Search

The purpose of this article is to give an account of the socio-ecological model of inclusion addressed to people who were in a condition of disability, their caregivers and the community of La Balsa district in the town of Chia. During the first phase of the study, the meanings given by the patients, their families and the support networks to the word “disability” were identified and it was found that these meanings were related to the difficulties that disabled people and their families must face in their day-to-day lives and how this condition might allow them to recognize their sheer value and potential. During the second phase, 42 people, among which were disabled individuals, caregivers, community leaders and a team formed by professionals in nursing, psychology and education participated in the process of construction of this model. The recollection of information related to the personal, family, social and community resources was done through a series of community forums and the use of strategies like the tree and sun metaphor, which have an evaluative and motivational character. These resources were central to identifying the nucleus of development at the personal, family, community, communication and well-being levels, which constituted the central elements of the project