INVISIBLE DEFICIENCIES IN HIGHER EDUCATION
ENFRENTAMENTO AO CAPACITISMO NA CIÊNCIA DA INFORMAÇÃO
Keywords:
ableism; invisible disability; higher education; postgraduate program; information science.Abstract
Ableism is a mistaken form of discrimination against people with disabilities, rooted in social, cognitive, behavioral and institutional manifestations, therefore also in higher education institutions. In this sense, rethinking invisible disabilities is imperative in order to combat ableism and ensure that the flows and organization of information are accessible and inclusive. The objective of this study was to analyze the way in which postgraduate programs in Information Science at Brazilian federal universities organize and develop institutional policies aimed at combating ableist practices and supporting students with invisible disabilities. It intended to identify innovations, advances, gaps and obstacles aimed at implementing institutional inclusion policies for students with invisible disabilities, instigate discussions and reflections on institutional accessibility and student retention, contributing to the provision of inclusive, fair and equitable academic environments. The research had a qualitative approach, of an exploratory, descriptive and documentary nature. The corpus was made up of institutions selected from official Brazilian postgraduate evaluation bases. Data collection was carried out through the analysis of institutional portals, internal regulations, accessibility sectors and coordinations, ombudsman offices and student support services. It concluded that Information Science has a fundamental role in combating the ableism of people with invisible disabilities, making their specific needs visible and opposing misinformation, pre-judgment, prejudice and discrimination.