Educação e saúde do adolescente com defi ciência: uma ação intersetorial na inclusão social
Education and health of adolescents with disabilities: an intersectorial action for social inclusion
Keywords:
Health assistance, adolescent development, adolescents health care, intellectual defi ciency, social inclusion, education.Abstract
Objective: This paper presents the fi ndings of an intersectorial action involving education professionals and healthcare
practitioners focused on intellectually-challenged adolescents with multiple disabilities in the Niterói municipal school
network, Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil, who participated in a development stimulation educational project in 2008 and 2009,
designed to enhance the quality of life and foster the educational inclusion of these pupils. Methods: Part of a doctoral thesis,
this study interviewed physicians and teachers, who expressed their opinions on the feasibility of joint actions between
these sectors, in addition to medical examinations to confi rm diagnoses. Results: Only peripheral family presence was
noted, underscoring the absence of a culture of grassroots participation in local public policies. Conclusion: Joint research
projects linking education and healthcare reveal the urgent need for better understanding and knowledge of adolescents
with disabilities, congenital alterations and other comorbidities, who are now in school due to longer life expectancies,
despite scarce specialized public health facilities and sparse participation in intersectoral actions and / or networks.
