Roles and Practices of Deaf Instructors in Bilingual Education: Public Policies and Actions in Brazil and Spain

• Grant number: 24/17648-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: April 01, 2025
• End date: February 28, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Education - Specific topics in Education
• Principal Investigator: Lara Ferreira dos Santos
• Grantee: Ester Chaves Pessoa
• Host Institution: Centro de Educação e Ciências Humanas (CECH). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 24/05480-5 - Deaf teachers in basic education: reflections on training, practices and use of libras evaluation instruments, AP.R

Abstract

Considering the Deaf Instructor as one of the main agents promoting bilingual education for the deaf, this study aims to compare the role and perspectives of Deaf Instructors in Brazil and Spain regarding pedagogical practices in the bilingual educational context. In Brazil, the role of the Deaf Instructor is relatively recent in schools and plays an important role in language teaching for deaf children, who, in most cases, view this professional as their only linguistic and identity model. However, some studies suggest that the work of the Deaf Instructor goes beyond language teaching; their presence also contributes to the development of deaf culture and identity. In Spain, more specifically in Barcelona, there is also the presence of a deaf adult in the bilingual school context who plays a role similar to that of the Deaf Instructor in Brazil, though teaching Catalan Sign Language. Both Brazil and Spain have, over the past twenty-five years, enacted laws and public policies aimed at recognizing the sign languages of their respective countries and promoting bilingual education, allowing deaf children access to school content in sign language. The study intends to use a comparative method to align the proposed objectives with the established theoretical approach. This is a qualitative study composed of two stages, involving the analysis of official documents in Brazil and Spain and interviews with two Deaf Instructors from both countries. This study is expected to identify the advancements and gaps both countries have in terms of bilingual deaf education, comparing and analyzing new possibilities for the educational systems of these countries.