UNIVERSAL DESIGN FOR LEARNING AND TEACHER EDUCATION: PATHWAYS AND OBSTACLES TO EFFECTIVE INCLUSION IN THE EARLY YEARS OF ELEMENTARY EDUCATION

Abstract

Inclusive education in Brazil, supported by the Brazilian Inclusion Law – BIL (Brasil, 2015) and the National Special Education Policy from the Perspective of Inclusive Education – NSEPI (Brasil, 2008), faces significant challenges in its implementation in the early years of elementary school. This chapter is an analytical literature review that examines the gaps between legal guidelines and pedagogical practices reported in the literature on regular classrooms, focusing on teacher training, curriculum adaptations, and Specialized Educational Support (SES), grounded in the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL). Through a critical analysis of national and international academic literature, the study identifies that students with disabilities, although enrolled, often do not actively participate in the learning process due to the lack of inclusive pedagogical strategies and insufficient coordination between SES and mainstream teaching. The results highlight the urgency of continuous and collaborative teacher training and the adoption of UDL practices – still little known in the Brazilian context – as an instrument of curricular transformation. It is concluded that effective inclusion requires not only access to school, but also material conditions, reflective teacher training, well-coordinated SES, and integrated public policies, ensuring meaningful learning, participation, and equity for all students.