Aida Franco de Lima – OPINION
The Identity Project versus Prejudice is the subject of a documentary that will soon be shown throughout Brazil. The 60-minute feature film, entitled “TEA, the perspective of a teacher and students: lessons learned and tasks to be done”, was designed to give a voice to students on the autistic spectrum, their families, friends and professionals in the area. It is funded by Paulo Gustavo Law for Cultural Incentive. The plot is based on the life story of a teacher and her work in a public school, around inclusive education. The general direction is by journalist Aida Franco de Lima, who is part of the team at H2FOZ.
The work, carried out at Colégio Igléa Grollmann, in Cianorte, Paraná, which is now a leading institution in Brazil, began in 2007, when teacher Ana Floripes Berbert Gentilin signed up to participate in the Educational Development Program (PDE). It is carried out in partnership between the State Department of Education of Paraná and higher education institutions. The goal is to continually improve teachers, training them in new methodologies and pedagogical strategies that ensure quality in teaching. The program offers professional development and can result in career advancement. PDE training is preferably carried out at the educational institution where the teacher works. Ana was approved and, in 2008, began her studies at the State University of Maringá.
In 2009, the pedagogical intervention plan was implemented at Colégio Estadual Igléa Grollmann, and it has not stopped since then. It has been 17 years of great action. The initiative is part of the political-pedagogical project and culminated in the publication of the book “Autism Spectrum Disorder in Education: the challenges of adopting inclusive approaches”.
At Colégio Estadual Igléa Grollmann, pedagogical activities gained momentum at the beginning of the 2011 school year. The project has won several awards, including: Prêmio Educador Nota 10 (2013); first place in the National Paratodos de Inclusão Award (2016); first place in the state of Paraná in the Prêmio Professores do Brasil (2018); and also received the valuable Troféu Velho Guerreiro (Old Warrior Trophy) (2019) from Rotary Furquim de Castro, in Cianorte. This recognized the work of teacher Ana for her tireless commitment to promoting inclusive education and inclusion policies, as well as her contribution to building a better world.
There was also the publication of the book “The Transformative Spectrum: overcoming challenges and awakening potential in autism”, by the author Nayara de Almeida Fernandes (on the autistic spectrum and a former student at Colégio Estadual Igléa Grollmann). We can say that the text is a sequel to the book by Professor Ana. The catchphrase that Nayara leaves us with is: “In the darkness, we find the stars that guide us.” Nayara wrote the book in just two months.
The school has approximately 1.150 students and has the following support services for special education: two multifunctional resource rooms type 1; two resource rooms for high abilities; six specialized educational support teachers who work in classrooms, groups of students with reports and indicators of TEA; and a school support professional.
Every year, since the beginning of the project, third-year students have always left behind actions carried out regarding autism awareness, through concrete materials.
The 2022 third-year students conducted a survey at school about students' perceptions of autism. Student Tiago Silva de Andrade wrote an article, which was published in the book “Autism spectrum disorder in education”.
The 2023 senior class organized an art exhibition focusing on autism content and presented it to the school community. The results of the aforementioned research were also shared with the councilors of Cianorte with the aim of disseminating scientific content, highlighting the importance of public policies to improve the quality of life of people on the autistic spectrum and their families, and demonstrating the need to implement a reference center in the municipality. On April 30, 2024, the Reference Center for the Treatment of the Autistic Spectrum (Certea) was inaugurated in Cianorte.
Following the school's tradition regarding direct participation in the project's actions, the 2024 terceirão participates in the documentary “TEA, the perspective of a teacher and students: lessons learned and tasks to be done” and has unrestricted support from the school community.
The second graders and the third graders in 2025 are responsible for the training on autism awareness, which will take place at the school in the first week of April under the coordination of regular education teachers, with the support of professionals from the special education modality and management, pedagogical and administrative teams. The art for the documentary is also being created by students at the school.
This text is the responsibility of the author and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of H2FOZ.
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