COMMON OR SPECIAL EDUCATION? ANALYSIS OF BRAZILIAN SPECIAL EDUCATION POLICY GUIDELINES

Based on a documental research on the different brazilians governments Special Education policy guidelines in the documents of 1994, 1999, 2001, 2008 and 2020, this article aims to discuss the conceptual and terminological changes to refer to the Special Education public in the country, as well as the educational support offered for the education of this population. Our analysis points that the documents from 1994 to 2008 indicate advances in terms of guaranteeing educational rights from an inclusive perspective by incorporating principles of the social model of disability to the detriment of the medical model. It has also strengthened and expanded the enrollment of people with disabilities in basic and higher public education. However, in September 2020, the current government published a decree establishing a new Special Education Policy, few weeks later suspended by a Supreme Court precautionary measure, which again favors segregation in private assistance institutions. Among other aspects, the proposal takes a ride on the liberal economic discourse of disclaiming responsibility of the state, according to which families would have the right to "choose" the type of education they want for their children.