A historical evolution of the rights of people with disabilities, a look from the psychology of special needs

Abstract

This study aims to investigate and understand the historical undervaluation, prejudice, and social exclusion of people with disabilities, as well as the process of achieving their rights in Brazil and the role of psychology in inclusion and special needs. It is a qualitative literature review based on previously published material for conceptualization and contextualization of the topic, using databases such as the CAPES Periodicals Portal, SciELO, and Google Scholar. The methodology chosen was the inductive method and a literature review that considers the importance of recognizing the laws implemented that refer to disabilities and the role of special needs psychology. Data collection involved exploratory reading, selective reading, and recording of information from the sources (authors, year, method, and results). Data processing and analysis were interpretive. From the collected data, three interpretive axes were constructed for the analysis: the historical undervaluation, prejudice, and social exclusion of people with disabilities, and the achievement of the rights of people with disabilities from a psychological perspective.