Instructors with Disabilities Form Majority in Training Course for Healthcare Services for People with Disabilities
This collab story authored by Patrica Almeida was first published at Inclusive News and has been translated from Portuguese.
The Ministry of Health, through the Sergio Arouca National School of Public Health (ENSP/Fiocruz), is offering an unprecedented specialization course to qualify healthcare professionals working on the implementation of the National Health Policy for Persons with Disabilities and within the Care Network for Persons with Disabilities.
Adopting representation as a core principle—in line with the motto “Nothing about us without us”—46% of the course’s instructors are people with disabilities. The program will train 230 individuals across Brazil.
According to student Luana Cavalcante, a woman with a disability, the course helps fight ableism within the care network and the healthcare system because it guarantees the active participation of people with disabilities themselves in educational and care spaces.
Student Adelane de Araújo, also a woman with a disability, stated:
“These training programs provide more than just technical qualifications; they strengthen our political presence. This helps shape individuals who can navigate the world consciously and critically, committed to social justice, humanized care, and defending rights daily.”
Teaching facilitator Estrela Rodrigues agrees: “It’s a groundbreaking program. We’ve never seen people with disabilities leading the way to this extent. Many healthcare professionals who had never really interacted with disabled people are already changing things for the better at work.”
Researcher Laís Silveira Costa from ENSP/Fiocruz, who coordinated the creation and rollout of the course, notes that “what really sets this program apart was recognizing the lived experiences of people with disabilities as a legitimate source of knowledge.”
Representation in Practice
The program prioritized real inclusion through the following metrics:
- 46% of the teaching staff are people with disabilities.
- For the first time in a postgraduate program, two professors with intellectual disabilities are part of the faculty.
- 69% of the student slots were allocated to the North, Northeast, and Central-West regions of Brazil.
- 54% of the participants are Black.
- 10% of the participants are people with disabilities.
According to coordinator Laís Silveira Costa, this structure seeks to break the traditional logic where healthcare professionals hold a hierarchical position over people with disabilities, instead valuing their autonomy and leadership.
The Debate on Ableism
Another highlight of the course is confronting ableism. Ableism is discrimination based on the idea that people with disabilities have less value or lower capabilities.
During classes, some participants reported that this was the first time they truly understood the concept, despite having worked in the care network for years. This debate expands technical training while strengthening political awareness, the defense of rights, social justice, and the humanization of care.
Production of Accessible Materials
ENSP also produced instructional booklets in accessible formats, including:
- Plain/simple language
- Cordel literature (a popular literary genre very common in Northeast Brazil)
- Libras (Brazilian Sign Language)
- Audio description
These materials cover essential topics such as:
- Inclusive human breastfeeding
- Sexual health and sexual rights
- Menstrual care
- Primary healthcare for people with disabilities
- Combating ableism
The publications are free, available online, and have also been distributed in print versions to support healthcare initiatives across the country.
Social Transformation and Changing Perspectives
The daily interaction between students and faculty with diverse backgrounds—including professors with intellectual disabilities—has promoted concrete changes in how professionals view people with disabilities and their families. The course does not just offer technical qualifications; it also strengthens autonomy, leadership, and social transformation.
An Example to Be Scaled
The ENSP experience shows that inclusion and representation must be an intrinsic part of professional training. More institutions can follow this path to build educational processes that are fairer, more accessible, and deeply committed to the rights of people with disabilities.
