Núcleo Disca

Disability and citizenship

Author Archives: Comunicaciones Núcleo DISCA

  3. Online seminar: Electoral quotas for people with disabilities?

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    You’re invited to the online seminar: Electoral quotas for people with disabilities?, where we will discuss the possibility of establishing special representation measures to increase the political participation of people with disabilities in Chile.

    We know that people with disabilities face greater barriers to participating in politics, and that the number of people with disabilities holding elected positions is very low compared to the percentage of the population with disabilities in our country.

    In this seminar, we will share findings from our research on electoral quotas, experiences of candidates with disabilities, and the case of the constitutional process.

    Speakers:
    Pablo Marshall – Lawyer, Professor at UACh, Associate Director of DISCA
    Diego Solsona – Sociologist, Postdoctoral Fellow at U. Los Lagos and UACh, Junior Researcher at DISCA
    Elizabeth P. Alarcón – Kinesiologist, member of Frente Amplio, Expert by Experience at DISCA

    The event will take place on Thursday, July 3, 2025, from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. (Chile time), via Zoom, with prior registration.

    The seminar will include a sign language interpreter and live captioning.

  8. What does it mean to grow up with a mother or father with a disability?

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    This question is often answered from a perspective of suspicion or prejudice, assuming that having a parent with a disability is a burden and a disproportionate responsibility for their sons or daughters.

    However, our research experience shows that first-person accounts from the children of people with disabilities offer a different perspective, one that focuses on care relationships based on autonomy and reciprocity.

    For these children, having a parent with a disability is simply a fact of their lives, like any other—not a tragedy or a burden. Many of them even emphasize that having a mother or father with a disability has positive effects on their lives.

    In a study conducted in Chile between 2022 and 2024, children and adolescents shared their family experiences with us. In their testimonies, disability does not occupy a central place, nor is it perceived as a disadvantage. On the contrary, all describe their mothers and fathers as active, responsible, and loving individuals.

    Most of them highlight that their families are not different from others because of the presence of disability; they do recognize a difference, but it stems from the emotional closeness they experience in their relationships.

    These sons and daughters explain that, while they do help with certain tasks related to their parent’s disability—such as guiding a blind parent on the street or supporting communication for a deaf mother—these actions are occasional and do not replace the constant care that their parents provide for them.

    In this sense, the interviewed children and adolescents draw a clear distinction between providing specific, occasional support and assuming caregiving responsibilities that do not belong to them. “My mom takes care of me, and I help her when she needs it,” explained one of the teenage participants.

    Despite their acceptance of disability at home, these children note that social perceptions of disability have a strong influence on their lives, even more so than the disability itself. They recount experiences of discrimination, discomfort, or ignorance in public spaces, educational settings, and healthcare services, which cause them frustration and discomfort.

    To counter this, they often take on an educational role in these situations, raising awareness and deconstructing stereotypes. They explain the use of assistive devices or share their experiences of living daily with a mother or father with a disability. In this way, they help to dismantle myths and prejudices in educational, healthcare, and family contexts.

    Listening to children has allowed us to see that there is a relationship of mutual, but not equivalent, care. For them, the care their parents provide is constant, broad, and consistent. As a society, the best way to respond to these experiences is by recognizing these families in their diversity and ensuring that their stories are treated with dignity.

     

  9. Student Meeting: Challenges of Studying Disability in Social Sciences

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    We invite you to a space for dialogue and reflection on the research conducted at the Núcleo Milenio DISCA. Undergraduate and postgraduate students will present the main findings and conclusions of their theses, as well as the methodological, theoretical, and practical challenges they faced when researching disability.

    This activity is open to students from various universities interested in disability and social science topics.

    Register through the form.