Chegar é um ato, ficar é luta: acessibilidade e permanência de Surdos na UFRJ – Campus Praia Vermelha

Abstract

This master’s thesis in Education investigates the access, accessibility, and retention of Deaf students in courses located at the Praia Vermelha Campus of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), seeking to understand the situations they experience and the strategies they adopt to remain at the university. The study covers students who enrolled in courses at the campus between 2019 and 2022. The theoretical and methodological basis is grounded in the contributions of Gil (2002/2008), Souza (2019), and Castanha (2013), as well as authors such as Sanches and Silva (2019), Miguel (2023), Flexa and Limeira (2021), Strobel (2009; 2016), Skliar (2016), Andrade, Razuck, and Barros (2024), Heringer (2022), among others, whose works support the relevance of the topic and discuss the right of Deaf people to access and remain in higher education. The methodological itinerary involved document analysis, questionnaire application, and interviews with Deaf students. In the document analysis, the guidelines of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) and its accessibility policies, affirmative actions, scholarships, and other inclusive measures related to laws on inclusion, accessibility, and permanence in higher education were examined. The methodological itinerary involved document analysis, questionnaire application, and interviews with Deaf students. In the document analysis, the guidelines of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) and its accessibility policies, affirmative actions, scholarships, and other inclusive measures related to laws on inclusion, accessibility, and permanence in higher education were examined. Next, a questionnaire was administered, created on the Google Forms platform, targeting Deaf students at the Praia Vermelha Campus. The instrument contained 25 questions, 10 of which were multiple choice. Based on the analysis of the responses, questions were formulated for semi-structured interviews, conducted in person and in Libras, respecting the participants' first language and culture and facilitating more in-depth data collection. The results were analyzed in light of the theoretical references adopted and articulated with the students' experiences, allowing for an understanding of the challenges, resistance strategies, and existing potentialities in the process of inclusion and permanence of Deaf people in the university. This research contributes to broadening the debate on institutional policies and inclusive pedagogical practices in higher education, reinforcing the need for actions that guarantee the full right to education for the Deaf community.