Comments Off on ‘Who am I to write this?’: An approach to the field of feminist disability studies in Latin America
Summary of chapter:
The aim of this chapter is to provide an initial overview of the field of feminist disability studies in Latin America, through a literature review and interviews with academics who research disability from a feminist perspective. In this chapter, we analyze: (a) how feminist disability studies are linked to feminisms, (b) the strategies that academics develop to counteract hegemonic and colonial ways of constructing knowledge, and their connection with communities, and (c) how academics position themselves within a field supported by the relevance of lived experience in disability studies.
Notes:
The following summary was translated by the Millennium Nucleus DISCA and is based exclusively on the summary of Chapter 12 of the book “The Routledge Handbook of Postcolonial Disability Studies.” Therefore, it cannot be used for citations and references.
Comments Off on Health care reforms and policies from a disability-rights perspective
Summary of chapter:
People with disabilities are among the most disadvantaged social groups, as they experience higher levels of poverty, lower literacy rates, higher unemployment rates, multiple discrimination, and more barriers to accessing health services, compared to the general population.
In the current pandemic context, people with disabilities are disproportionately affected due to environmental, institutional, and information access barriers, which are exacerbated by the measures taken in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Measures to combat the pandemic have intensified health inequities and created new vulnerabilities for this population group.
This chapter focuses on the principles of non-discrimination, inclusivity, continuity, relevance, and equity in both health reforms and public policies related to this area, from a disability perspective. The case of Chile is used to investigate whether these reforms and policies promote equitable access to and use of health services for people with disabilities, and how they are implemented. This topic is particularly important given that the country is in the process of amending its constitution, including the articles concerning the health system.
While people with disabilities are often overlooked in research on access to health, it is imperative to promote inclusive health policies in order to reduce the vulnerability index of this group, especially in a scenario of economic instability and health emergencies.
Notes:
The following summary was translated by the Millennium Nucleus DISCA and is based exclusively on the summary of Chapter 10 of the book “The Routledge International Handbook of Disability and Global Health.” Therefore, it cannot be used for citations or references.
En el Salón Montt Varas del Palacio La Moneda se celebró el inicio del trabajo de la Mesa Técnica para la Promoción de la Inclusión y Participación de Personas con Discapacidad en Educación Superior, hito que se enmarca en el convenio de colaboración firmado el año pasado entre el Servicio Nacional de la Discapacidad, SENADIS, y la Subsecretaría de Educación Superior del Ministerio de Educación.
En la instancia participaron autoridades de Gobierno como Javiera Toro, ministra de Desarrollo Social y Familia; el subsecretario de Educación Superior, Víctor Orellana; el director nacional del SENADIS, Daniel Concha; rectoras y rectores de instituciones de educación superior, parlamentarias de la Comisión de Educación de la Cámara de Diputados y Diputadas, e integrantes de comunidades educativas vinculadas a temas de inclusión y discapacidad.
La mesa de trabajo estará compuesta por equipos técnicos de la Subsecretaría de Educación Superior, SENADIS, DEMRE y representantes de instituciones de educación superior, además de organizaciones de estudiantes con discapacidad y de la sociedad civil. El objetivo del espacio será revisar y proponer políticas públicas enfocadas en la promoción de la inclusión y participación de personas con discapacidad en la educación superior, y sesionará mensualmente. En mayo de 2025 la mesa presentará un informe con orientaciones de política pública.
La ministra de Desarrollo Social y Familia, Javiera Toro, manifestó que “como Gobierno nos hemos trazado desafíos exigentes, con la convicción de implementar un sistema de educación pública, gratuita y de calidad. Esta mesa técnica es señal de esto. La educación superior de las personas con discapacidad es un derecho fundamental, cuyas condiciones de ejercicio deben ser garantizadas por el Estado”.
El subsecretario de Educación Superior, Víctor Orellana, señaló que “la inclusión es parte fundamental del derecho a la educación, no sólo para reconocer los talentos de las y los estudiantes, sino también para que el sistema educativo y las demás personas aprendan de quienes antes estaban fuera. Hemos hecho importantes avances en este sentido, pero todavía queda un camino importante por delante para que todas y todos los estudiantes tengan posibilidad de acceder a una educación superior con accesibilidad universal”.
El director nacional del Servicio Nacional de la Discapacidad, Daniel Concha, manifestó que “la educación es un pilar fundamental para las personas con discapacidad, para su desarrollo en cada etapa vital y el ejercicio de su autonomía. Desde SENADIS queremos darle a la educación inclusiva la mirada de curso de vida, que se ocupe del ingreso, la permanencia y el egreso de los estudiantes y las estudiantes, estableciendo un nexo posible y viable con la inclusión laboral. El convenio que hemos suscrito con la Subsecretaría de Educación Superior y el inicio de esta mesa técnica nos sitúa en el camino de este desafío para la educación inclusiva”.
En tanto, María Ignacia Fuentes, estudiante de Psicología y beneficiaria del Programa de Recursos de Apoyos para Estudiantes con discapacidad de Educación Superior del SENADIS, quien es persona sorda y, actualmente, realiza su práctica profesional en el Centro de Apoyo a Personas Sordas, durante la actividad expresó a través de lengua de señas chilena su mensaje: “Hola, hola… Esta es mi seña, mi nombre es María Ignacia, estoy estudiando psicología clínica, ya son siete años en la Universidad Católica, y quiero agradecer a SENADIS y también a mi Universidad Católica por todo el apoyo. Si no hay SENADIS, si no hay intérprete… cómo puedo aprender, cómo puedo entender a los profesores. Por eso quiero agradecer a la universidad los apoyos, los acompañamientos, los apuntes, la lectura fácil para que pueda entender mejor. Por ejemplo, si no hay apuntes, si no hay ayuda, cómo lo puedo hacer. No puedo mirar (a la intérprete) y leer a la vez. Muchas gracias de verdad por el apoyo. Ya me falta poquito para finalizar”, señaló la estudiante de Psicología, quien ha contado con el servicio de intérprete en lengua de señas chilena, permitiéndole el acceso a sus estudios e información durante su carrera.
Comments Off on Incidence of teacher reflection on the teacher’s understanding of diversity and its role in the transition to inclusive education
Summary:
This research focuses on the inclusion of people with disabilities in higher education. It proposes that reflective teaching is a tool for transitioning from an integrative to an inclusive approach. Using a qualitative methodology, it analyzes faculty perspectives on integration and inclusion, employing focus groups to gather information. The results show that the majority of faculty members favor an integrative approach, although they acknowledge the difficulties in implementing inclusion. Academics highlight the importance of curriculum adaptation, flexible methodologies, and universal learning design to facilitate the participation of students with disabilities in higher education. The analyses also reveal the constant need for faculty to adapt, which creates additional pressure, especially for those adhering to an inclusive approach. Faculty members must ground their reflection in the emotional and rational components of teaching, which play a crucial role in balancing the individual and objective freedoms of faculty and students, thus ensuring a fair and equitable educational environment for all.
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.
The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted and deepened gender inequalities in academia, especially affecting women scholars. This context led to the creation of the Feminist Network of the Social Sciences in Chile.
The Feminist Network of the Social Sciences aims to promote a feminist and dignified academia, centered on gender equality as a fundamental human right and as a core principle in the production and access to knowledge.
The research is based on self-training activities, critical reflection, and collective discussion carried out by this Network between the second half of 2021 and the first half of 2022, following a collaborative feminist approach.
Strategies are proposed to promote a decentralized, decolonial, and feminist academia, structured around four key pillars:
Equity and justice in the production of knowledge;
Dignified working conditions;
Work environments free of harassment;
Democratization of access to knowledge.
These strategies may have practical applications, such as use by academic institutions seeking structural change, as pedagogical material in gender-focused social science courses, or as a tool for collective reflection to foster new inclusive dynamics.
Although the focus is on women in academia, the proposals are recognized as relevant for other marginalized groups (e.g., based on class, ethnicity, territory, or disability). The article is presented as an open contribution to the academic community, aimed at promoting structural change through concrete practices.
Notes:
The following summary was prepared by Núcleo Milenio DISCA and is based exclusively on the original publication. Therefore, it should not be used for citations or references.
Comments Off on La Emoción de Crear: artes, aprendizaje socioemocional y discapacidad [The Emotion of Creating: Arts, Social-Emotional Learning and Disability]
Summary:
This book presents didactic proposals for developing socio-emotional learning of people with cognitive disabilities through the arts in both educational environments and public spaces, along with a theoretical segment that expands knowledge on this topic. The attractive illustrations by Carlos Denis, the didactic material to print and the audiovisual content support consolidate an educational, interactive and creative text that is a key contribution for various professionals in the world of health, art, among others. It has been developed by a group of national and international specialists in socio-emotional development, arts, education and disability, led by professors Victor Romero Rojas and Macarena Lizama Calvo, together with the team of the UC Down Syndrome Center and the Mawen Foundation. “The emotion of creating” is an invitation to carry out with emotion every stroke, every body phrase, every musical piece and every role performance so that we are aware of how from each interaction we enhance the development of socio-emotional learning. When we consider the value of each participant and make reasonable adjustments, social participation becomes an opportunity for change towards well-being that guarantees a better quality of life for all people.
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 book is available in digital format and can be purchased from Ediciones UC.
Between 2015 and 2023, the number of students with autism enrolled in the School Integration Program (PIE) in Chile increased by over 1,000%, revealing greater detection but also significant challenges for the inclusive education system
There are no clear records of children under the age of five with disabilities, which hinders the design of early and adequate public policies and intervention strategies.
There is weak interconnection between public institutions. The lack of coordination and clarity on which institution administers and manages records creates obstacles to accessing reliable data and developing evidence-based legislation.
The voluntary nature of the National Disability Registry (RND) and the lack of strategies to promote its use—such as guaranteeing anonymity and access to benefits—contribute to under-registration, particularly in early childhood.
Effective educational inclusion must begin in early childhood through early detection and intervention, as the first years are critical for development. This requires political will, resource mobilization, and a multisectoral approach.
Notes:
The following summary was prepared by Núcleo Milenio DISCA and is based exclusively on the original publication. Therefore, it should not be used for citations or references.
Comments Off on Access to general health care among people with disabilities in Latin America and the Caribbean: a systematic review of quantitative research
Summary:
In Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), there are 85 million people with disabilities (PwD). They often experience barriers accessing healthcare and die, on average, 10-20 years earlier than those without disabilities. This study aimed to systematically review the quantitative literature on access to general healthcare among PwD, compared to those without disabilities, in LAC. A systematic review and narrative synthesis was conducted. We searched in EMBASE, MEDLINE, LILACS, MedCarib, PsycINFO, SciELO, CINAHL, and Web of Science. Eligible articles were peer-reviewed, published between January 2000 and April 2023, and compared healthcare access (utilization, coverage, quality, affordability) between PwD and without disabilities in LAC. The search retrieved 16,538 records and 30 studies were included, most of which had a medium or high risk of bias (n = 23; 76%). Overall, the studies indicated that PwD use healthcare services more than those without disabilities. Some evidence indicated that women with disabilities were less likely to have received cancer screening. Limited evidence showed that health services afford-ability and quality were lower among PwD. In LAC, PwD appear to experience health inequities, although large gaps exist in the current evidence. Harmonization of disability and health access data collection is urgently needed to address this issue.
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.