This study aims to describe the bioecology of students with disabilities and with specific functional
disorders at Federal University of Pará, that is, their bio demographic characteristics, their perceptions
about themselves and about the academic context. This study is organized into four studies, consisting
of a theoretical session (study 1) and an empirical session (studies 2, 3 and 4). The first study aimed to
establish an overview of studies that investigated the inclusion of student with disabilities in higher
education in three databases, in English language articles from 2003 to 2015. The research resulted in
30 studies. The data was organized into six categories: university context, support, characteristics of the
student with disabilities, academic difficulties, methodology and transition. The problems related to the
physical and social context, support services, personal characteristics of the student with disabilities,
academic difficulties, methodologies and the transition to higher education were highlighted. Despite
the efforts of some institutions; quite a lot still needs to be done to offer these students an education of
quality. The objective of the second study was to identify the sociodemographic and academic
characteristics of students with disabilities and with specific functional disorders enrolled at Federal
University of Pará, as well as to identify their perceptions regarding their general difficulties and their
suggestions for improving accessibility within the Campus of Guamá. For data analysis, 50 students
answered the sociodemographic questionnaire and were analyzed through descriptive statistics. The
offering of quotas, the academic support available at the time of Enem test and the non-avoidance and
repetition of students with disabilities and with specific functional disorders of the undergraduate
courses revealed the facilitating actions that contributed to permanence of these students in the
university. On the other hand, Federal University of Pará needs to invest more in research, monitoring
and activities of extension, inform the students about the financial programs aimed at meeting the
physical and material needs of this public and to improve the conditions of architectural accessibility
within the campus, since the lack of it interferes in the academic life of these students. Results showed
that this knowledge can favor the planning of institutional policies that favors the inclusion and the
well-being of these students at Federal University of Pará and at other higher education institutions.
The third study aimed to describe the sociodemographic and academic characteristics of 50 students
with disabilities and with specific functional disorders at the Federal University of Pará and to correlate
them with levels of stress and resilience. The instruments used were a semi-structured questionnaire
and two scales: Perceived Stress Scale and Resilience Scale. The results were analyzed through
descriptive statistics and the exploratory statistical technique. The results showed that students with
high levels of stress have moderate and low levels of resilience. It was concluded the need to develop
programs aimed at maintaining effective coping strategies in facing adverse situations within the
academic context. The aim of the fourth study was to describe the perception of stress on students with
disabilities and with specific functional disorders at the Federal University of Pará. The participants
were 50 undergraduate students. This sample was obtained from a population of 192 students enrolled
at the university. According to the data obtained from the quantitative instruments, 29 students with
high stress level and 21 with low stress level were selected. Of the 29 students with stress, 11 accepted17
to participate in the qualitative phase and from the remaining 21, eight agreed to participate in the
study, that is, 19 students participated in the qualitative phase. The instruments used were: semistructured socio-demographic questionnaire, Perceived Stress Scale and interview script with open
questions. The results were analyzed through the descriptive analysis statistic to find measures of
central tendency, as well as the technique of content analysis to evaluate the qualitative data. The
results showed that students who had high levels of stress were less positive and determined, presented
fewer resources and suffered more from prejudice. They perceived the contexts with less serenity and
evaluated their past life with more reports of emotional conflicts. In relation to the proximal processes,
they were more stressed in the involvement of academic activities, being able to establish less
relationships and friendships in the university context. It was concluded that students who presented
high levels of stress are more likely to present emotional and physical problems than the students with
less stress, deserving attention from the administrative staff of Federal University of Pará. Finally, it is
expected that the present study will encourage the development of policies of affirmative actions to
support students, in order to eliminate architectural, pedagogical, attitudinal and communicational
barriers and to invest in the training of the faculty and the administrative agents in order to ensure
permanence and promote the equalization of opportunities for students with disabilities at Federal
University of Pará.
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