REMOTE LEARNING FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: A CASE STUDY

Abstract

In March 2020, through National and State decrees, Brazilian schools had their activities suspended because of the COVID-19 Pandemic. One measure adopted by the educational systems to avoid crowds and contain the spread of Coronavirus was to promote emergency remote education, affecting the functioning of schools and teaching modalities, such as Special Education. The present research aims to address this topic. This is an experience planned and carried out at APAE Matão, in the countryside of São Paulo. Its primary goal was to analyze the effects of a work plan applied to students with intellectual disabilities, investigating how family members dealt with this new teaching model. The different teams at the institution drew up a work plan delivered every two weeks to those responsible, to be developed with the students. The teams clarified any doubts presented regarding the activities, and they requested the work to be returned. Results showed the oscillation in collecting school work by family members, throughout 2020 and early 2021, sometimes with a slight increase, sometimes with a slight decline. This oscillation presupposes a certain strain because of the worsening of the pandemic and, also, the difficulty of families to deal with the responsibility of mediating the teaching and learning of children with intellectual disabilities.