Shifting notions of disability in Brazil

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to comment on the article by Forrester-Jones and Carvalho and examine some issues on notions of disability in Brazil. Design/methodology/approach – Analysis of the specialized literature and a critical appraisal of key issues regarding notions of disability in Brazil. Findings – The authors focus on three issues: what could be characterized as learning disability in Brazil and how social movements, institutions and public policies shape and are shaped by local conceptions of disability; the limits of individual autonomy, independence and freedom in the case of learning disabilities and the social and historical particularities of the Brazilian case; and the role of the APAES and Pestalozzi Society both as a site of social exclusion and, more recently, as a source of expertise in the movement toward the development of “inclusive special education.” Originality/value – The commentary highlights some of the complexities of the local field of disability in Brazil.