INCLUSIVE CULTURE: BETWEEN SCIENCE AND MYTHS

Abstract

Intellectual deficiencies are usually understood by the society as a deviation from a pattern of "˜normality"™. However, due to complexity of the subject, the meaning of the term "Disability" is still questioned, generating different definitions depending on the application field. Over the last decades, mental health in Brazil has been consolidated as a public policy, which became legally active through the application of constitutional amendments. Regionally, in the Amazon, there is a shortage of research related to the issue of intellectual disability and social inclusion. In order to fill this gap, this document aims to analyze processes and problems related to the inclusion of persons with intellectual disabilities based on a thorough literature survey. The information provided were then discusses through the presentation of field data collected in 21 public schools in Belém City, Pará States, Brazil, in August 2016. Resulted indicated that 43% of the schools visited presented students with a single intellectual disability (88% for autism and 12% for Down's Syndrome), 48% of the schools counted for more than two types of deficiencies, while only 9% of schools did not have disabled students. Most of the schools did not have special criteria for students registration, neither staff prepared to deal with intellectual deficiencies. Based on the above, it was concluded that, in practice, the National Policy for the Integration of Persons with Disabilities is not fully efficient; many schools do not attend basics requirements due to a lack of interest, structure or incentive to do so.