Breaking Down Barriers: Findings from a Literature Review on Housing for People with Disabilities in Latin America

Abstract

Accessibility to housing is crucial for people with disabilities as it provides them with equal opportunities and allows them to live independently. A systematic literature review has been conducted to understand the current research on accessibility in housing for people with disabilities in Latin America. The study analysed 56 papers and used co-word analysis to identify common themes and topics within the documents. The results of the analysis showed that Brazil (61%) is the country with the most research on the subject, physical disability, at 36%, is the impairment most analysed, and interventions or analysis for the elderly (45%) in their homes is the most researched type of population. The co-word analysis revealed that topics such as policy, regulations, the use of technologies, ergonomics interventions, and architectural criteria or barriers to the daily life of disabled people were frequently discussed in the papers. Although this work shows a substantial and growing increase in research on housing for people with disabilities in Latin America, it also demonstrates the importance of increasing research on other types of impairment, such as visual and cognitive-intellectual disabilities, and including children, caregivers, or even young adults.

Architectural needs in housing for people with disabilities

“…(8) Además, la aplicación de las nuevas normativas en la materia ha sido lenta y, según el país, la información y las estadísticas sobre la cantidad necesaria de viviendas accesibles son limitadas. (9) Una alternativa para afrontar estos retos es desarrollar criterios para adecuar adecuadamente estas viviendas, ya que la alternativa de un realojo puede aislar a las personas de sus redes de apoyo y sociales.…”

“…(13) En cuanto al tipo de discapacidades analizadas, los estudios tienden a focalizarse en la movilidad física ya que es más fácil observar en terreno las barreras arquitectónicas que les presenta el entorno. (14) Pero en contrapartida, otros tipos de discapacidad, como la sensorial (visual o acústica) (15) o la cognitiva (9) , no se han estudiado en profundidad.…”