Contributions of a Teacher Training Program to Inclusive Education

Abstract

This study aimed to identify the contributions of the discipline of “Disabilities and Inclusion” offered by the Specialization Course on Gender and Diversity at School (GDS) to promote inclusive educational processes for people with disabilities in basic education. Nine GDS students who were professionals from educational area participated in the research. The information was obtained through a focus group, recorded with the participants’ consent and analyzed based on the thematic content analysis method. The results indicated that there was a change in conception of disability, previously based in charitable and/or in biomedical conceptions, now more in line with the Social Model of Disability and with the precepts of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. In addition, the knowledge obtained by the participants contributed to the construction of pedagogical strategies more focused on the inclusion of people with disabilities considering their specificities.