Permanent Faculty Member

Lattes: http://lattes.cnpq.br/0177717397152120

Allan Rocha Damasceno holds an undergraduate degree in Education from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ). He is a Specialist in Special Education from the Fluminense Federal University (UFF), as well as an Educator, Clinical and Institutional Psychopedagogist, Neuropsychopedagogist, Psychomotricist, Art Therapist, Music Therapist, and Play Therapist. He works as an Educational Counselor and School Supervisor, focusing on the development and organization of democratic and inclusive schools.

He is a Specialist in Human Rights, Brazilian Sign Language (Libras), Specialized Educational Assistance, Child Development Disorders, Inclusive Education with an emphasis on Intellectual and Multiple Disabilities, Hospital Pedagogy, Assistive Technologies, and Alternative Communication. Damasceno earned his Master’s and Doctorate in Education, with research focusing on Special Education, from UFF. He completed his postdoctoral studies at the Federal University of Paraná (UFPR), a pioneer in the inclusion of persons with disabilities in higher education in Brazil.

Currently, he is an Associate Professor at the Institute of Education at the Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRRJ), where he is affiliated with the Department of Education for Rural Areas, Social Movements, and Diversity (DECMSD). He is the founder and coordinator of the Laboratory of Studies and Research in Education, Diversity, and Inclusion (LEPEDI). He has been part of the State Observatory of Special Education of Rio de Janeiro (OEERJ), affiliated with the National Observatory of Special Education (ONEESP), and has contributed to the International Observatory on Inclusion, Interculturality, and Pedagogical Innovation (OIIIIPE).

Damasceno is a faculty member in the Graduate Program in Education, Contemporary Contexts, and Popular Demands (PPGEDUC) at UFRRJ, participating in the research line “Social Inequalities and Educational Policies.” He is also a member of the Brazilian Association of Researchers in Special Education (ABPEE).

His research interests lie in the fields of Education and Diversity, focusing on Public Policies in Inclusive Education, School Work Organization, Teacher Training, and Policies for Teacher Education. His studies emphasize topics such as:

• Inclusion in Education: Public Policies and Institutional Movements
• Teacher Training for Diversity and Inclusion in Education
• Education, Human Rights, and Diversity: Inclusion & Pluralities

CONTACT INFORMATION

E-mail: damasceno@ufrrj.br

RESEARCH LINE

• Line 2: Social Inequalities and Educational Policies

RESEARCH GROUP

• Laboratory of Studies and Research in Education, Diversity, and Inclusion (LEPEDI)

Coordination: Allan Rocha Damasceno

The LEPEDI brings together diverse epistemological and methodological perspectives from its researchers, with the primary aim of fostering research and knowledge production at the intersections of Education, Diversity, and Inclusion across all levels and modalities of education. The laboratory focuses on the following epistemological axes:

• Education, Inclusion, and Human Rights
• Education, Inclusion, and Sexual and Gender Diversity
• Education, Inclusion, and Individuals with Specific Learning Needs
• Education, Inclusion, and Groups/Individuals in Situations of Social Vulnerability

The mission of LEPEDI is to produce and disseminate academic and scientific knowledge on the cultures, policies, and practices of inclusion in education, stimulating social transformation, fostering intercultural relations, contributing to a more equitable society, and promoting reflections and actions for school and educational inclusion. The group reimagines and reinvents ways of educating for human emancipation.

Its objectives include advancing scientific knowledge in the dimensions of inclusion-related cultures, policies, and practices, conducting studies and projects that enhance the full educational participation of the laboratory’s research subjects, and overcoming historical, political, and social processes of exclusion.

Research Group Website: https://lepedi-ufrrj.com.br
Facebook: LEPEDI-UFRRJ
Instagram: @lepedi.ufrrj
YouTube: LEPEDI Channel

RESEARCH PROJECTS

• Public Policies for Inclusive Education: Challenges for Special Education Target Groups in Higher Education

Period: 2015 – Present

This project aims to characterize the inclusion process of special education target students in higher education, referencing the inclusion policies in place at Brazilian Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). Specifically, it proposes to examine the political-pedagogical actions of Accessibility Centers as support systems for the education of students in special education target groups (e.g., disabilities, global developmental disorders, and high abilities/giftedness) within public higher education.

Key questions addressed include how HEIs organize themselves politically and pedagogically to meet the learning demands of students from these groups and what challenges and opportunities Accessibility Centers face in this context. The study also examines institutional policies post-enactment of Brazil’s Law No. 13,409/2016, which reserves quotas for students with disabilities in higher education.

• Public Policies for Inclusive Education: Special Education and Vocational Education – Boundaries Between Modalities

Period: 2015 – Present

This research project analyzes educational inclusion as a public policy established in Brazil’s Federal Network of Professional, Scientific, and Technological Education, focusing on the guidance provided by the TECNEP program and its impact on NAPNEs (Centers for Supporting People with Specific Needs) in Federal Institutes.

The project examines the demands and challenges faced by NAPNEs in the inclusion process of special education target groups within federal vocational education, evaluating their practices and policies to improve the inclusion of these students.

• Public Policies for Inclusive Education: Experiences of Special Education Target Students in Public School Networks in Brazil

Period: 2012 – Present

This project, conducted under the LEPEDI umbrella, aims to evaluate inclusion programs and processes for special education target students in municipal and state education networks. The research focuses on regions near UFRRJ, analyzing teacher attitudes, pedagogical practices, and accessibility in schools.

The study evaluates the implementation of multifunctional resource rooms (SRMs) for Specialized Educational Assistance (AEE) and examines pedagogical projects with a focus on architectural, curricular, and didactic-pedagogical accessibility.

Funding: National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq)