Authors
Ana Luísa Gediel – Universidade Federal de Viçosa (UFV)
Ana Carolina Leonor – Universidade Estadual de Londrina (UEL)
Isabelle Araújo Silva – Universidade Federal Fluminense (UFF)
COLLABORATOR: Larissa de Paiva Souza – UFV
Abstract
Communication and teaching strategies have been identified as major challenges in Brazilian public schools working with Deaf and hearing students in the same classroom. Within the context of Brazilian public schools, the presence of bilingual (Brazilian Sign Language and Portuguese) and bicultural practices is sparse. Given this reality, this study seeks to document and understand the context of inclusion in monolingual public school classrooms. Specifically, we aim to document tools, practices, and approaches used to include Deaf people: as planned and perceived by teachers; experienced by Deaf students; and documented by researchers (via ethnographic tools) in two small towns in the Brazilian southeast — contexts likely to have fewer resources than urban centers. Through a multi-site qualitative research study, we will undertake teacher and Deaf student interviews, classroom observations, and analyses of artifacts (e.g., lesson plans, teaching materials, student work). In doing so, we aim to document teaching tools, practices, and approaches, identifying which ones are significant for Deaf students’ learning and schooling experiences. Our study seeks to offer insights into the kinds of teaching tools, practices, and approaches that support the inclusion and learning of Deaf students, considering whether and how they may be contextually specific. We hope that this research will inform the inclusion and learning of Deaf students in Brazilian public schools, which were not originally designed to support their learning.