Estudo sobre a atuação do Núcleo e do Laboratório de Acessibilidade da Universidade Federal de Alagoas para inclusão de pessoas com deficiência

Abstract

The Accessibility and Inclusion Centers were created with the purpose of reorganizing, coordinating and executing actions that ensure the inclusion of people with disabilities in society, in professional, academic and cultural activities, among others. Based on the principle of social equality, this research had the following question as a problem-question: what are the communication and information actions developed by the Accessibility Center (NAC) and the Accessibility Laboratory (LAC) of the Federal University of Alagoas (Ufal) to promote the inclusion of people with disabilities (PwD) in the pedagogical system of this university? Henceforth, it outlined as a general objective: to characterize the methodological actions of communication and information regarding the inclusion of PwD in the pedagogical project of Ufal; and as specific objectives: 1) to identify the actions adopted by the NAC and LAC for the inclusion of students in the informational and communication areas; 2) to identify the existing barriers in the process of inclusion and humanization of people with disabilities; and 3) to analyze the presence and use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in the NAC and LAC. The research approach adopted was qualitative, descriptive in nature, and exploratory. As a collection instrument, semi-structured interviews were conducted with those responsible for the sectors (NAC and LAC), field visits and documentary research simultaneously with the bibliographic review, with a view to ensuring greater veracity of the facts researched and credibility of the results obtained. The project was approved by the Research Ethics Committee (CEP/Ufal), under No. 79015724.1.0000.5013, of the Certificate of Presentation of Ethical Assessment (CAAE). A total of three people were interviewed, of which all participants responded to the interview in full. The results of the research indicate that the university is making an effort to build an environment to serve currently enrolled and future PwD, offering adequate infrastructure, furniture, physical space and information access technologies organized in the NAC and LAC. It was noted that, although the results of the investigation indicated that, in a certain way, there is a need to improve the infrastructure for both the NAC and the LAC, it is necessary that new investments be made, especially with regard to the technical staff, to provide better service in these sectors.