Views of disability in Portugal: ‘fado’ or citizenship?

Abstract

Disability research in Portugal is scarce and often lacks the perspective of disabled people. This paper tries to bring insights from leaders of disability associations about the community of disabled people in Portugal, the barriers to their politicization and links with disabled identity. It seems that most disabled people get trapped in a tragic paradigmatic vicious cycle due to a system-induced disempowerment which is sustained by a dominant individual and remediation model that extends to families, society, policies and politicians. The disabled associative movement has been unable to reach the majority of disabled people. Suggestions are thus made in order to transform this social reality by disseminating politically aware alternative disability paradigms and the possibility of a positive disabled identity, as well as by generating societal involvement in disability as a public matter.

Keywords:

• sociopolitical model
• politicization
• identity
• disability associations
• disabled community
• barriers

Acknowledgements

Ema Loja is a PhD student supported by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia.

Notes

1. Fado literally means fate and is a type of Portuguese singing with a nostalgic or a melancholic tone that speaks about loss or the harsh realities of life, sometimes with a sense of resignation (Britannica Online Encyclopedia 2010).