Assistive technology and public policies in Brazil

Abstract

Assistive Technology is not widespread in Brazil. Advances have occurred gradually through achievements in the legal area and the promotion of research and development. The proposition of policies in this area can contribute to overcoming the social inequalities of a significant segment of the population that represents a real and expanding market. However, the low optimization of these resources by their users and the difficulty in finding them in the market and public agencies are worrying factors. This study addresses the impact of the demand for Assistive Technology on Brazilian public policies aiming to identify the relationship between the optimization of these resources and services and the formulation of targeted policies in the country. Through bibliographic, exploratory and qualitative research, a survey was conducted on the Brazilian legislation and the existing actions in the area of Assistive Technology, as well as an analysis of Brazilian public policies based on the normative evaluation criteria, applying the deductive method and the Bardin’s content analysis technique. The scientific literature shows that, despite the gradual advancement in legislation and initiatives to promote projects in this area, factors that hinder the access, use, and application of assistive products, such as the scarcity of innovative technologies, entail difficulties for the formatting of effective policies and the adequate configuration of fostering actions in the area of Assistive Technology, which is essential to the process of social inclusion.