Perspectivas de inclusão e qualidade de vida de estudantes com deficiência na UFJF

Abstract

The inclusion of students with disabilities in higher education has grown consistently, particularly due to equity policies such as the Quota Law. Nevertheless, barriers that limit their access and participation persist, in addition to the challenges inherent to university life. This study aimed to analyze the inclusion policies and strategies of the Federal University of Juiz de Fora (UFJF), as well as the quality of life and the barriers faced by students with disabilities, identifying actions that promote their academic retention and their level of satisfaction with the university context. This is a cross-sectional study, with quantitative and qualitative analysis, in which questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, the Satisfaction and Attitudes of Persons with Disabilities Scale (ESA), and the World Health Organization Quality of Life-Disabilities (WHOQOL-DIS) were used. The research involved 28 students, 4 undergraduate course coordinators, 18 professors, and 1 representative of the Inclusion Support Center (NAI) of UFJF, totaling 51 respondents. The questionnaires were answered online, through Google Forms, while the interviews, the ESA, and the WHOQOL-DIS were administered in person at UFJF, in a location previously chosen by each participant. The results indicated that the NAI plays a central role in promoting inclusion at UFJF. Regarding satisfaction with the university context, students showed a expressed satisfaction with the physical structure of the campus, with support resources for mobility, communication, and academic development, as well as with the feeling of inclusion and belonging to the institution. The most recurrent barriers were attitudinal and physical, and students experienced difficulties in coping with them, tended to withdraw or refrain from reacting to obstacles obstacles. The assessment of students’ quality of life showed that experiences of acceptance and respect for differences were the factors that contributed most to well-being, while discriminatory attitudes related to disability were the aspects that had the most negative impact. Significant gaps were identified in teacher training, which directly affect pedagogical practices, resulting in dependence on the NAI by professors and coordinators to develop inclusive actions. It is concluded that advancing inclusion at UFJF requires the consolidation of an integrated institutional policy capable of guiding coordinated actions between the NAI and other sectors, decentralizing initiatives still concentrated in the center, in addition to strengthening continuing education and encouraging student agency. Strengthening intersectoral collaboration and increasing the visibility of the center are essential so that the entire academic community recognizes and assumes its shared responsibility in the inclusive process.