PERSPECTIVES ON INCLUSIVE EDUCATION: BETWEEN HISTORICAL PARADIGMS, TRAINING CHALLENGES, AND PRAXIS IN THE CONTEMPORARY SCHOOL

Abstract

This article investigates the history and evolution of Special and Inclusive Education in Brazil, focusing on the paradigm shift from models of exclusion, segregation, and integration to the contemporary pursuit of full inclusion. Through a robust literature review and a critical reflection on democratic school management and teaching praxis, the study examines how the equity paradigm—going beyond formal equality—necessitates an organic restructuring of policies regarding student retention and a sense of belonging. The research is grounded in an empirical analysis of the Vila do Lago State School, using it as a setting to observe the tensions and possibilities of daily school life. The results indicate that authentic inclusion is not merely a matter of administrative or architectural adjustments; it requires an ethical, political, and methodological transformation that places diversity at the core of pedagogical practice, thereby overcoming the barriers of structural ableism that persist in educational institutions.