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The Law's approach to disability

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Professor Asunción de la Iglesia with the Vice Rector for Students, Tomás Gómez-Acebo. PHOTO: Manuel Castells
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The Assembly Hall of the Science Building was full for this first session of the series. PHOTO: Manuel Castells
04/02/14 11:26 Maria Luisa Guerrero

"What do you really feel when you are in front of a person with a disability, what is the natural reaction? People see ourselves in others, and we like to see ourselves well, but when the person is different, what is our look?" asked Asunción de la Iglesia to those present at the lecture series Capacitarse para entender la discapacidad (Training to understand disability). The aim of this course is to approach disability from different perspectives: five ways of looking at it in order to better understand its environment.

"There is currently a social injustice resulting from the underutilization of all that people with disabilities can contribute to society."

Asunción de la Iglesia, professor of Constitutional Law, was in charge of opening this cycle from the perspective of Law. The lecturer explained that we are all equal in dignity, because we are people, and therefore we have the same rights. We must remove the obstacles that prevent the equality and freedom that we postulate from being real and effective. "Reality must be changed with legal norms. And these rules always start with beautiful words that cannot remain on paper. Law proposes a model of inclusion: if the disabled have the same dignity, they must have equal opportunities," said Asunción.

The Constitutional Law professor remarked that although many people have a disability, they have other abilities, which in many cases are extraordinary. Asunción explained that "there is currently a social injustice derived from the waste of all that people with disabilities can contribute to society. Sometimes they are the element that unites families".

"Law proposes a model of inclusion: if the disabled have equal dignity, they must have equal opportunities."

"Disability is something we are all going to have to face, we will all have to live with it at some point in our lives," said Asuncion. Disability, when interacting with the environment, encounters barriers that prevent their full participation in society and equal conditions. The professor added that a person in a wheelchair does not feel disabled when they are in a building that has a ramp, but on the other hand, if there are three steps, they find themselves in a situation of inequality.

"We must discriminate positively, that is, we must favor them. The principles of equality serve for equals, but when the situation is disadvantageous, we must help them to be in a situation of equality, explained Asunción. She referred to the tools available to the law to help the disabled, among which are the prohibition of all discrimination, positive actions, tax benefits for assistance, in education, universal accessibility, etc.

The cycle, which is organized by Tantaka and CM Belagua, will take place in the Hexagon Auditorium from 2:30 to 3:30 pm.