Inclusion of people with disabilities: Inclusive panorama in higher education in Brazil and Portugal

Abstract

The inclusion of people with disabilities has been taking hold in today's society due to political actions and speeches since the 1990s. The fact is that the issue is already a matter of rights called for by NGOs, families and disabled people themselves since the middle of the 20th century and which are consolidated, in a more specific way, by legal means. One of these universes of legal affirmation is the university. With these considerations, this study starts from a bibliographic analysis with the use of laws, considering the policy towards people with disabilities related to inclusion in the university in the Brazilian and Portuguese context, with perspectives to question the validity of this inclusion. It is a moment of experience and reflection in the context of the inclusion policy debate. Given this, the analyses make it possible to infer that, despite all legal achievements, the practice of citizenship is still confusing both in Brazil and Portugal, but with advances in attitudinal, architectural and communication barriers, which tends to promote more actions towards inclusion.