Pioneering parliamentarian Mar Garcellan praises Spain’s disability reforms

Mar Garceran’s confidence in speaking at the Valencian regional parliament is surprising. She is Spain’s first MP with Down syndrome and one of the few elected in all of Europe.

She is fighting to change Spanish society’s approach to people with disabilities, the official description of which will be amended in the constitution on Thursday.

Garceran, 46, was elected to the Valencia regional council in September, making him the first person with Down syndrome to be elected at a local or national level in Spain. Elected to parliament for the right-wing opposition People’s Party (PP), she wants to “change the way society views people with disabilities.”

And she welcomed the unusual move to amend Spain’s constitution to replace the word “disabled person”.Diminuid”) including “Persons with Disabilities,” which is expected to be approved by the Senate on Thursday.

Using the term “”Diminuid“” or equivalent colloquial expression “Minus valid” (“Not Very Justified”) has long been “offensive and derogatory to groups of people with disabilities,” she said.

The reform also expands their rights and is the third change to Spain’s constitution since it was approved in 1978, but the first of a social nature.

A member of PP since the age of 18, she spent many years in the civil service and always took a stand against the discrimination she faced because of her genetic condition. She spent four years as the director of Ashin Down, a Valencia-area foundation that supports families of children with Down syndrome. Garcellan says her own teenage years were filled with “rejection.” As she grew up, she had “acquaintances but no friends. Her real support network has always come from her family, who have always supported my decisions.” Masu”.

“Necessary” reforms

Since taking office, Garcellan has been active on Congress’ disability committee and believes a “bipartisan” approach is needed in the areas of health care, family, work and education.

For her, constitutional reform was one of her top priorities. Although it remains largely symbolic, Garcellan believes it is “fair” and “necessary.”

Until now, the text of Article 49 of the Constitution has held that Spain’s public authorities are responsible for policies regarding the “treatment, rehabilitation and integration of persons with physical, sensory and mental disabilities.”

The new version states that “persons with disabilities have rights”, that these rights must be exercised with “freedom and true equality without discrimination”, and that “the unique rights of women and girls with disabilities” It emphasizes the importance of being considerate of people’s needs.

A majority of Spanish MPs approved the reform in its first reading last Thursday. Only the far-right Vox faction voted against it.

Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez hailed the vote as “a great day for Spanish democracy”.

“We still have a long way to go to achieve full inclusion, embrace the diversity that defines us, and make visible what has been painfully ignored for too long.”