Gênero e surdez: trajetórias de mulheres surdas no município de Igarapé-Miri/PA

Abstract

his research investigates the agency of deaf women within the educational context, exploring how education can promote their autonomy and empowerment while considering the intersectionality of gender and deafness. To support this inquiry, the following specific objectives are established: (a) to analyze the challenges faced within the educational system by investigating the barriers and inequalities that affect deaf women's access to quality education; (b) to discuss how these deaf women perceive their role and agency in the educational context, analyzing how they view themselves as agents of transformation and leadership in their educational trajectories; and (c) to assess the educational experiences of the interviewed deaf women, taking into account the specific barriers and challenges arising from the intersections of gender and deafness, with attention to their needs and demands. The research was developed based on a qualitative methodological approach, drawing on Oral Narratives (Thompson, 1992) and Critical Discourse Analysis (Melo, 2009; Souza et al., 2022). The theoretical framework was grounded in the work of authors such as Freire (2007, 2015, 2019), Moura (2020), Perlin (2013), among others. The research participants were deaf women residing in the municipality of Igarapé-Miri, in the state of Pará, Brazil. As a result, it was found that education can serve as a tool for emancipation and resistance for these women, provided that it respects and values their diversity and uniqueness through the guarantee of access to bilingual education — which recognizes sign language as the first language and Portuguese as the second. Moreover, education emerged as a key agent in promoting autonomy and empowerment, particularly in situations involving gender and racial issues in the local context.