Inclusion in Higher Education: The Challenges of Welcoming To Cross Barriers

Abstract

This article focuses on inclusion in Higher Education. The objective was to investigate possible advances, both in the affective and cognitive spheres, triggered by the participation of an academic from the Pedagogy Course, diagnosed with intellectual disabilities, in a Research Group. The investigation, of an experimental type, was based on the Historical Cultural Theory, whose method is dialectical materialism. The data were recorded during the academic entry into the Research Group, in the second half of 2019, in teaching, research and extension actions. For the analysis, we selected four significant situations in the academic learning and development process, in addition to two Units composed of testimonials from people who followed her course closely. The results indicate that the difficulties are not unbeatable and that collaboration crosses barriers. Conclusion: the focus should be on potentialities, never on the limitations, cognition and affection are inextricably linked to a development-promoting learning.