institute of Educational Studies and Research Anisio Teixeira (Inep/MEC) for the year 2020, and spreadsheets provided by the Superintendence of Pedagogical Policies, associated with the Sub-secretariat for the Development of Basic Education of the Minas Gerais State Education Secretariat (SEE-MG) from 2022 and 2023, so that it was possible to verify where these students were and understand how their schooling was occurring. The study also sought to investigate the educational and communication strategies, and the assistive technology resources used by teachers and other professionals in schools, as well as analyzing how the schooling of these individuals has been performed in everyday school life. This research joins quantitative and qualitative approaches, combining the work towards the enrollment data with methodological procedures, such as questionnaires, applied to education professionals and interviews. As for outcomes, some elements that contribute to developing a profile of the research participants stand out: the majority is women, white people, and mostly without disabilities, although there are professionals with disabilities in the group; the majority are teachers and not tenured; all participants have completed higher education; regarding the training on deafblindness, 50% declared that they had not attended any specific training, which could be a limiting factor for their practice with this audience. Concerning the identity of deafblind students, the majority is male; 50% of students with and without deafblindness plus, although there are congenital and acquired deafblind students, besides their individual conditions and different forms of communication. Among other aspects, we recommend the use of communication strategies referenced in Libras (Brazilian sign language), Braille, and tactile resources, and in types of assistive technology that include the use of boards and applications on laptops, computers, cell phones, and tablets. Regarding the professional’s satisfaction towards using these resources, a small proportion of participants considered their implementation satisfactory. As for legislation and guidelines at municipal, state and federal levels, it was possible to find different sections that do not adequately address school inclusion and the schooling of this public.