DEAF PEOPLE AND ACCESS TO HIGHER EDUCATION: DILEMMAS, CHALLENGES, AND POSSIBILITIES
Deaf person; College Education; Access; Selective process
This research aimed to understand the representation that deaf people have about access to higher education. It took place in the city of Barreiras, in Bahia. It was attended by two deaf people, users of Libras as their first language, who had experience participating in selection processes for admission to higher education. For the objective to be achieved, it was proposed: 1) to identify how deaf people understand the change in the level of school education from basic to higher education; 2) to explain the understandings of deaf people about the selection process they face to enter higher education and; 3) to specify the motivations of deaf people in facing the conditions of access to higher education. For this purpose, the theoretical framework used the contributions of Vygotski's cultural-historical theory (1997) and Skliar's studies (2012) on deaf culture and differences. According to Bortoni-Ricardo, 2008, the research's Qualitative Approach is based on the interpretive paradigm. Thus, under the assumption of reflexivity, assertions were elaborated in line with the objective. They led to the investigation of the generating problem: how do deaf people understand access to higher education? As an instrument to generate the information, the semi-structured interview was used. A research diary was used for research notes and as the first information analysis exercise, as it concentrates relevant information recorded during the research. Due to the complexity involved in the production of signs in Libras and because it is a reflective exercise, before being analyzed, the information was transcribed and translated from Libras into Portuguese, using a formal procedure developed by the author. The results were analyzed and organized into three sections that address (i) the antecedents of access, (ii) the experience with access, and (iii) higher education as a life project.