The Use of Diagnostic Categories in Access to Higher Education: An Analysis of Accommodation Requests in the Federal University of Roraima Entrance Examination

uma análise das solicitações de inclusão no vestibular da UFRR

Abstract

In Brazil, the access to college education occurs through college entrance exams or the National Exam of High School Brasil (ENEM). To expand educational opportunities, public policies have been attempting to guarantee the access of groups historically excluded through affirmative actions based on racial, socioeconomic, and disability criteria. Regarding people with disabilities, higher education institutions establish criteria for granting accommodations and specialized support, in accordance with current regulations. In this context, diagnostic reports play a central role in defining access to these resources. However, the increasing presence of the categorical diagnosis in the educational spaces brings to further reflections about the process of medicalization and pathologization of life, that tends to ascribe the school difficulties to individual characteristics. This work has the objective to analyse the selection process of the Universidade Federal de Roraima, identifying the public that requests these specialized services and the adaptations offered. To this end, the requests for special attendance registered in the institution’s entrance of the past five years were analysed. The results indicated a predominance of diagnoses related to Autism Spectrum Disorder and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, and a concentration of requests directed towards highly competitive courses, especially the Medical course. Additional time to take the exam was the most requested resource. The data highlighted the presence of diagnostic categories to access higher education and reinforced the need to broaden the debate of the processes of medicalization and pathologization of educational trajectories.