Disability in Brazil

‘Our country is getting old’: the man changing how Brazil sees dementia. “Developing countries are getting old in a shorter period of time without resources and with poverty.” (2022, the Guardian)

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GDI Hub, Google and AT Scale launch pioneering project to test ‘Mobile at Assistive Tech’ in Kenya, Brazil and India. (2023, Global Disability Innovation Hub)

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The Situation of Black People with Disabilities in Brazil “The historical context of the black population with disabilities in Brazil is underpinned by the history of enslavement and the impacts of colonization that last until today.” (2023, Minority Rights Group)

A report on the situation for black and other marginalized persons with disabilities. (2022, Minority Rights Group)

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Ableist offensives and the fear of a crippled planet: challenges for disability activism. (In Portuguese, 2023, Athenea Digital)

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Braille

Beco de Batman gets graffiti in Braille a unique technique to make street art accessible. (In Portuguese, 2023, O Globo) See also a video feature in English from Star Tribune.

Braille: accessibility improves in Brazil, but still needs to advance. Almost one in four blind Brazilians are illiterate. (2023, Agência Brasil)

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Overview

Guidance for accessibility in museums (In Portuguese, 2023, SISEM-SP )

Dances of Queens Mercedes Baptista and Josy Brasil signs of racism and ableism in Afrobrasilian dance (In Portuguese, 2023, Capacitismes)

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Media

Portraits of Brazil with Disability A new podcast exploring a range of disability issues (in Portuguese, with transcription, 2022)

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Research

Discrimination and vulnerabilities: dialogues in the context of people with disabilities and elderly people bringing together research from different disciplines. (In Portuguese, 2024, Flávia Piva Almeida Leite et al)

An edition of Anthropological Horizons focussed on disability. (In Portuguese, 2022, Scielo)

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Online Accessibility

The Brazilians advocating for digital accessibility. (2022, Fair Planet)

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Higher Education

USP offers a unique inclusion and accessibility course to students of all undergraduate courses in all state universities in São Paulo. (In Portuguese, Feb, USP Journal)

Changes and challenges that disabled people bring to educational institutions. Feature exploring increased rates of enrolment but gaps in policies and teaching practices. (In Portuguese, 2023, Pesquisa FAPESP) See reflections on the Debrief.

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Proposal to make quota law more flexible provokes demonstrations. (In Portuguese, 2024, Diário PCD)

Disabled people from minority groups face more inequality in the labour market. (In Portuguese, 2023, Gife)

Unilever ordered to fulfil quota of contracting persons with disabilities and making an investment to professional development. (In Portuguese, 2023, Justiça do Trabalho)

A new approach is needed to ensure equality in the work place for autistic people:

“As an autistic woman from a favela, my experience with the job market has always been an uphill struggle because the selection processes are designed for neurotypical people, who generally are at ease with oral communication normative social skills, while the specific communication styles of autistic and neurodiverse people are not considered. My work with the Black Lives with Disabilities Matter Movement (Vidas Negras com Deficiência in Portuguese), a movement that focuses on race and disability [...] has helped me to understand that these selective processes were built to prioritize white and non-disabled bodies.” (2022, Minority Rights Group International)

Inclusion with Accessibility at Work a site with quite a few resources (in Portuguese, 2022)

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Overview

Access to primary healthcare services among adults with disabilities in Brazil:

“Participants expressed a solid understanding of their healthcare needs and existing obstacles. However, individuals with hearing and visual impairments experience challenges because of communication barriers. In Pernambuco, the Community Health Agent was often the initial point of contact for primary care services. Public transportation lacked accessibility, from buses to driver attitudes, posing difficulties for people with disabilities. More accessible transportation and improved urban infrastructure could enhance service access. High medication costs were reported due to limited healthcare unit availability. Communication accessibility issues, inadequate audio-visual resources and equipment were also identified as barriers. Attitudinal barriers among healthcare professionals and subpar home visit services further hinder access.” (2024, Revista de Saúde Pública)

Inclusion of disability in primary healthcare facilities and socioeconomic inequity. (2024, Saúde Pública)

Persons with disabilities access to health services: perceptions of primary care unit professionals. (In Portuguese, 2024, Saúde e Sociedade)

The National Health Policy for People with Disabilities: An Analysis of the Content, Context and the Performance of Social Actors. “Undoubtedly, the neoliberal offensive on social policies, especially the Unified Health System, is the main obstacle to the effective implementation of the [National Health Policy for Persons with Disabilities]” (2022, Health Policy and Planning)

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Rehabilitation

A situational analysis of rehabilitation policy and systems in Brazil

“For service users with disabilities, key challenges to accessing rehabilitation include high costs of transport, communication and information barriers, and long wait times.” (SSM - Health Systems)

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Overview

Research recovers history of education for people with visual impairment in Brazil. (In Portuguese, 2024, UFMG)

In memory of Flávia Diniz a leader in the Black Lives with Disabilities Matter Movement (VNDI). (In Portuguese, 2024, Ministry of Human Rights and Citizenship)

Persons with Disabilities and the Quota legislation from 1960 to 2020. A huge personal archive from Romeu Sassaki. (In Portuguese, 2023, Sociedade Inclusiva)

Romeu Sassaki died at 84 years old a vital figure working on inclusion in Brazil. (Links in Portuguese, 2022) See also an online meeting with tributes.

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Remembering Judy Heumann

World loses Judy Heumann (In Portuguese, 2023, Jornalismo Diário PcD)

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Empowering Voices: Advocating for indigenous people with disabilities worldwide, a submission to the UN. Focused on case studies from Kenya, Brazil, Nepal and Bangladesh:

“Persons with disabilities within indigenous communities experience disproportionate disadvantages because of the intersectional discrimination they face on account of multiple axes of oppression. Many disability activists from indigenous communities stress the importance of analyzing the historical context and its ongoing impacts, specifically slavery and colonialism. Within indigenous communities, disability cannot be extricated and analyzed outside the context of psychosocial disabilities and intergenerational trauma caused by colonial violence and oppression.” (2024, Minority Rights Group)

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Outrage as mentally ill Black man dies in police car ‘gas chamber’ (2022, the Guardian) See also on Human Rights Watch.

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Joselito’s Story his journey and advocacy:

“My life has been a tapestry woven with the threads of resilience, community, and advocacy, stitched together by the painful yet transformative experiences I have faced.” (2024, Africa Albinism Network)

Invisibility, prejudice and ableism: we need to deconstruct to construct. (In Portuguese, 2023, Viver Sem Preconceitos)

Would you buy a friend for your child with disability? Isolation lived by disabled people can lean to loneliness and psychological suffering. (In Portuguese, 2023, Sler)

An anti-guideline on accessibility to challenge the silos and specificity disability gets put into. (In Portuguese, 2022, SISEM-SP)

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New Disabilities Plan in Brazil Leaves Many Out ‘the plan, New “Living without Limits”, leaves out the thousands of people with disabilities who are living in institutions.’ (2024, Human Rights Watch)

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Lula apologises for using unfortunate language about people with intellectual disabilities. (In Portuguese, 2023, G1)

Lula received the presidential sash from representatives of minority groups including Ivan Baron, an anti-ableism influencer, wearing a white suit graffited with slogans. (In Portuguese, 2023, Globo)

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What changes in teaching practice when physical education focusses on inclusion (In Portuguese, 2023, Porvir)

Brazil leads way in making football accessible to autistic fans (2023, AlJazeera)

Great pictures of Paraskating (no image description, 2022, @Aurch, Instagram)

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