ABSTRACT
This paper traces the historical trajectory of special education in the federal territory of Roraima from its inception in the mid-1970s to 1990. The ideas developed in this study were grounded within the dialectical materialist framework and exemplified by E. P. Thompson's historical analysis of the experience of the subject, a "history from the bottom up". Data are collected in state of Roraima, using interviews with teachers and technicians involved in the field and in the analysis of documents produced in the daily life of institutions. Under the tutelage of the armed forces, programs were designed and managed financially without participation of non-governmental, charitable or philanthropic institutions. These findings underscore the importance of both governmental and non-governmental agencies contributions to special education as well as developing strategies to tackle the problems of special needs.
KEYWORDS
special education; education history; special education history; special needs student; Roraima's history