All access

KU researcher helps Peru improve independence for people with disabilities

People in the United States with disabilities have found it easier to go where they want, do the things they love and find meaningful employment since the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed in 1990. Now, a KU researcher is leading a group of Americans who are sharing what they’ve learned about independent living with disability advocates in Peru.

Glen White, director of the Research and Training Center on Independent Living and professor of applied behavioral science, organized the U.S.-Peru Independent Living Working Summit, held in January in Lima. Eight other Americans attended the summit. Also participating were KU master’s student Chiaki Gonda and KU visiting scholar Toshiyuki Chiba.

White has made 14 visits to Peru since 1998. As a person who uses a wheelchair, he knows firsthand that the physical and cultural environment for people with disabilities in Peru could be much improved. Yet that has not stopped him from visiting Machu Picchu and other places in Peru that can be challenging to navigate even for the nondisabled. White and his colleagues bring the same determination to improving the quality of life for Peruvians with disabilities.

The Independent Living Working Summit focused on ways to improve services and advocacy for Peruvians with disabilities. The American team met with leaders in the Peruvian disability community to discuss issues including transportation and equal opportunity laws. They also analyzed ways specific Peruvian communities could benefit from creating a Center for Independent Living.

In the United States, federally funded Centers for Independent Living are located in most major cities. They advocate for the rights of people with disabilities and provide them with training programs and support services to help them achieve self-sufficient and productive lives.

The U.S.-Peru summit culminated in a presentation in the senate chamber of the Peruvian congress. More than 150 people attended to learn about the independent living movement and philosophy in the United States, which focuses on social attitudes and physical barriers rather than a person’s limitations. It emphasizes policies and practices that promote accommodations to help people with disabilities live more independently.

“During my first visit to Peru in 1998, I conducted a survey about problems that frustrated Peruvians with disabilities, such as inaccessible neighborhoods, lack of employment, discrimination and lack of accessible transportation,” White said. “Since then I’ve had a vision of bringing an independent living ‘dream team’ from the U.S. to help establish an independent living movement and a Center for Independent Living in Peru. We want the momentum from this summit to continue so that real changes can be made to benefit Peruvians with disabilities.” The U.S. team is continuing to meet to make plans for the future.

In recent years, White has also helped bring Peruvian disability leaders to conferences in Hawaii and Washington, D.C., to learn more about American approaches to independent living. He credited his colleagues in Peru for developing increased leadership capacity by conducting workshops for emerging disability leaders on community problem solving and advocacy. In this work, they have used materials developed by the Research and Training Center on Independent Living as well as materials in Spanish from KU’s Community Tool Box, a project of the Work Group for Community Health and Development.

White has traveled with study abroad classes of KU students to learn about Peruvian culture and disability and hopes to return next year. What they experience could lead to a new generation of advocates for people with disabilities in the United States and other countries around the world.