BRAZILIAN SIGN LANGUAGE AS A CURRICULAR COMPONENT IN BRASILIAN BASIC EDUCATION: TEACHER TRAINING, BILINGUAL EDUCATION, AND THE INCLUSION OF DEAF STUDENTS IN REGULAR EDUCATION

Abstract

The study analyzes Brazilian Sign Language (Libras) as a curricular component in Brazilian basic education, considering its relevance to teacher training, bilingual education, and the inclusion of deaf students in regular education. It starts from the context of legal advances related to the recognition of Libras, while also acknowledging the persistence of linguistic, pedagogical, and curricular barriers that hinder the effective participation of deaf students in mainstream schools. The problem addressed was the gap between the normative provision of communicational accessibility and the implementation of bilingual school practices, which are still often restricted to the presence of an interpreter. The objective of this article was to analyze how the inclusion of Libras in the curriculum can contribute to expanding communication, strengthening teacher training, and promoting school inclusion. The methodology used was a qualitative scoping review, guided by the PRISMA framework and Bardin’s content analysis. The results indicate that Libras should be understood as a natural, visual-spatial, culturally situated language that is essential to the schooling of deaf students. It is observed that inclusion depends on teacher training, bilingual materials, visual methodologies, and linguistically accessible environments. The study concludes that Libras as a curricular component promotes a more inclusive, bilingual, participatory basic education aligned with the right to learn.