Pedro Oliveira is the first blind student to obtain a PhD in Law at the University of Coimbra – and wants to “inspire young people with or without disabilities”
“It was peaceful”he tells Expresso, “before and during” the defense of the thesis. It was Wednesday, October 2nd. At Colégio da Trindade and alongside Java, the guide dog that, since 2018, has accompanied him, Pedro Amauri de Oliveira, made history. He became the first blind student to successfully complete the doctoral course at the Faculty of Law of the University of Coimbra – and the image of the student dressed in the solemn room, with Java dozing beside him went viral.
A few days later, the feeling is “relief” and “personal and professional fulfillment”. “It wasn’t an easy journey,” he says. Obstacles to this objective, which, he says, “seemed unattainable at a certain point” kept appearing.
Born in Curitiba, the capital of the State of Paraná, he was born and raised in Brazil and it was there, on the other side of the ocean, that he began his studies in Law. It would be an “allergic reaction to a medicine” that set Portugal on its course. It was 2010 and Pedro Amauri de Oliveira was at the end of the first year of his Law Degree, when he was diagnosed with Stevens-Johnson syndrome, a rare and serious disease. As a result, “visual impairment came”.
Pedro Amauri de Oliveira left his studies. “It was a new situation that I had to adapt to.” Furthermore, the institution in which he was enrolled “did not offer any support to students with visual impairments”. “I couldn’t continue,” he recalls.
But he continued: four years later, in 2014, he flew to Portugal. The Faculty of Law of the University of Coimbra offered a “book conversion service on physical support to digital support” that would make it possible, using “screen reading software”, to “listen to the bibliography”. It was essential, especially “in a course that requires a lot of reading”.
It was at the Faculty of Law of the University of Coimbra that graduated and became a Master in Lawwith a specialization in Legal and Business Sciences. Meanwhile, he headed to Utrecht, in the Netherlands, and A Coruña, in Spain, to hold two summer seminars.
Pedro Amauri de Oliveira during the defense of his PhD thesis
DR
Right here he realized that he was “very curious” and his interest in the area of research grew. Continuing studies for a doctorate was the natural option. That’s why, in 2018, immediately after completing his master’s degree, he applied for a doctorate at the same institution.
For the topic of his thesis, in Public Law, he chose the harmonization of European Union Labor Law. And, from then on, the milestones continued. In 2019, he was the “first candidate with a visual impairment to obtain a research grant from the Science and Technology Foundation” and, in 2022, he managed to obtain a Fulbright scholarship that took him to Columbia University, in New York, to carry out a doctoral internship. However, he also signed articles and book chapters, keeping Labor Law as the main focus of research and not forgetting, in particular, the issue of protecting workers with disabilities.
Advisor praises determination
“He tried to make the most of the opportunities he had”, says Jónatas Machado, director of the Faculty of Law at the University of Coimbra and supervisor of Pedro Amauri de Oliveira’s PhD thesis. “Nothing stopped him, nothing disturbed him”“he always showed great focus, determination, confidence and autonomy”, he adds.
Still, the six years that preceded the defense of the thesis did not pass without some barriers. The work of converting books to digital support “takes some time” and, therefore, Pedro Amauri de Oliveira “did not have immediate access to the bibliography”, which ended up delaying the investigation.
Also for this reason, the culmination of years of work in the moment he experienced at Colégio da Trindade “shows that we are all capable of going further, of overcoming obstacles and achieving goals and dreams”. This, he reinforces, “if we have resilience, determination and, of course, the necessary adaptations, support and tools to be able to develop our studies”.
The now doctor was already congratulated on the social networks of the Faculty of Law of the University of Coimbra, which characterized the moment as a “historical milestone”. In the comments, there are many messages of congratulations and admiration.
The student with the thesis advisor, Jónatas Machado, and the main arguers
DR
“It is always a reason for great joy and pride for all of us when any of our students successfully completes their academic exams”, says Jónatas Machado, who highlights “in the case of Doctor Pedro Oliveira, this joy has a special flavor, because , We have to admit, his journey was more difficult and laborious”.
For Pedro Amauri de Oliveira, being the first blind student to complete the PhD Course “It’s an honor and responsibility”. With this achievement, he hopes “to be able to inspire many young people, with or without disabilities”.
Pedro Amauri de Oliveira “has always shown strong convictions about creating a more just and supportive world, especially attentive to the most vulnerable”, says Jónatas Machado. “At the same time”, he adds, “there was the strong will to use your legal training to promote the causes you believe in and which, deep down, are also ours”.
At 34 years old, Pedro Amauri de Oliveira aspires to “continue working in the area of research”, which he believes is “still a little neglected in Portugal, especially in the legal field”. In particular, wants to develop studies in one of the areas that “concerns and affects” him most: “the rights of people with disabilities”.
Article by Mariana Ramos Loureiro, edited by João Pedro Barros.
