DEFICIÊNCIA, ANTICAPACITISMO E EDUCAÇÃO SUPERIOR: Uma avaliação de implementação do Programa Incluir na UFMA (2017-2025)

Abstract

The doctoral thesis entitled "Disability, Anti-Ableism, and Higher Education: An Evaluation of the Implementation of the Incluir Program at the UFMA (2017–2025)" examines the implementation of the Incluir Program—aimed at promoting accessibility in higher education—at the Federal University of Maranhão (UFMA), with a particular focus on the São Luís campus. Its main objective is to evaluate the extent to which the actions implemented ensure access, retention, and effective participation of students with disabilities in higher education. The study is grounded in the Brazilian historical context, in which the enrollment of persons with disabilities in higher education has increased since the beginning of the twentyfirst century, followed—albeit belatedly—by the development of retention policies. It highlights that the concept of inclusion is characterized by ambiguities, as it has been appropriated both by multilateral organizations, aligned with a neoliberal rationale of resource optimization, and by social movements, which employ it as a tool in the struggle for rights. The research adopts a critical-dialectical theoretical perspective, understanding inclusive policies as contradictory phenomena: while they respond to the historical demands of persons with disabilities, they are also intertwined with the economic interests of the capitalist system. Within this framework, ableism is analyzed as a structural factor that hinders the realization of human rights by reinforcing inequalities and limiting full inclusion. Methodologically, this is a qualitative process evaluation based on bibliographical, documentary, and field research. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with managers and program implementers, as well as focus groups involving students with disabilities. The analysis considered institutional, political, social, and cultural factors influencing the implementation of the program. The findings indicate that although the Incluir Program represents an important advancement in promoting accessibility and inclusion within the university, its implementation is constrained by limitations such as insufficient resources, discontinuity of actions, and challenges in the institutionalization of inclusive policies. These factors directly affect the effectiveness of the program and the provision of adequate conditions for students' retention. The study concludes that the Incluir Program plays a significant role in advancing accessibility and inclusion, but operates within a context of structural contradictions. It underscores the need to strengthen the program and expand public policies that effectively guarantee the right to higher education for persons with disabilities, recognizing them as rights-bearing subjects within a framework of social justice.