Não é terapia, mas é terapeutico: a educação ambiental na horta escolar como instrumento para trabalhar o manejo da ansiedade em pessoas com deficiência

Abstract

Despite the numerous advances achieved throughout the history of Special Education, it is still necessary to acknowledge the obstacles present in this field. Due to the concern about addressing the benefits of contact with nature for people with disabilities, it is necessary to consider an inclusive Environmental Education based on the adaptation of activities só that everyone, regardless of diagnosis, can understand the need for care and protection of the environment. This research aims to investigate how contact with a vegetable garden can help manage anxiety in people with disabilities at a specialized school in the municipality of Cruzeiro do Iguaçu, Paraná State. To this end, a vegetable garden was implemented at this school, and an Anxiety Scale was developed to analyze possible anxiety in students with disabilities. This study aims to create a document that can assist other professionals in addressing anxiety in people with disabilities, given the scarcity of instruments designed for this population. Questionnaires, interviews, and photographs were used for data collection. The analysis of the data obtained was carried out based on the principles of Content Analysis, as proposed by Laurence Bardin. It is hoped that this study will contribute to the work of many professionals, given the scarcity of instruments for working with people with disabilities, in addition to enabling the management of anxiety and improving the quality of life of students.