Teacher training and serving the Special Education target demographic

Challenges and weaknesses

Abstract

This study was carried out from an exploratory survey - analyzing curricular matrices and subjects' syllabuses related to Special Education and/or Inclusive Education, Brazilian Sign Language (Libras) and internships in Special Education and/or Inclusive Education from High Education Programs at the State of Rio de Janeiro - and from the experience reports of a Special Education teacher. We sought to understand how initial training, at a higher level, has prepared future basic education teachers to work with students with disabilities. Understanding school attendance in regular classes as a guaranteed right of this public meeting their specific needs, the preparation of professionals who will receive them in public schools deserves attention. Through the experiences presented, we reflect and make recommendations on the teacher training process and the challenges faced by these professionals to provide educational assistance to the target audience of Special Education. The results point to a still deficient training of future teachers in this area, even though they are already acting, during graduation, as mediators of these students in basic education.