Desdobramentos socioespaciais na inclusão de discentes universitários diagnosticados com Transtorno do Espectro Autista em uma organização de Educação Superior

Abstract

This investigation aimed to describe and interpret, based on the perceptions of students diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), the socio-spatial developments involved in inclusion processes within a Higher Education Organization (HEO). To this end, it was grounded in qualitative approaches of phenomenological and hermeneutic basis, as well as in the Empirical-Interventive Phenomenological Method (E-IPM). For its development, phenomenological interviews and participant observation of a focus group with seven university students with ASD were conducted. The empirical field referred to the State University of Southwest Bahia (UESB). In this context, the results reveal that most students conceive inclusion from an ethical-political perspective aimed at confronting exclusionary logics and valuing differences, although understandings also emerge that indicate a certain distancing from this ideal. The reported difficulties are plural and span spatial, social, and emotional dimensions. On the spatial level, they go beyond architecture and reach the symbolic field of dwelling, involving various aspects that influence comfort, attention, and relationships,. In the social and emotional dimensions, challenges in interactions and affective bonds stand out, indicating that inclusion and exclusion are contextual and intersubjective phenomena. As strategies that favor inclusion, welcoming attitudes from faculty, peer support networks, and the institutional role of NAIPD are highlighted.