Deaf Education in Brazil: Contexts, Challenges, and Perspectives

Abstract

Changes in the past two decades have improved the position of the deaf in Brazil: Brazilian Sign Language (Libras) is an officially recognized language, deaf children can go to school, and bilingual education is available to deaf students. However, many deaf children do not attend school, and enrollment rates in high school and higher education are low. Moreover, the language policy views of the Brazilian deaf movement and the Brazilian Ministry of Education do not align. The deaf movement pleads for bilingual deaf schools, whereas the Brazilian government follows an inclusion policy. This chapter presents an overview of the position of the deaf in Brazil and their participation in education, considering national deaf policy and its implications for and impact on deaf education. Teaching practices in bilingual education are discussed, and recommendations and challenges for Brazilian deaf education are considered.

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“…Studies of deaf education in the Global South demonstrate the difficulties of importing and interpreting these constructs across North-South contexts where: functioning hearing screening systems are not in place; there is a lack of funded research into indigenous sign languages; teacher and interpreter training are limited, and implementation of inclusion policies is sketchy (Brons et al 2019). Interestingly in this context residential schools for the deaf, such as those in parts of Africa and Brazil, demonstrate the potential to provide accessible language learning environments, and sense of deaf identity and community (Fronza et al 2019. Most of these schools were originally founded and financed by missionary benefactors with humanitarian ambitions rather than inclusivity and diversity ideologies, but nonetheless achieve the establishment of bilingual spaces where deaf learners can thrive socially and academically.…”