Approximately 18% of the Chilean population has a disability. Despite having greater health needs, they face significant difficulties in accessing health services due to structural barriers in the health system.
Twelve health policies were analyzed using an analytical framework adapted for disability, and the presence of 21 core human rights concepts was evaluated. Although 92% of the policies mention human rights concepts related to disability, only 50% show clear policy commitments.
In addition, 15 national stakeholders were interviewed to assess perceptions on health policies.
The 15 interviewees identified three main reasons explaining the implementation challenges of disability-related health policies:
Lack of financing;
Inconsistent political approach to disability;
Shortage of human resources.
It is crucial to improve both the design and implementation of disability-inclusive health policies to guarantee the right to health for people with disabilities and to comply with the human rights principles that should guide inclusive public health policy.
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 Turnstile politics: practices of care and mobility justice in Santiago’s public transport system
Points of interest:
Public transport in Chile was designed without considering the different types of people’s bodies and how they move. This is seen in how people pass through the turnstiles of micros.
“Micro” is a way of naming public transport buses in Chile.
The author talks about the concept of “Mobility Justice.” This concept refers to how things surrounding people affect their mobility.
This study looks at how people deal with their problems with the use of tourniquets. We also observe the forms of care that people create in response to these problems.
This study mentions that the use of tourniquets in microphones is a mobility injustice. This is mentioned because the tourniquets make it difficult for people with different bodies to climb into the micro.
The author mentions that the use of tourniquets is a practice that excludes some passengers. These passengers create different ways of being able to get on the microphone and pass the turnstile. In addition, some passengers help each other to turn the turnstile or carry heavy bags that make it difficult to get through there.
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 is not free of charge. Available for purchase at the following link: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17450101.2024.2380824
We analyzed short stories where disabled parents share how they are treated by health personnel (for example, doctors and nurses).
Disabled parents say that health personnel do not see them and do not believe they can do things.
In these stories, health personnel pay more attention to the parent’s disability than to the child who needs medical attention.
Health personnel understand disability as something that limits a person. This can make it difficult for parents and children to get the help they need.
Disabled parents look for ways to deal with the way health personnel treat them and to ensure that their children receive care from the health staff.
Notes:
This summary was made by Núcleo Milenio DISCA, and was based exclusively on the publication. It cannot be used for citations and references.
Comments Off on Gyneco-obstetric violence and its impact on the mental health of women with disabilities: a case study in Chile
Points of interest:
The central theme of the article is the analysis of obstetric violence experiences of women with disabilities in Chile.
The study was done by conducting in-depth interviews, and analyzing social media and shadow or alternative reports. These types of reports refer to reports built by civil society organizations. Thus, these reports are used to complement those that governments build and review whether they are complying with human rights standards in the country.
Data from the study show that women’s sexual and reproductive rights are violated in the Chilean health system.
Interviews show that obstetric violence has many ways of expressing itself. Some of these forms are forced sterilization and stigma towards women’s mental health.
One way to start a conversation about obstetric violence is in common spaces. So that women can share their experiences with other women who have been through similar situations.
It is very important that health-care teams know how to meet the needs of people with disabilities. This serves to prevent cases of obstetric violence in women with disabilities.
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.
The objective of this article is to analyze the narratives of medical professionals in the city of Rancagua (capital of the O’Higgins Region, central Chile), about the reproductive health/motherhood of Haitian women.
Haitian women face more obstacles to receiving good medical care: there are no translators, there is a lack of information, and cultural differences are not respected.
Being a mother and a migrant is difficult. Many times, these women are judged for not fitting the image of a “good mother” according to what is expected in Chile. This puts them in an unfair position and their way of interacting with their babies is questioned.
Doctors in Rancagua say that Haitian women do not show enough affection to their babies. This was called “lack of attachment” in the research.
Doctors compare Haitian mothers with other migrant mothers and say that they do not care for their children in the same way. This creates mistrust toward them.
The study shows that Haitian women are discriminated against for being Black. Medical staff see them as different, inferior, or “less civilized.”
Racist ideas influence how these women are treated. Negative images are built that affect their access to healthcare and that of their children.
More births, same problems. Although the number of Haitian women giving birth in Rancagua has increased, the health system has not changed or adapted to serve them better.
Importance of the intercultural approach. The study says a change is necessary. Health care needs to understand and respect different cultures and ways of being a mother.
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.
This article was originally published in English and Spanish.
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.