Inclusionary Distance Education: Program to Promote Virtual Accessibility

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to present the experience of the Program for the Promotion of Virtual Accessibility at the Virtual Campus of the University of Southern Santa Catarina – UnisulVirtual, which offers undergraduate and graduate distance education courses. The mission of UnisulVirtual is to offer a quality educational service, based on the principles of citizenship and inclusive education and to create equal
conditions for access to knowledge for people with disabilities and specific educational needs in an inclusionary manner. With this premise, and to comply with the Law for the Guidelines and Foundations of National Education – Law no 9.394/96, by dedicating itself to the entrance of students with special needs, the university begins
to consider and invest in serving these people. The methodology used by the Virtual University considers not only how to involve the students, but also how to incorporate care for the rights of people with special needs to the culture at UnisulVirtual, to promote the construction of an inclusionary cultural context, and to change attitudes (attitudinal accessibility) through the elimination of prejudice, stigmas, stereotypes and discrimination. The results of the study are qualitative, including the statements of students who received the mediation conducted by the Virtual Accessibility Promotion program. There are many challenges to improvements and qualifications as well as specific needs in higher education, but we understand that the promotion of accessibility in education helps to facilitate and make more flexible a rigid educational model. The central element is the change in attitude that is directly related to the space of singular and plural subjectivity. The study concludes that it is necessary to raise awareness among all those involved in the university culture about the importance of developing learning mechanisms for students with special needs.