Accessibility and inclusion in undergraduate accounting majors: A discussion about the phenomenon of denial regarding knowledge and involvement

Abstract

Various barriers limit the permanence and conclusion of undergraduate education for people with disabilities, and the elimination of these barriers is essential for the inclusion and guarantee of fundamental rights such as education and social justice. Through the lens of accessibility dimensions, we discuss how accessibility is promoted and perceived in accounting courses at a public federal university in Minas Gerais. In the qualitative discussion, using content analysis, meanings were attributed to terms and expressions used by a corpus of 29 interviewees who reported their knowledge and involvement with the inclusion process in the institution and courses. The statements revealed the “phenomenon of denial” given the predominance of the adverb “no” concerning the knowledge of inclusive practices in the different dimensions of accessibility. Denial regarding involvement also predominated, especially in actions to promote communicational, methodological and attitudinal accessibility inside and outside the classroom. Results also confirmed difficulties during the students' training journey, in relation to architectural accessibility [irregular signage, unpaved parking, faulty elevators], instrumental [need for equipment, and bibliographic material in sign language and Braille, demand for interpreters]; methodological [teaching unpreparedness, ableist attitudes]; and communication failures between management, coordination, special education department, teachers and students.