Legislating for inclusion

As part of the events celebrating the 40th anniversary of Social Work studies at Comillas, the Department of Sociology and Social Work of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (Comillas CIHS) and the Madrid Agency for the Support of Adults with Disabilities (hereinafter, AMAPAD) organized the conference “Law 8/2021 as a guarantee of rights for people with disabilities: experiences, challenges and opportunities” in which different agents and people with disabilities talked about this measure.

The rector of Comillas Pontifical University, Enrique Sanz, SJ, was in charge of opening the conference, together with Concepción Dancausa, Minister of Family, Youth and Social Policy of the Community of Madrid.

During her speech, the Minister congratulated Comillas and recalled that the new law represents a paradigm shift. “The goal now is to maximise the autonomy of people with disabilities. Language is key as a factor of inclusion and knowledge of rights, which is why terms such as guardianship and disablement have been eliminated” she claimed.

The rector of the university also congratulated the department and emphasised the importance of the terms autonomy, knowledge of the law and good practice. "The university unites people around a common interest. At Comillas we believe in people, and in people with disabilities. We also believe in collaboration, in this case with the Community of Madrid, and in training in a new social context”.

After the opening, a series of presentations and round tables addressed both the practical and theoretical aspects of the new law in front of a large group of attendees.