HOW INCLUSIVE DESIGN EDUCATION PRACTICES CAN MOBILIZE STUDENTS’ COMPETENCIES IN HEALTH-RELATED HIGHER EDUCATION

Inclusive design education is a fundamental issue to be worked on with students from health-related courses to respect the society diverse. By integrating inclusive design into educational practices, health institutions can foster the development and mobilize essential competencies that empower students to create more equitable and accessible products and services in health systems. Despite the recognition of inclusive design’s importance, there is still a lack of studies that consider it into health-related higher education. Current curricula from health-related courses often fail to consider inclusive design practices in their subjects. It’s clear that health students would benefit from inclusive design competencies to work with diverse Brazilian populations. So, this study aims to explore how inclusive design education practices can mobilize students’ competencies in health-related higher education. Also, we intend to identify strategies that foster competencies in inclusive design, preparing students to be ethical and respectful people, dealing with the diverse Brazilian populations they will interact as future health professionals. The study employs a qualitative approach, gathering insights from experiences and perceptions of educators, researchers, and students in health-related fields. These perspectives could provide a better understanding of how inclusive design is currently taught and identify opportunities for enhancing its integration in the development of student competencies.