Políticas linguísticas e o (não-)lugar dos corpos surdos na internacionalização do ensino superior

In terms of access, the internationalization movement in higher education remains limited, with a focus on physical mobility initiatives, whose participation rate is below 1% (Finardi; Amorim; Sarmento, 2024). Likewise, colonialities are embedded in this movement, allowing certain bodies and knowledges to be privileged over others (Martinez, 2023). This reality becomes evident when considering deaf individuals, whose participation in internationalization initiatives remains scarce (Pereira; Sehnem, 2019; 2021). Therefore, our aim is to discuss the (non-)place of deaf bodies within the internationalization movement and the importance of language policies (LPs) in addressing this reality. From a methodological perspective, this is a qualitative, interpretativist, and exploratory study grounded in dialogues from Critical Applied Linguistics and Decolonial Studies. Among the insights presented, we argue that a more critical and inclusive internationalization can only be (re)thought and (re)constructed through the development of LPs. In this context, we offer four foundational points for formulating a more inclusive LP for internationalization, and we highlight the inclusion of Brazilian Sign Language (Libras) in LPs from northeastern universities as an affirmative and resistant step that actively challenges the exclusions embedded in current internationalization practices.