EDUCAÇÃO ESPECIAL NO BRASIL: FUNDAMENTOS TEÓRICOS E DESAFIOS DAS POLÍTICAS PÚBLICAS INCLUSIVAS

Special education in Brazil has been characterized by normative advances and practical tensions in the process of consolidating inclusive public policies. This study investigated the theoretical foundations that support special education and analyzed the challenges faced by public policies aimed at school inclusion. The central issue lay in the gap between the legal and pedagogical assumptions of inclusion and their implementation in institutional practices. The objective was to understand how the foundations of special education interact with the guidelines of inclusive policies and to identify the main obstacles to their implementation. The relevance of the study was based on the need to deepen the critical analysis of the coherence between theory, legislation, and practice, contributing to the improvement of educational actions directed at people with disabilities. The methodology adopted was qualitative, with bibliographic, documentary, and observational approaches. Legal documents, curricular guidelines, academic productions, and field records from school institutions were analyzed. The results showed that, although there have been advances in the formulation of inclusive policies, gaps persist in teacher training, school infrastructure, and intersectoral coordination. It was observed that the theoretical foundations of special education, based on the historical-cultural perspective and the principles of equity, are not yet fully incorporated into pedagogical practices. It was concluded that the implementation of inclusive public policies requires integrated actions, continuous training, adequate funding, and a critical review of specialized educational service models. The research highlighted the need to overcome fragmented approaches and to promote an institutional culture committed to inclusion as a structuring principle of Brazilian public education.