Núcleo Disca

Disability and citizenship

Author Archives: Comunicaciones Núcleo DISCA

  7. An infrastructure of embodied practices: How disabled people become part of public transport in Santiago de Chile

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    Points of interest:

    • The article analyzes the experiences and practices of public transport use by people with disabilities.
    • The article calls for recognition of invisible efforts, and transport planning to adopt perspectives that value and consider these “ways of doing” in their urban design and management practices.
    • The findings allow to describe transport infrastructures as an assemblage of bodies and materialities, inviting to recognize people with disabilities not only as beneficiaries of transport, but as constituent subjects of it.
    • The article was based on ethnographic data and multimodal video analysis.
    • Multiple ways in which the bodily practices of persons with disabilities are part and support the functioning of public transport in Santiago are examined.

    Notes:

    • The following summary was made by Núcleo Milenio DISCA, and was based exclusively on the publication. Therefore, it cannot be used for citations and references.
    • This article was originally published in English.

  8. Seminar on the challenges of access to justice for people with disabilities

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    On Thursday, January 8, 2026, the seminar “Access to Justice for Persons with Disabilities” was held in the Aula Magna of the main building of the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. The event was organized by the Millennium Nucleus for Disability and Citizenship Studies (Núcleo DISCA) and the UC Center for Justice and Society Studies, with funding from Fondecyt Project No. 1240242.

    The seminar featured a keynote address by Professor Anna Arstein-Kerslake, from the University of Melbourne and the University of Galway, entitled “Access to Justice: The Recognition of the Person Before the Law as a Central Issue.” Professor Arstein-Kerslake highlighted the strong interest among various sectors in Chile in advancing this key issue for the protection of the rights of persons with disabilities. In her presentation, she emphasized the need to dismantle legal systems that substitute a person’s will—such as guardianship or legal incapacity—which affect many people with disabilities. She also underscored the importance of implementing accessibility measures, reasonable accommodations, and anti-discrimination legislation to ensure that persons with disabilities are recognized and treated equally before the law.

    The event was opened by Pablo Carvacho, Director of Research and Development at the UC Center for Justice and Society, who welcomed attendees and encouraged participation in spaces such as this one, which “seek to shift the focus from the biomedical to the social.” He also called for a critical examination of legal mechanisms such as legal incapacity, which under current Chilean law effectively amounts to a civil death for persons with disabilities subjected to this process.

    The seminar then featured remarks by Jessica González, Supreme Court Justice in charge of the Subcommittee on Access to Justice for Vulnerable Groups. She emphasized the need to strengthen these efforts through an intersectional approach, noting that women and girls with disabilities are most frequently victims of rights violations. She reviewed several initiatives promoted by the Judiciary over the past decade, in line with the entry into force of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the first human rights treaty of the 21st century. Following her remarks, Pedro Goic, National Director of the National Disability Service, highlighted the role of attitudinal barriers in access to justice. He stressed that the core principle of the struggle for access to justice lies in recognizing persons with disabilities as equals and that achieving this goal requires continued implementation of accessibility measures and reasonable accommodations, as well as ongoing training for justice system actors.

    Following the keynote address, a panel discussion explored progress and ongoing challenges related to access to justice for persons with disabilities in Chile. Pablo Marshall, Deputy Director of Núcleo DISCA, presented preliminary findings from a study collecting testimonies from lawyers involved in implementing the access to justice agreement between the Legal Aid Corporation and the National Disability Service. While he highlighted advances in architectural and communication accessibility, he also identified significant shortcomings that must be addressed to ensure a truly inclusive justice system. Subsequently, Daniel Villarroel, a lawyer with the Legal Aid Corporation, discussed the practical challenges he faced as part of the specialist team responsible for implementing the agreement. Among the most significant obstacles were resistance from some officials and the persistent perception that guardianship is a necessary measure for many individuals, often resulting in civil or employment-related consequences that hinder the ability of persons with disabilities to live independently.

    The event concluded with remarks by Florencia Herrera, Director of Núcleo DISCA, who underscored the importance of its new line of work on access to justice. This focus emerged after research conducted during the group’s first three years revealed the systematic obstruction of this right. She also drew attention to the broader impact of these rights violations on family members and those close to persons with disabilities who are denied access to justice, citing cases in which individuals with disabilities are deprived of custody of their children due to prejudices held by justice system officials.

    Seminario Acceso a la justicia enero 2026

  9. Socio-community care of people with disabilities: Experiences of caregivers living in south-central zone of Chile

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    Points of interest:

    • People share caregiving responsibilities differently. It varies depending on gender, body type, and individual responsibilities.
    • The aim of this article is to analyze the perceptions of caregivers of people with disabilities regarding community-based care. This type of care refers to care provided within the community.
    • The researchers conducted 10 interviews with women who are caregivers for people with disabilities.
    • Community-based care is formed by the families of people with disabilities. These families put in a great deal of effort to create these care communities, which can lead to exhaustion.
    • Family-run care communities are very important. These communities help meet the needs of people with disabilities.
    • The authors point out the urgent need to create more family-friendly and disability-friendly care systems. They propose that the government should provide greater support for the care of people with disabilities.

     

    Notes:

    • The following summary was prepared by the Millennium Nucleus DISCA and is based exclusively on the publication. Therefore, it cannot be used for citations or references.
    • This article was originally published in English.