Due to an error by the federal government Inep Institute responsible for Enem, one of the candidates was prevented from using the bathroom for eight hours in order to complete the first day of the test, last Sunday (9). She uses a wheelchair and was assigned to take the exam at a non-accessible school.
This is the third time that Sofia Crespim Soares (20 years old) has taken the exam, which continues next Sunday (16). As in other editions, upon registration it was indicated that the test should be taken in a wheelchair-accessible school and that the reader and transcriber should also be supported. She has cerebral palsy.
Reports and other medical documents proving the need for specialized care have also been sent to ENP, as required in the EENEP Notice.
“Since we had already registered in other years and requested this support, the system had already saved Sofia’s information. It always worked and we never had any problems, but this time, they did everything wrong,” says Denise Krespem, 46, the young woman’s mother.
When contacted about the issue, Inep stated that it had already notified Cebraspe, the company responsible for the Enem app, to arrange the student’s transportation next Sunday, November 16. As for the first day of tests, the student has the right to take the test on December 16.
After arriving at the testing site, at the Professor Newton Espirito Santo Aires State School, in Osasco (Greater SP), the mother and daughter discovered that there was no access for wheelchair users. The main entrance to the unit has a staircase with more than 15 steps.
“Then we were asked to enter from the back, because it would be easier to access. But that entrance also had a smaller staircase, but it was still a staircase. Sophia had to be carried by the testing officials.”
For Denise, in addition to the inconvenience of being pregnant, there was also the risk of young people being harmed by moving inappropriately.
“After this humiliation, when she was in the room, they came to tell us that she could not use the bathroom during the test, as there was no accessible bathroom. She got there at 12 noon and would not finish the test until 7:30 pm (people with disabilities are entitled to an extra hour of testing).”
Denise says she asked her daughter to stop taking the test under these circumstances, but the young woman did not want to. “She said to me: ‘Mom, I’ve been preparing all year. I can’t pass up this opportunity and wait another year to try again.’
When she was in the room, Sophia was also informed that the organization only provided a reader (a professional who helps read the test), but there would not be a transcriber (recording the candidate’s answers).
“It was only after a lot of fighting that we were able to provide her with the necessary supports for the test. But she was already very stressed out by this chaos.”
Of the more than 4.8 million confirmed Enem registrants this year, nearly 165,000 requested some type of special assistance – 3.4% of the total. Only about 7,700 candidates indicated that they needed to take the test in an accessible room.
“Brazil offers very few opportunities to study for people with disabilities, and when someone manages to complete high school, they still face difficulties,” says Denis. “It is very ill-prepared and humiliating for this population.”
She says she will report ENP to the public prosecutor’s office for not guaranteeing her daughter the same conditions of proof as others. “All the students were able to leave the test when they needed to, and my daughter was unable to because they did not guarantee her the basics. We are not asking for any advantage, just dignified treatment as everyone is entitled to.”
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