By Kree Pace
Faculty advisor: Dr. Elizabeth Lewis
2:00-2:50pm HCC 328
I will be presenting my findings about disability in the education systems of Bolivia and Chile. Bolivia is one of the poorest countries in Latin America, while Chile is one of a much more stable economy. Two main models of disability are medical and social. The medical model presents disability as only a negative trait and suggests that disabled individuals are a burden or mistake to be fixed. The social model presents disability as a neutral or even positive trait and suggests that what really debilitates people are the barriers set up by a society, and that disabled individuals deserve support and accommodations. Much has been done to improve inclusion and accommodations for students with disabilities in Bolivia and Chile. There have been many efforts to follow the social model of disability and support disabled individuals in their education through changes in policies and organizations. However, both Bolivia and Chile fall into the medical model as discrimination and lack of policy enforcement prevents true inclusion.
