Research was conducted as a dual degree program between Brazil and Portugal

A master’s thesis done within the scope of the Postgraduate Program in Cultural Diversity and Social Inclusion at Feevale University, as a dual degree program between Brazil and Portugal, analyzed the advancement of inclusive education in federal universities in the country. Defended by the general coordinator of Assistive Technologies of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI), Milton Carvalho Filho, the work “Inclusion in Higher Education: an analysis of projects carried out in the accessibility centers” established in two federal universities in the Brazilian Northeast, evaluated the projects and actions of the Federal University of the São Francisco Valley (Univasf) and the Federal University of Ceará (UFC).

Developed jointly with the master's program in Accessible Communication at the Polytechnic Institute of Leiria, Portugal, the dissertation was supervised in Brazil by Professor Regina Heidrich and in the Iberian country by Catarina Mangas. The research qualitatively investigated the accessibility centers in the two institutions, analyzing the implementation stages, the effectiveness of the actions, and the scope in relation to the university's three pillars (teaching, research, and extension). As a result, it concluded that it is necessary to consolidate a methodology of performance indicators and expand the technical staff to transform these centers into sustainable hubs of inclusive innovation. The examining board consisted of Professors Rosemari Lorenz Martins, from Feevale, and Graça Maria dos Santos Batista Sêco, from IPL, and Teresa Isabel Costa Matos, from the Polytechnic Institute of Portalegre – the latter two from Portugal.

This dual degree strengthens the scientific dialogue between the two countries, broadens horizons, and promotes more diverse, inclusive, and global research,” explains Regina Heidrich, advisor and researcher at Feevale.