Who Can Read Machado? Textual Adaptation as a Resource for Literary Accessibility in Schools

Abstract

The article, with a qualitative and descriptive nature, aims to analyze textual adaptation as a resource for literary accessibility in schools, drawing on the experience developed in the Easy Reading Club project, held in 2024. As an educational project, the Club held meetings with High School students who had reading comprehension difficulties and used three literary tales adapted into Easy Reading - Missa do Galo, O caçador de orquídeas and O travesseiro de penas. Conceptually, Easy Reading is a writing technique that seeks to make texts cognitively accessible through the adaptation of three main aspects: language and content, illustration, and layout. The theoretical foundation, therefore, is based on studies on literacy, cognitive accessibility, and Easy Reading. Regarding methodology, the research was developed through participant observation and analysis of the texts read, as well as the student interactions and productions during the meetings. The results indicate that reading accessible texts fostered participant engagement, expanded reading comprehension, and strengthened access to literature and culture among people with disabilities and reading comprehension difficulties. The analysis concluded that literary mediation projects based on Easy Reading can contribute to make effective the right to reading and cultural participation.