Disability in Brazil

Curated news and resources on inclusion and rights

Library > Countries > South America > Brazil

This page has curated news from Brazil. There are a total of 33 links.

Highlights

In Ageing:

‘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)

In Black Lives Matter and Racial justice:

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)

In Digital Accessibility and Technology:

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

In Education and Childhood:

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.

In Health:

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)

Contents

Ageing

‘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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Assistive Technology

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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Black Lives Matter and Racial justice

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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Civil Society and Community

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

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Communication and Language

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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Culture, Entertainment and Media

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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Data and Research

Research

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

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Education and Childhood

Higher Education

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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Employment, Business and Work

Proposal to make quota law more flexible provokes demonstrations. (In Portuguese, Jan, 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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Health

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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History and Memorial

Overview

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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Indigenous People and Minority Communities

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.” (Feb, Minority Rights Group)

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Lived Experience and Opinion

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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Policy and Rights

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.’ (Jan, Human Rights Watch)

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Politics and Elections

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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Sport and Paralympics

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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