Contributions and challenges in the management of occupational therapists in higher education inclusion programs for students with disabilities

Abstract

Introduction: Disability is a social construction, and integration into higher education is a right of students with disabilities. Occupational therapists work directly in this context and can support the social participation of these students, assuming the role of program management at the university. Objective: To discuss actions carried out by occupational therapists who manage inclusion centers in a higher education institution. Method: Study anchored in a qualitative approach. Five occupational therapists, coordinators of inclusion programs in different regions of Brazil, participated and their contributions were analyzed in relation to the activities carried out in the program. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, being categorized according to their content. Results: The specificity of intervention in the educational space presupposes equating actions in different contexts of the university environment. The actions of managerial occupational therapists permeate interventions focused on the dimensions of more individual support and more collective interventions, which directly interfere in the change of culture and access to the university. Conclusion: The ability of occupational therapists as managers is highlighted, in a role of mediators and actors in the implementation of actions, so that institutional partnerships produce a dialogue between needs and resources, articulating institutional demands and the uniqueness of students and educational processes.