Disabled people describe the gaps
The investigation drew on 60 interviews, including 30 with disabled people, in Montevideo and Salto in August 2023. HRW disability rights specialist Carlos Ríos Espinosa called for the system to cover everyone needing support and for disabled people’s organisations to be involved in improving it. [1]
An assistant’s schedule affects access to work
The report described the experience of Adriana Paciel, a 56-year-old lawyer. She received 20 hours of assistance a month through a smaller partial-support scheme. She told HRW that her assistant’s available hours did not match her working day, limiting her control over when she could leave home. [2]
The official programme links assistance with autonomy
The social development ministry’s 2024 programme description provided for 80 hours of personal assistance a month under the main scheme. It said hours should be arranged around users’ wishes and needs, with autonomy as an objective. HRW’s findings raised questions about access to that support and its fit with everyday life. [3][2]