Translanguaging, (Non) Inclusive Education and Language Policies: Reflections on English Teaching in Brazil from the Perspective of Two Deaf Students

Discussions and studies on acquiring additional languages have gained considerable visibility on the academic agenda and educational spaces. However, the reality in Brazil still poses difficulties to the teaching-learning process of additional languages by deaf students. In this sense, this article aims to analyze the conceptions of two deaf students enrolled in public schools in Recife, Pernambuco, about teaching English to the deaf. To achieve this analysis, we based our discussions on Calvet (2007), Wei (2017), Barbosa, Freire and Medeiros (2018), Souza (2021), Almeida (2021, 2023), and Almeida and Moraes (2024), among others. To understand meanings, motives, beliefs, and values related to the acquisition of the English language by deaf students in elementary and high school, this research is qualitative descriptive, according to Triviños (1987). The results point to the fact that there is still a long way to go toward building an educational system that is, indeed, inclusive - both in the sense of linguistic and academic policies and praxeologies - and that educational spaces must offer access and permanence for students with disabilities, besides specialized educational assistance to complement or supplement school assistance when necessary.