Educação para pessoas com deficiência visual: uma investigação do Plano Municipal de Educação de Paço do Lumiar/MA e possibilidades de ações a partir do pensamento decolonial.

Abstract

This research aims to analyze the Municipal Education Plan Decade 2014/2023 of Paço do Lumiar/MA and to verify the applicability of the plan in the education of students with visual impairments (low vision) from the perspective of decolonial studies. The specific objectives are as follows: 1) To investigate how the Municipal Department of Education (SEMED), in conjunction with schools, implemented the process of including students with low vision in the municipal network, based on the Municipal Education Plan Decade 2014/2023; 2) To examine how the Municipal Education Plan contributed to the development and implementation of the Political-Pedagogical Projects (PPP) of the UEBs, in the methodology and assessment of students with low vision, and in the structure of schools concerning the multifunctional resource rooms and specialized educational assistance (AEE); and 3) To reflect on innovative methodologies that consider decolonial studies as a praxis of opposition and resistance to the modern/colonial world, in the education of people with visual impairments. The methodology employed corresponds to qualitative research of a bibliographic and documentary nature, utilizing the exploratory-descriptive method. Data collection was conducted through semi-open questionnaires. Therefore, by investigating the inclusion of students with low vision in Paço do Lumiar through the analysis of the Municipal Education Plan, we aim to understand the contribution and unfolding of public policies for Inclusive Special Education in Paço do Lumiar, while simultaneously uncovering colonial influences in the official documents of the municipality. Moreover, based on decolonial theories, we propose possibilities for decolonizing Special and Inclusive Education within this context. The research involved the participation of seven teachers of regular classes for students with low vision, three school principals serving this population, and two specialists from the Division of Specialized Education in the municipality of Paço do Lumiar. The research findings reveal that the centralizing ontology invisibilizes and subalternizes people with disabilities, resulting in an ableist and exclusionary social model. There has been insufficient progress in the inclusion of students with low vision in Paço do Lumiar, as evidenced by the lack of adherence to Multifunctional Resource Rooms and the need for ongoing training and infrastructure improvements. The research underscores the urgency of decolonial pedagogical approaches and the active participation of society and the State in the development of inclusive public policies.