Abstract

BERNARDES, Liliane Cristina Gonçalves  and  ARAUJO, Tereza Cristina Cavalcanti Ferreira de. Disability, public policies and bioethics: the perception of public administrators and legal counselors. Ciênc. saúde coletiva [online]. 2012, vol.17, n.9, pp. 2435-2445. ISSN 1413-8123.  http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S1413-81232012000900024.

A descriptive study of the perception of public administrators and counselors regarding disability was conducted on the basis of bioethical reflections on human rights. The survey involved 50 participants, divided into two groups: 29 counselors on the rights of disabled people and 21 specialists in public policies and government administration. The data obtained was submitted to descriptive statistical analysis. In general, the results showed that for counselors disability is a social issue and should be shared by society, whereas for public administrators it is predominantly a personal tragedy limited to the individual and family sphere. It is considered that this differentiated view arises from different perspectives regarding the allocation of public resources. It is also necessary to stress the importance of living with a disability, or living with people with disabilities, to base the assessment of quality and satisfaction with life experienced by people with disabilities and contribute to the elaboration of public policies. Similar studies with more comprehensive and diversified samples are recommended, as well as the adoption of participative and qualitative methodologies.

Keywords : People with disabilities; Bioethics; Public policies; Counselors on human rights; Public administrators.