A Política de Assistência Estudantil (PAE) da Universidade do Estado do Amapá (UEAP) para Pessoas com Deficiência (PCDs) (2018 - 2023)

Abstract

This study analyzed the Student Assistance Policy (PAE) of the University of the State of Amapá (UEAP), focusing on actions targeting students with disabilities between 2018 and 2023. The objectives included investigating the socio-political and educational context of student assistance policies since 1990; analyzing UEAP’s PAE, with an emphasis on documents provided by the Office of Extension Affairs (PROEXT); and examining the programs developed and the aid received by students with disabilities. The central question of this study was to identify, considering the context of a state public university, the epistemological foundations upon which the University of the State of Amapá (UEAP) developed its Student Assistance Policy for Persons with Disabilities (PCDs) during the period from 2018 to 2023. The research questions that guided this study were: What epistemological foundations underpin the actions of UEAP's Student Assistance Policy, and how do these foundations reflect educational contradictions within the capitalist context? How do student assistance actions promote the transformation of students' material conditions, or do they reinforce the conditions of subordination inherent in capitalist society? This study is based on the historical-dialectical materialism epistemology, adopting a qualitative methodological approach, with field research and document analysis. The results reveal that, although UEAP develops actions to address inequalities – such as menstrual dignity aid – structural limitations persist, including the absence of a university restaurant and insufficient aid to meet student demands. These policies are characterized by tensions between compensatory measures and the universalization of rights, reflecting the contradictions of an assistance system that addresses immediate needs but does not structurally confront underlying inequalities.