Media Skills for the consumption of information among the blind public - Training for Citizenship

• Grant number: 24/07192-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: January 31, 2025
• End date: April 29, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Applied Social Sciences - Communications - Public Relations and Propaganda
• Principal Investigator: Roseane Andrelo
• Grantee: José Roberto Escarabello Junior
• Supervisor: Teresa Sofia Pereira Dias de Castro
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Arquitetura, Artes, Comunicação e Design (FAAC). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Bauru. Bauru , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Universidade Lusófona, Campus Porto, Portugal
• Associated to the scholarship: 23/05366-5 - Media Skills for the consumption of information among the blind public - Training for Citizenship, BP.IC

Abstract

In a connected society where the convergence of multiple media requires specific communication skills, media literacy is essential in the process of interpreting and producing messages. In this scenario, an autonomous pedagogy that aims to emancipate citizens and bring them into social participation, as mentioned by educator Paulo Freire in his works, is crucial, especially among people with visual impairments, since this is one of the audiences whose rights are most neglected. Thus, the main objectives of this project are to verify which media skills are essential for the consumption of information by blind people, especially with regard to digital media, and to reflect on how to develop these skills with this audience. To this end, this project (BEPE) of empirical research into reception, of a qualitative nature and with an exploratory approach, adopts as its methodology: a) bibliographical research into accessibility and media literacy; b) field research, with monitoring of the activities of Media Literacy Projects linked to the Lusófona University (Portugal) and c) interviews with professionals who work with these projects. The data will be analyzed and organized using content analysis. The results will allow reflection on media skills training, digital citizenship and accessibility, as well as complementing the actions underway in Brazil by providing an international overview and making it possible to understand the theoretical and practical relationships between accessibility and media literacy in the two countries.