THE IMPACT OF LEGISLATIVE FRAMEWORK ON THE
STRATEGIES OF DISABILITY ORGANIZATIONS:
Case Studies in Buenos Aires and Chicago
Mary MacLennan
RESEARCH QUESTION:
To what extent has legislative framework
impacted the strategies employed by
Access Living, in Chicago, USA and
La Usina in Buenos Aires, Argentina?
May 1, 2010
McGill University
Making Equal Rights Real
Vers la pleine réalisation de l'égalité des droits
Global Disability Situation

10% of the world’s population identify as
having a disability.

Many of the rights of people with disabilities,
such as those related to health, education
and housing, are not realized.

The legal framework, under which disability
organizations operate, greatly shapes their
strategies.
METHODOLOGY
Choice of Locations:
 two independent living organizations working in countries
guaranteeing a many rights (such as employment, health
care and education) but very different disability contexts
Selection of Case Studies:
 Access Living (Chicago, USA): successful legislative
campaigns particularly advancing special education and
housing
 La Usina (Buenos Aires, Argentina): successful awareness
campaigns, capacity building projects and innovative
approaches to education
Data collection:
 42 semi-structured interviews with program participants
organizers, politicians, academics and community
organizers; additionally, field notes were recorded
 Quantitative reports
Access Living, Chicago, USA
Disability in Chicago, USA
Legal History:
 1973 Rehabilitation Act
 Prohibits discrimination on the
basis of disability in programs
conducted by Federal agencies
and those receiving Federal
assistance
 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act
 Prohibits discrimination on the
basis of disabilities in
employment, public services,
privately operated public
accommodations, services and
televisions
 Chicago: renowned for active
disability community and
effective advocacy groups
Disability in Chicago, USA
Organization History:
 1980 part of the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago
 1984 official non-profit group
 Active role in key pieces of legislation, e.g. Chicago
mainline public transport, ADA, etc.
 2007 state-of-the-art disability-conscious building
Strategy and Implementation:

Legislative advocacy
 health, housing, education, economic and civil rights
 peer support groups and community activism
Disability in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Legal History:
 2.2 million people in Argentina
living with a disability

1981 Ley de Proteccion Integral
para los Discapacitados
 Prohibits discrimination against
persons with disabilities in
employment, education, and
provision of other state
services, and also mandates
access to buildings
 1994 modification passed
regarding accessibility
Disability in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Organization History:

2002 founding

2006 first media campaign

2008 initiation of protected
workshop programming
(Red Activos)
Strategy and Implementation:
 Awareness promotion
 media campaigns
 protected workshops
RESULTS:
Understanding the Creation of Strategy
Factors possibly explaining the difference in strategy
between Access Living’s legislative and La Usina’s
awareness approaches:
1. Enforcement
“I know they are implemented, but there are many laws out
there that are not enforced”.
Program Participant, Access Living, USA
2. Political and social will/political confidence
“Here people are afraid because there is not much trust
between government and citizens. It’s quite different in
different cultures”.
Coordinator, La Usina, Argentina
RESULTS:
Understanding the Creation of Strategy
3. Education about Rights
“There is only one certificate for all disabled people. It is very
hard to find information on its existence and is difficult to get…In
Argentina we calculate 2.8 million people with disabilities. That’s
quite a lot and only the 15% have the certificate”.
Coordinator at La Usina, Argentina
4. Cooperation between governmental and nongovernmental organizations
“I think they (NGOs) absolutely have made a difference in terms
of raising awareness. They are powerful and hold their elected
officials accountable by expressing their support and
disappointment through political activism”.
State Representative, Illinois, USA
The White House, Washington, DC, USA
The Pink House, Buenos Aires, Argentina
RESULTS:
Important Context-Independent Findings
1.
Promotion of awareness and legislative advocacy
needs to be done
“We need both. Because if people are more aware, they are going
to demand that the rights of people with disabilities are enforced”.
Coordinator, La Usina, Argentina
2.
Significance of context-dependent approaches
when working in a cross-disability environment and
the importance of employment
“Some of the biggest challenges we are facing include geographic
differences in the city, ethnic, cultural and racial differences, in
addition to the political economy”.
Coordinator, Access Living, USA
Conclusions
1. Legal framework impacts the strategies employed by
Access Living and La Usina, particularly through law
enforcement, political and social will, education about
rights, and cooperation between government and nongovernment sectors.
2. Public awareness and legislative action should be
addressed in a context-dependent manner when
promoting the health and well-being of individuals with
disabilities.
Discussion
1. In what ways can legal framework indirectly impact the lives of
people with disabilities and the strategies employed by disability
organizations?
2. How can a country increase disability law enforcement, political
and social will, education about rights, and cooperation between
government and non-government sectors?
3. What are some effective ways of changing social perception of
people with disabilities?