Regulations about students with special educational needs: documentary analysis in the portuguese private higher education

Legislation on people with special needs constitutes an important mechanism for inclusion. The objective of this study was to present an overview of the legal framework for students with special educational needs (SEN) in the Portuguese private higher education. A documentary analysis was carried out, in 2020, in 25 of the 62 Portuguese private higher education institutions that were members of the Portuguese Association of Private Higher Education. Those were selected because they had regulations on students with SEN that were available online. For the documentary analysis, a priori categories were defined: Perception of disabled person and/or the person with SEN in Portuguese higher education, and the subcategories, Legislation and Student with SEN; and Inclusive measures advocated in the institutional regulations, and the subcategories Special Status, Specific Service and Support Measures. The results revealed a broad perception of students with SEN and disabilities; diversity in support modalities for students with SEN; and focus of support measures on ensuring access to spaces, improving accessibility and mobility conditions, and conditions for attending classes and forms of assessment. Considering the results and their diversity as well as the right to education of these students, the dialogue about conceptualization and intervention is still necessary.