Accessibility as a transdisciplinary field of internship: disruptive and inventive practices in university education

Abstract

Throughout a professional journey focused on fostering the inclusion and belonging of students with disabilities in higher education, it was possible to map out certain guidelines that lead to pedagogical strategies aimed at challenging the ableist culture embedded in these institutions. With this focus, I propose, through this theoretical-practical narrative, a reflection on the work of students undertaking internships in the field of accessibility at Higher Education Institutions. Aiming to problematize issues surrounding this practical-formative activity, I consider that, beyond a mere accessibility procedure, such activity can function as an anti-ableist mechanism due to its impact on promoting institutional accessibility and on the academic and professional development of students. Viewing accessibility as a cross-cutting field of training and practice, and drawing on post-structuralist epistemological frameworks coupled with the conceptual contributions of intellectuals, researchers, and artists with disabilities, I present an analysis of the practical-formative activities that constitute internships in accessibility. Through the records of activities that include internship guidance and supervision, I mapped out some of the reverberations of this work carried out with students both with and without disabilities, from various fields of knowledge. To this end, I share some experiences and reflections, highlighting this mechanism as both a means of eliminating institutional barriers and constructing an ethical, critical, and accessible praxis.