Núcleo Disca

Disability and citizenship

Archive

  1. Tejer la memoria, bordar la diferencia: artivismo textil y agencia política de personas con discapacidad [Weaving the memory, stitching the difference: textile activism and political agency of people with disabilities]

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    Points of interest:

    • The joint work with the Colectivo Nacional por la Discapacidad and the Embroiderers de la Villa Frei shows how community practices can challenge hegemonic narratives and open spaces of epistemic justice for historically marginalized groups.
    • Collective embroidery as an artivist and political practice.
    • The article highlights embroidery not only as an artistic expression, but as a tool of denunciation, resistance and political action. The textile works as a means to make injustices visible and question official narratives about memory and citizenship.
    • From an ethnographic and collaborative perspective, embroidery appears as a situated epistemological practice that integrates bodily experience, affectivity and collective narrative.
    • The article denounces how capacitative logics persist in cultural and public spaces, highlighting the exclusion of people with disabilities in Chile.
    • One of the central themes is how collective embroidery allows to work out pain and mourning in a community way.

    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 Spanish.

  2. Decolonial feminist analysis of personal assistance policies in EU member states

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    Points of interest:

    • Personal assistance (PA) is defined as a human right for the independent life of persons with disabilities.
    • The traditional eurocentric frameworks of the PA are criticized, in which it is pointed out that the current development model is colonial, capacitative, heteropatriarcal and eurocentric.
    • The decolonial feminist Latin American contribution is used as a theoretical and political framework to confront and rethink the dominant models of care.
    • Although the PA is formally established in most EU member states, the article reveals that its implementation is very uneven. The analysis exposes how current AP agreements still reproduce knowledge hierarchies, directly affecting who defines needs, who decides, and what knowledges are considered legitimate.
    • The article makes visible the tensions and limits of Eurocentric policies, the decolonial feminist approach not only criticizes but also proposes community-based alternatives to PA that are relevant and applicable for both Latin America and Europe.

    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.

  3. “Vivir el paso a paso”: Itinerarios de rehabilitación de la niñez con discapacidad en narrativas de mujeres cuidadoras en la zona poniente de Santiago de Chile [“Living step by step”: Rehabilitation itineraries of children with disabilities in narratives of women caregivers in the western area of Santiago, Chile]

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    Points of interest:

    • The authors discuss the limitations of laws on access to child rehabilitation in Chile.
    • Often, female caregivers bear more responsibility for children’s rehabilitation activities. This leads them to create alternative plans to ensure they can continue these processes.
    • The text uses the term “therapeutic pathways.” This term refers to plans developed by female caregivers to support their children or grandchildren with disabilities. These plans are created when medical and social support is insufficient.
    • Observations and interviews were conducted with 13 female caregivers in charge of children between the ages of 1 and 9.
    • The female caregivers describe the difficulties they face in obtaining a correct diagnosis and treatment for their children and grandchildren, due to problems with healthcare staff and the high cost of treatment. This causes them distress and exhaustion.
    • Some female caregivers receive support from therapists, foundations, and the educational community in the rehabilitation process for their children and grandchildren. In this way, they develop new therapeutic plans.
    • It is proposed to recognize that the work of women caregivers is important in rehabilitation, and to consider that rehabilitation includes both social and health aspects.

     

    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 Spanish.

  4. La internación psiquiátrica involuntaria en el derecho chileno: aspectos sustantivos [Involuntary psychiatric hospitalization in Chilean law: substantive aspects]

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    Points of interest:

    • The social movement of People with Disabilities questions the practice of involuntary psychiatric hospitalizations.
    • Involuntary psychiatric hospitalizations refer to the hospitalization of a person without their consent. These hospitalizations are made to people with mental health conditions that put them at risk. They can also put others at risk.
    • The article mentions that the discussion of this type of hospitalization has to do with the fact that the freedom of the people who are hospitalized is not respected.
    • The author proposes solutions to make psychiatric hospitalization less restrictive and more focused on the autonomy of the person.

     

    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 Spanish.

  5. La salud mental del Presidente o Presidenta de la República: respuestas institucionales y estándares de abordaje procedimentales y sustantivos [Mental health of the President of the Republic: institucional responses and procedural and substantive standards of approach]

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    Points of interest:

    • The article analyzes what would happen in Chile if the President of the Republic were to experience a mental health issue.
    • It studied the current Chilean law, which states that the Senate is responsible for declaring the president’s incapacity due to a physical or mental impairment.
    • The article reviewed cases from other countries, highlighting the United States, which has more research on mental health and politics.
    • It emphasizes that the stigma associated with mental health problems can negatively influence how these situations are handled.
    • It argues for a more inclusive and respectful view of the human rights of people with mental health issues, including political leaders.
    • The article proposes standards and procedures for this situation that align with international human rights standards.

     

    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 Spanish.

  6. Terapia Ocupacional Social Emancipatória: Contribuições para um marco teórico-metodológico fundamentado no materialismo histórico e dialético [Social Emancipatory Occupational Therapy: Contributions to a theoretical-methodological framework based on historical and dialectical non-materialism]

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    Summary:

    This publication offers a theoretical and methodological framework for understanding social occupational therapy from an emancipatory perspective, grounded in historical and dialectical materialism. It posits that human activities should not be understood solely as individual actions, but rather as practices shaped by social inequalities, power relations, and historical conditions. One of its main contributions is demonstrating that professional intervention can be geared not only toward alleviating immediate problems, but also toward strengthening social participation and transforming everyday life. Furthermore, the text provides concrete tools for analyzing activities, proposing actions, promoting radical participation, and intervening within the social fabric. It also highlights the political role of occupational therapy, as it can contribute to challenging oppressions linked to class, racism, patriarchy, and coloniality. Overall, the book provides a useful framework for building critical, collective practices committed to social justice.

     

    Notes:

  7. Trayectorias de luchas de la Asociación de Personas con Discapacidad del Guayas, Ecuador y del Colectivo Nacional de la Discapacidad de Chile [Struggles and Paths of the Association of Persons with Disabilities of Guayas, Ecuador, and the National Disability Collective of Chile]

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    Points of interest:

    • This article studies two organizations of people with disabilities: ASODISG in Ecuador and CONADIS in Chile. The goal is to understand how these organizations fight for their rights and how they take part in politics to raise issues and demands of people with disabilities.
    • Historically, people with disabilities have been excluded from important decisions. That is why disability social movements seek to have a voice and to change public policies based on their own experiences.
    • Disability movements have started using a human rights approach to defend the dignity, equality, and participation of people with disabilities. This approach sees people with disabilities as rights-holders, not as objects of charity.
    • The International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was very important for disability movements in Latin America. Although many countries signed it, there is still a big gap between the promises and what is actually done.
    • Ableism is a form of discrimination that treats people with disabilities as less valuable. Current policies favor more “productive” people and exclude those who do not fit that model.
    • The article highlights that the bodies of people with disabilities are not “passive objects”, but have the power to change reality. Marches, protests, and meetings are examples of this.
    • The article uses a qualitative case study approach. Interviews, focus groups, and direct participation in the organizations were done to understand the experiences of activists and how they organize to defend the rights of people with disabilities.
    • Although the International Convention is important, disability movements in Ecuador and Chile have gone further, creating their own ways of fighting that are also connected to other social movements in their communities.

     

    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 Spanish.

  8. Women with disabilities and the loss of custody of their children: “Carers, but not mothers”

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    Points of interest:

    • Historically, the motherhood of women with disabilities has been questioned due to negative representations about them. It is often assumed that women with disabilities cannot be mothers, and when they are, their ability to care for their children is doubted.
    • According to international literature, women with disabilities are at greater risk of losing custody of their children. However, in Chile, there is little evidence about this issue.
    • This article analyzes the experiences of three Chilean mothers with disabilities who faced legal proceedings regarding the custody of their sons or daughters.
    • The findings show several difficulties that women with disabilities must face in order to prove they are capable of being mothers.
    • The article concludes that, if proper support is provided and the disabling view is changed, mothers with disabilities can provide the care and parenting their children need.

     

    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.

  9. Doblemente desaparecidos [Doubly disappeared]

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    “Doubly Disappeared” is a historical research project in which we seek to reconstruct the stories of people with disabilities who were victims of political violence during the dictatorship in Chile, so that they are no longer made invisible and their stories may illuminate our present.

    In this document, we have compiled the stories we have found of 21 people with disabilities who were victims specifically of enforced disappearance and political execution.

    This work is incomplete and imperfect. We know that 21 is an unfair number; we have no doubt that other people with disabilities who were disappeared and executed are missing from this document. We also lack the identification of people with disabilities who survived detention and torture, and we even lack knowledge of the history of people who acquired a disability as a result of the detention and torture they were subjected to.

    “Doubly Disappeared” is an invitation to gather more information about these stories and add the history of other people with disabilities, but also to make the necessary reflections. It’s an invitation to talk with victims, family members, and memory sites, to address what these stories mean, and, above all, what the absence of those who were disappeared and executed has meant.

    If you have information about people with disabilities who were victims of the dictatorship in Chile, please write to us to continue expanding this registry at contacto@nucleodisca.cl

    Núcleo Milenio DISCA, December 5, 2024

    Check the report and stories here

    Political prisoners executed with Disabilities

    1. PEPITO
    2. HUGO ENRIQUE ALFARO CASTRO
    3. PEDRO PURÍSIMO BARRÍA ORDOÑEZ
    4. DANIEL ENRIQUE CÁCERES PEREDO
    5. LUIS HUMBERTO FUENTES FUENTES
    6. ERNESTO GALLARDO ZÁRATE
    7. NELSON JOSÉ MÁRQUEZ AGUSTO
    8. LUIS ARTURO NAVARRO PEÑA
    9. LUIS ENRIQUE PEREZ BALBONTIN
    10. JORGE MIGUEL SALAS PARADISI
    11. TEOBALDO SALDIVIA VILLALOBOS
    12. CARLOS VICENTE SALINAS FLORES
    13. JUAN FIDEL VALENCIA LÓPEZ
    14. PEDRO JUAN YAÑEZ PALACIOS

    Detained-Disappeared with Disabilities

    1. JOSÉ EMILIANO BALBOA BENITEZ
    2. JOSÉ ADOLFO GAMONAL SUAREZ
    3. SUSANA DEL ROSARIO GÓMEZ ANDRADE
    4. RAÚL BLADIMIR LEVEQUE CARRASCO
    5. AURELIO CLODOMIRO PEÑAILILLO SEPÚLVEDA
    6. RAIMUNDO SALAZAR MUÑOZ
    7. PEDRO JOSÉ VERGARA INOSTROZA