Editor TLN
Viviana Cárdenas M. | Journalist Faculty of Legal and Social Sciences UACh.- «Disability and Citizenship in Latin America» was the name of the panel organized by the DISCA Millennium Nucleus at the Latin American Studies Association (LASA) Congress that took place on May 24 and 27, 2023, in Vancouver, Canada.
The director of the DISCA Millennium Nucleus, Florencia Herrera, and the alternate director, Paul Marshallwere present at the congress leading this panel that was divided into three parts and in which different Latin American researchers participated, addressing issues such as political participation of people with disabilities, parental experiences, sexuality and reproduction, access to health, among others. .
“The congress allowed us to learn about the work of Chilean researchers and researchers from other Latin American countries on the subject of disability and citizenship studies. It was super interesting to share their experiences, also because the hybrid model of the conference helped people who usually do not participate, “said the director of DISCA.
“This is a congress that has decades of history and that brings together academics from different disciplines of the social sciences and humanities interested in Latin American studies, however the issue of disability has been largely absent. Generally, there are very few presentations that address the issue of disability and – to our knowledge – this is the first time that multiple panels have been organized around disability studies,” he added.
“One of our objectives as the DISCA Millennium Nucleus, by organizing the ‘Disability and Citizenship in Latin America’ panel at LASA 2023, is to position the issue of disability as a relevant topic of study in the region,” concluded Florencia Herrera.
Latin American researchers from various universities around the world participated in the panel, such as the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, University of Leeds and the University of Western Ontario, and national study houses such as Universidad Diego Portales, Universidad Austral de Chile, Pontificia Universidad Católica of Chile, University of Atacama, University of La Frontera and University of Chile.
In addition, among the speakers were members of the DISCA team, doctoral students Constanza López -who is also part of the MICARE Millennium Institute- and Camila Peralta, along with DISCA directors Florencia Herrera and Pablo Marshall.
The Latin American Studies Association (LASA) is the world’s largest professional association that brings together individuals and institutions dedicated to the study of Latin America. With more than 13,000 members, of which more than 60% reside outside the United States, LASA is the association that brings together experts on Latin America from all disciplines and various occupational initiatives from around the world.
The Disability and Citizenship Millennium Nucleus (DISCA) is an interdisciplinary research center, focused on the study of the processes and mechanisms through which people with disabilities become citizens. It is financed by the National Agency for Research and Development (ANID).
Source and photographs: DISCA communications.
