Public Policies and Assistive Technology: a Study Focusing on Government Financing

ABSTRACT:

Public policies require two key elements: 1) laws to guarantee rights and 2) funding to consolidate these rights. Public policies for the development of Assistive Technology in Brazil can be studied through laws and funding. The objective of this study was to analyze the funding provided by the Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos (FINEP) [Funding Authority for Studies and Projects] and the financial support made available by the Federal Government for the acquisition of Assistive Technology resources and equipment for its target audience, as well as to examine the interconnection of government policies during the data collection period with funding in the Assistive Technology area. The study is based on documentary research of a descriptivequantitative nature, with data collected from the FINEP and Senate Agency websites. FINEP’s public calls and the volume of resources allocated to the purchase of equipment were analyzed quantitatively. The results indicated that there was no consistent year-to-year funding for the development of Assistive Technology. Regarding funding for the acquisition of Assistive Technology resources and equipment for people with disabilities, no increase in resources was observed over the years.

KEYWORDS:
Special Education; Assistive Technology; Financing