The inclusion of students with disabilities: a look from the PIBID scholarship holders

Abstract

The aim of this article is to investigate the challenges faced by scholarship holders from the Institutional Program for Teaching Initiation Scholarships, in the area of Geography, when they conceive of working with students from an inclusive perspective. A semi-structured interview was therefore conducted with 22 scholarship holders. The data collected indicated the importance of schools having adequate infrastructure to receive students with disabilities, as well as the implementation of policies and practices that ensure an inclusive teaching and learning process for all students. The results also pointed to the need to intensify the approach to inclusion in initial training, enabling future teachers to design methodologies and activities that take into account students with disabilities, thus constituting a challenge to be faced throughout their teaching careers. We conclude that inclusion is not a simple process, and in order for it to take place, it is necessary to overcome challenges such as adapting the school's physical structure, the availability of educational resources, the implementation of public policies and improving teachers' continuing training. PIBID allows scholarship holders to experience the demands of students with disabilities in practice. This enables critical reflection on the role of teachers in schools, which are full of challenges, allowing the search for solutions that promote the effective inclusion of students with disabilities.