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Disability in Uruguay

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Disability in Uruguayis often described historically and culturally by themedical model of disability.Much of current government policy surrounds the use of trained and paidcaregiversfor people with severe disabilities and many people who need assistive devices have not been able to access these.

In 2008, Uruguay adopted theConvention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.The government has worked to make more places physically accessible and to provide interpreters forUruguayan Sign Language(LSU) which is recognized as a minority language.

History

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In the early history of Uruguay, people withmental disabilitieswere often not treated.[1]However, one of the first patients taken into the Charity Hospital ofMontevideoin 1788 was a person who was brought in due to amental disorder.[1]During theUruguayan Civil Warin 1843, medical care was disrupted.[1]After the civil war, an influx of physicians from England and France helped develop more technical knowledge ofpsychiatry.[1]Uruguay established its firstmental institutionin 1860.[1]Reforms took place in the late 19th century, leading to the creation of "therapeutic communities" and "sheltered homes" in the early 20th century.[1]In much of the early half of the 20th century, care for mental disabilities was only available in Montevideo.[1]

Special education in Uruguay was created in 1910 by the Council for Primary Education (Consejo de Educación Primaria), setting up schools for students who wereDeafor who hadspeech disorders.[2]

In Uruguay, the Deaf community and the community of people with disabilities are allies, but are not closely connected due to a difference in their histories.[3]Groups representing people with disabilities began to push for their rights in the 1980s.[3]Also in the late 1980s, Uruguay created a proposal forbilingual educationfor Deaf children which was intended to serve as a model for other countries.[4]Prior to the 1980s, few Deaf individuals went on to secondary school and many in the community werepathologized.[5]After changes in the law and encouragement of bilingual education, more in the Deaf community are accessing education and went on to university.[5]

Demographics

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The rate ofpeople with disabilitiesin Uruguay, according to a 2006 survey done by theNational Institute of Statisticsand the Honorary National Commission on Disability found that it was at 9.2 percent overall.[6]The capital city ofMontevideohad a higher rate of people with disability than the rest of the country at 11.5 percent and more of these people were living in poverty.[7]

People with disabilities in Uruguay have a significantly lower rate of economic participation than people without disabilities.[8]

Policy

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Governmental policy in Uruguay has increasingly become "rights-based" in focus.[9]This is in contrast to the country's initialmedicalizedbasis for instituting policy for people with disabilities.[10]Around 2005, the government transferred the National Disability Programme from theMinistry of Healthto theMinistry of Social Development.[11]

Since around 2005, whenFrente Ampilo(FA) took control of the government, special attention has been paid to the role of unpaidcaregiversin Uruguay.[9]In older welfare programs in the country, the role of unpaid caregivers was largely ignored.[9]In recent years, starting in 2012, programs to professionalize caregivers has provided an income for these formerly unpaid laborers who provided services to children, the elderly and people with disabilities.[9]The care system was formally launched in 2016 and provides training for caregivers.[12]

The first time the category of "disabled" was included in the national census was in 2011.[7]

Non-governmental organizations

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The first organization led by people speakingUruguayan Sign Language(LSU), was the Uruguayan Association of Deaf People (Asociación de Sordos del UruguayASUR), founded in 1928.[13]In the 1980s, another group began to work with ASUR, the Deaf People's Research and Development Centre (Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo para la Persona SordaCINDE), and advocated forcivil rightsfor the Deaf community.[14]Other organizations for the Deaf community in Uruguay exist in towns throughout the country.[14]

Movimiento Estamos Tod@s En Acción (META) is an international group for young people with disabilities.[15]META has membership in 10 different countries, including Uruguay.[15]

Legislation

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The Criminal Code, Article 30, provides for individuals who have committed a criminal offense to not face liability for their actions if they have a mental disability.[1]Psychiatric care and hospitalization is regulated by Law No. 9581.[1]

The National Disability Programme was established by Article 256 of Act No. 18,172.[11]

In 2008, Uruguay adopted theConvention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities,through Act No. 18,418.[16]In 2010, Uruguay protected individuals with disabilities in Act No. 18,651 which protects their rights to access health care, education and which provides benefits and financial help as needed.[17]

The Care Act (No. 19,353) passed in November 2015 makescaregivingan act that all children, the elderly and people with disabilities have the right to access.[18]

Law No. 19,529 on Mental Health was passed in August 2017.[19]The law relies on themedical model of disability.[19]

Education

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People with disabilities in Uruguay are less likely to get a higher education than people without disabilities.[8]A study done in 2004 found that children between the ages of 4 and 15 with disabilities only attended school at 88 percent of the non-disabled population and that only 32 percent complete primary school.[7]UNICEFreported in 2017 that 1 in 3 children with severe disabilities did not have access to education and that 1 out of 4 children with disabilities go on to complete secondary education.[20]

As of 2017, schools in Uruguay were still not prepared to include children with disabilities into their classrooms.[20]

The Deaf community of Uruguay are taught inUruguayan Sign Language(LSU).[21]The Council for Primary Education (Consejo de Educación Primaria) in 1987 created a proposal forbilingual educationfor LSU speakers in schools.[4]The 2008 General Education Law refers to the use of "mother tongues" in article 40 and pushes towards a more bilingual method of instruction including sign language.[22]A law passed in 2001 designates LSU as the "natural language" for the Deaf community in Uruguay, as does the 2008 General Education Law.[22]In 2008, the National Administration of Public Education (ANEP), instituted mandatory bilingual education for natural speakers of LSU.[23]

Accessibility

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An inaccessible ramp inMaldonado, Uruguayin 2017.

In 2008, laws were passed to providephysical accessibilityto all public areas and also to provide public information access.[3]Parking spaces reserved for people with disabilities is only available in areas for shopping, hospitals and government buildings.[24]

Less than 50 percent of individuals with disabilities who need anassistive devicesaid that they had received one, according to a 2011 census.[10]

Aprostheticlab in Uruguay was created in 2011, through a cooperation agreement with Cuba.[25]In 2013, the National Centre for Technical and Technological Assistance was created to provide aid to people with disabilities.[25]

Interpreters for theDeafin city government exists most often in Montevideo, with less access in other cities.[5]Some news programs also provide interpreters.[5]Uruguay has also mandated that all television channels needed to have interpreters for other types of programs and complete the project in 2020.[26]However, the Deaf do not have adequate access to interpreters in the health system as of 2012.[27]

Cultural attitudes

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Disability activists in Uruguay reject themedical model of disabilityand focus instead on a human-rights approach to dealing with issues relating to people with disabilities.[9]However, there is still an overall cultural attitude that relies on the medical model when thinking or talking about people with disabilities.[28]

The Uruguayan Deaf community usesUruguayan Sign Language(Lengua de Señas Uruguaya,LSU).[29]The Deaf community in Uruguay have often been treated as speakers of a "minority language" in the country where Spanish is thenational language.[22]

Sport

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Since 2015, Uruguay has been hosting an Inclusive Surf Festival to raise awareness about human rights for people with disabilities.[citation needed]The festival, held atBrava Beachin Montevideo, has helped raise money and bring disability rights activists in Uruguay together.[citation needed]

See also

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References

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  1. ^abcdefghiCasarotti, Humberto (3 March 2016). "Brief history of psychiatry in Uruguay".International Review of Psychiatry.28(2): 205–206.doi:10.3109/09540261.2016.1158705.ISSN0954-0261.PMID27010442.S2CID40285355.
  2. ^Lorenzo, Eloisa G. de (1995)."Special Education Services for Rural Areas in Uruguay: A Proposed Model".In Artiles, Alfredo J.; Hallahan, Daniel P. (eds.).Special Education in Latin America: Experiences and Issues.Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 116.ISBN978-0-275-94667-8.
  3. ^abcMeyers, Stephen; Lockwood, Elizabeth (6 December 2014)."The Tale of Two Civil Societies: Comparing disability rights movements in Nicaragua and Uruguay".Disability Studies Quarterly.34(4).doi:10.18061/dsq.v34i4.3845.ISSN2159-8371.
  4. ^abBehares, Brovetto & Crespi 2012,p. 524.
  5. ^abcdBehares, Brovetto & Crespi 2012,p. 526.
  6. ^United Nations 2015,p. 5.
  7. ^abcUnited Nations 2015,p. 6.
  8. ^ab"I too am a woman: Uruguayan women with disabilities speak out for their rights".UN Women.3 December 2012.Retrieved1 July2020.
  9. ^abcdeGrugel, Jean; Riggirozzi, Pia (4 March 2018)."New directions in welfare: rights-based social policies in post-neoliberal Latin America".Third World Quarterly.39(3): 527–543.doi:10.1080/01436597.2017.1392084.ISSN0143-6597.S2CID158248383.
  10. ^abUnited Nations 2015,p. 7.
  11. ^abUnited Nations 2015,p. 8.
  12. ^"How a new law in Uruguay boosted care services while breaking gender stereotypes".International Labour Organization.27 August 2018.Retrieved2 July2020.
  13. ^Behares, Brovetto & Crespi 2012,p. 524-525.
  14. ^abBehares, Brovetto & Crespi 2012,p. 525.
  15. ^abO'Haver, Kimberly (1 December 2017)."How Young People in Latin America Are Bringing Disability Rights into the Mainstream".Open Society Foundations.Retrieved2 July2020.
  16. ^United Nations 2015,p. 4.
  17. ^United Nations 2015,p. 4-5.
  18. ^"In Uruguay, care law catalyzes change, ushering services and breaking stereotypes".UN Women.28 February 2017.Retrieved1 July2020.
  19. ^abUruguay: Steady Progress, Persistent Debts(PDF).London: Amnesty International. 2016. p. 8.
  20. ^ab"Uruguay"(PDF).UNICEF Annual Report 2017.Retrieved2 July2020.
  21. ^Behares, Brovetto & Crespi 2012,p. 521-22.
  22. ^abcBehares, Brovetto & Crespi 2012,p. 523.
  23. ^Behares, Brovetto & Crespi 2012,p. 523-524.
  24. ^"Uruguay".The FIA Guide for the disabled traveller.Retrieved2 July2020.
  25. ^abUnited Nations 2015,p. 17.
  26. ^Tabarez, Nicolas (1 October 2019)."Lengua de señas en Uruguay: cómo es, dónde se estudia y en qué programas se incluirá".El Observador(in Spanish).Retrieved2 July2020.
  27. ^Behares, Brovetto & Crespi 2012,p. 527.
  28. ^Mancebo Castro, Mariana (2016)."El Accionar Colectivo en Torno a la Discapacidad en Uruguay".Revista Uruguaya de Ciencia Política(in Spanish).25(2): 93–94 – via EBSCOhost.
  29. ^Behares, Brovetto & Crespi 2012,p. 519.

Sources

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