Professors’ perception of the entry of a deaf student into a university campus

Abstract

This study aims to know the perception of professors about the movement caused at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro – UFRJ-Macaé Campus with the entry of the first profoundly deaf student in the Medical Course, as well as to identify the demands generated for the course for his access and permanence. For that, a field research was carried out, of qualitative nature and ethnographic approach, having as an instrument the semi-structured interview. The data were analyzed through the semantic categorization method, according to Bardin’s content analysis. Ten professors who accompanied the student were interviewed in the first semester of 2018. From the analysis of the discourses, it was possible to separate them into six main themes: “Legislation and accessibility”, “Teacher training”, “Language barrier”, “Pedagogical changes”, “Feelings and emotions” and “Student schooling”. It was concluded that the professors perceive themselves as part of the institution and were not prepared to receive the deaf student, determining the emergence of different feelings and emotions, such as anxieties, fears and challenges. The professors sought strategies to adapt their classes and assessments, but they observed important learning difficulties of the student. The UFRJ needs to be prepared to welcome deaf students and invest great efforts to ensure an inclusive education for all students with disabilities.