The Growing Independent Living Movement of People with Disabilities in Latin America: Two Women Who Changed Their Lives and Their Country through Training in Japan

The Growing Independent Living Movement of People with Disabilities in Latin America: Two Women Who Changed Their Lives and Their Country through Training in Japan

In Central and South America, a system is being developed to enable people with disabilities to lead independent lives while receiving necessary assistance. Noteworthy are the efforts of two persons with disabilities living in Costa Rica and Bolivia, who, after returning to Japan following JICA’s training program in Japan, mobilized the government to enact a law to support independent living for persons with disabilities.

December 3 is the International Day of Persons with Disabilities designated by the United Nations to promote the participation of persons with disabilities in society. The program will focus on the activities of the two men, and will also consider the spread of the independent living movement in Latin America and JICA’s efforts to address disability and development.

My experience in Japan overturned my idea of “self-reliance” “I thought I was an independent person. But when I came to Japan and underwent training, that idea was completely overturned.

Wendy Barrantes, the head of Morpho, a center for independent living for people with disabilities in Costa Rica, was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy at the age of two and a half and soon after began living in a wheelchair. In 2009, at the age of 35, he came to Japan and participated in a month-and-a-half training program to learn about “independent living” as part of a task-specific training program conducted by JICA and Mainstream Association (Nishinomiya City, Hyogo Prefecture). The association is a center for independent living for people with disabilities run by people with disabilities themselves. For Wendy, who until then had mainly received assistance from her family and lived with them, the experience of this training was completely new.

In Japan, people with disabilities more severe than mine were communicating their needs, receiving necessary assistance, and living on their own. Seeing this changed my own perspective on independence. I strongly felt that I wanted to make it possible for people with disabilities in my home country of Costa Rica to live the same kind of life that I experienced in Japan, and that is what motivates me today.”

Upon returning to Japan, Wendy immediately set to work, establishing Morpho, a center for independent living for people with disabilities run by people with disabilities themselves, in 2011. She then began working toward the enactment of the “Law for the Promotion of Independence of Persons with Disabilities (Independence Law),” which would institutionalize the dispatch of caregivers to persons with disabilities, believing that a legal framework was needed to realize independent living. This law also aims for equality under the law, allowing people with mental or intellectual disabilities, who were previously considered legally incompetent and prohibited from being the subject of contracts for acquiring property, to own property without guardianship in the same way as people without disabilities. After various activities to pass this law, the “Independence Law” was finally passed in 2016. This was the first time in Latin America that an assistance dispatch service for people with disabilities was realized.

Currently, Morpho is also involved in the operational part of the “Independence Act” by providing training for caregivers and screening caregiver dispatch services.

Seeds of Independence Sown in Costa Rica Bearing Fruit in Latin American Countries This August, eight Paraguayan leaders with disabilities participated in a 10-day training program in Morpho, Paraguay, in order to learn about the advanced developments in Costa Rica. The Paraguayan participants came into contact with persons with disabilities who have achieved independent living in Costa Rica, deepened their understanding of the significance of independent living and the role of independent living centers, and also experienced the importance of realizing a symbiotic society where all people can live comfortably regardless of disabilities through the use of public transportation and visits to tourist spots. The participants also experienced the importance of realizing a symbiotic society where all people, regardless of disability, can live comfortably.

Wendy Wendy, a Costa Rican national with a disability, said, “We have conducted online seminars for other Latin American countries to share the Costa Rican experience, but this was our first face-to-face training and it was very fruitful. We were able to have people recognize the importance of caregivers in independent living for people with disabilities by giving them hands-on experience with assistance, and we were also able to conduct a lot of dialogue about how to establish a system to achieve independent living,” Wendy recalls. She said she hopes to follow up on their activities in the future as they work toward the passage of the “Independent Living Act” in Paraguay.

I am proud that the seeds of “Independent Living” planted in Costa Rica have borne fruit and are spreading to other countries in Latin America. Each country is currently in the process of drafting its own legislation, which, if implemented, will benefit an estimated 83 million people with disabilities in Latin America. If we have a strong will, we can accomplish this. We will continue to work hand in hand with people with disabilities in other countries to change reality and the world. Wendy looks ahead.

People change, society changes. I want to put this into practice in Bolivia. Bolivia is one example where the seeds planted by Ms. Wendy have borne fruit. Ms. Feliza Ali Ramo, who serves as president of the Bolivian Network for Self-Reliance “Redivo,” is one of those who have moved the country through their own activities. Since returning to Japan, she has established associations of people with disabilities in each Bolivian province, and has so far held five national congresses in various parts of Bolivia calling for the enactment of the “Independence Act. This December, the “Independence Act” bill is scheduled to be submitted to the National Assembly.

I am greatly influenced by Wendy’s powerful activities in Costa Rica. She was in a car accident at the age of 27 and has been in a wheelchair ever since. At one time, I could not accept my disability and thought that the government should help those of us with disabilities who are the ‘victims.

Like Wendy, Feliza’s change was triggered by the issue-specific training that JICA conducted with the Mainstream Association. She says that seeing people with severe disabilities living on their own with the help they need made her realize once again that she, too, is a human being. She said, “If we take the initiative and take action, society will change. I came back to Bolivia with a strong determination to put this into practice in Bolivia,” Feliza recalls. Feliza recalls.

Our future goal is to expand and establish the two Centers for Independent Living for Persons with Disabilities that currently exist in the country to each of the Bolivian provinces. In order for each center to be financially independent and provide assistance services and other services, they will need public support and collaboration with a wide range of partners. There are still challenges, but Feliza is looking forward.

Before, I was the only one in Bolivia shouting for independent living for people with disabilities. But now many people are speaking up. People can change, and after the training I received from JICA and the Mainstream Association, I have even come to appreciate having a disability. I am very happy now that I am able to do this work with passion.”

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