Integração à universidade na percepção de estudantes com deficiência

Abstract

The student integration to higher education involves the process of facing multiple challenges from new demands in the areas of habits and study skills; interpersonal relationships with colleagues and teachers; personal, linked to psychological well-being; choice of course and career and the perception and evaluation of the conditions offered by the higher education institution. Research shows that the quality of integration is associated with academic success and students permanence at the university. The aim of this study was to identify the perceptions of the integration process to the university of a group of students with disabilities. Participants were five undergraduate students from classroom in a university, two of them with hearing loss, two visually impaired and one physically disabled. Data were collected through a semi-structured guided interview to verify participants' perceptions about the support received in high school and how to face the challenges in personal areas, interpersonal relationships, studies, relationship with the institution and with the course and career. It was also applied an Academic Experiences Questionnaire - QVA-r, evaluation instrument proposed to assess the quality of facing challenges in five areas components of the integration process to the university. The students reports had a content analysis and were organized into categories from the five dimensions of academic experiences. The average scores obtained by each member in the five dimensions assessed in QVA-r were calculated. The results indicate that facing the challenges of the institution and the study was perceived as negative, and highlighted the teachers' lack of preparation to meet the special educational needs; failure in the provision of educational and teaching materials; lack of support from the university and poor physical accessibility. The results showed that most students realize themselves establishing positive interpersonal relationships with colleagues, and this support is the basic for the permanence and the academic progress of students with disabilities. Medium scores for each dimensions indicate aspects not seized the interview, such as perceptions tending to negative in relation of psychological well-being and self-confidence and difficulties related to the skills and study habits. It can be concluded that the study contributes to the understanding of the studied group integration process, since it was possible to identify the challenges in multiple dimensions that were being faced. It is discussed the importance of integration to university to studies interested the inclusion of students with disabilities in higher education and subsidies for measures that could represent student integration process improvement.