ISSN: 2958-1524 DOI:hps://doi.org/10.57247/rgp.v1i1.101

Guatemalan Journal of Psychology

Steps in the implementation of care policies for the population with disabilities in the

USAC. Challenges and possibilities

Pasos en la implementación de las políticas de atención a la población con discapacidad

en la USAC. Retos y posibilidades

Karla Amparo Carrera Vela

Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala

kcarrera@psicousac.edu.gt

Macjorie Beatriz Avila García

Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala

[email protected]u.gt

Francisco José Ureta Morales

Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala

Gabriela Alvarez García

Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala

[email protected]

Verónica Jeannette Estada Gonzalez

Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala

[email protected]u.gt

Abstract

This article reflects the analysis and synthesis of the main theoretical and methodological aspects of four research papers on the

Policies for the care of the disabled population that were approved in 2014 at the USAC. These works were carried out by four

graduates of the first cohort of the Master’s Degree in Social Analysis of Disability (2016-2017). Two of the investigations started

from

a qualitative methodological approach, one investigation had a mixed approach and one, a quantitative approach. The four works

were carried out in two or more academic units of the USAC, among them: School of Psychological Sciences, School of Political

Science, Faculty of Architecture, Faculty of Engineering and Faculty of Economic Sciences. The investigations included the

participation of students with disabilities, teachers, coordinators and experts in the field. Among the main results are that at the

date of publication of the investigations: there was a lack of knowledge in the academic units on how to consistently implement

the Policies for the care of the population with disabilities; openness on the part of teachers, students and authorities was

evidenced, however, it is essential to have close accompaniment so that the actions carried out become a mechanism that

guarantees the entry, transit and graduation of students from higher education. The operationalization of the Policies requires a

budgetary, methodological and monitoring infrastructure, having clarity on the actors responsible for each part of the process.

Keywords

barriers, educational system, exclusion, reasonable accommodation

Resumen

En el presente artículo se plasma el análisis y síntesis de los principales aspectos teóricos y metodológicos de cuatro trabajos de

investigación en torno a las Políticas de atención a la población con discapacidad que fueron aprobadas en 2014 en la USAC.

Dichos trabajos fueron realizados por cuatro egresadas de la primera cohorte de la Maestría en Análisis Social de la Discapacidad

(2016-2017). Dos de las investigaciones partieron de un enfoque metodológico cualitativo, una investigación tuvo enfoque mixto y

una, enfoque cuantitativo. Los cuatro trabajos se realizaron en dos o más unidades académicas de la USAC, entre ellas: Escuela de

Ciencias Psicológicas, Escuela de Ciencia Política, Facultad de Arquitectura, Facultad de Ingeniería y Facultad de Ciencias

Económicas. En las investigaciones se contó con la participación de estudiantes con discapacidad, docentes, coordinadores y

expertos en la materia. Entre los principales resultados se encuentran que a la fecha de publicación de las investigaciones: existía

desconocimiento en las unidades académicas sobre la forma de implementar de forma consistente las Políticas de atención a la

población con discapacidad; se evidenció apertura por parte de docentes, estudiantes y autoridades, sin embargo, es fundamental

tener acompañamiento cercano para que las acciones realizadas se constituyan en un mecanismo que garantice el ingreso, el

tránsito y el egreso de los estudiantes de la educación superior. La operativización de las Políticas, requieren una infraestructura

presupuestaria, metodológica y de seguimiento, teniendo claridad en los actores responsables de cada parte del proceso.

Palabras clave

barreras, sistema educativo, exclusión, ajustes razonables

Recibido: 05/06/2022

Aceptado: 22/09/2022

Publicado: 28/11/2022

Guatemalan Journal of Psychology

DOI:hps://doi.org/10.57247/rgp.v1i1.101 ISSN: 2958-1524

Introduction

The School of Psychological Sciences (ECPs)

of the University of San Carlos of Guatemala

(USAC) is a pioneer in generating inclusive

education processes for students with

disabilities in higher education. From different

areas, it has carried out strategic actions

coordinated to guarantee the right to

education, among these actions we can

mention: the spaces for discussion on

disability and teacher training processes that

have been carried out with the teaching staff,

the hiring of the professional sign language

interpreter from 2018, the realization of the

program of accompaniment to the student with

disabilities that operates from the Department

of Supervised Professional Practice (EPS),

the various actions carried out from the

Department of Technical Careers and the

opening of the Master's Degree in Social

Analysis of Disability (hereinafter MASDIS) in

2016, to mention some of the specific actions

that guarantee the admission, progress and

graduation of students with disabilities in

higher education.

The Master's Degree in Social Analysis of

Disability, which is developed in the

Department of Graduate Studies of the ECPs,

is unique in Guatemala and is based on the

commitments of the State assumed by

ratifying various instruments on human rights,

including the Convention on the Rights of

Persons with Disabilities (UN, 2006).

The MASDIS is inscribed under the

approaches of human rights, intersectionality

and action without harm, congruent with the

social model of disability. It seeks that the

professional who graduates has the

necessary skills to properly handle various

methodological tools for the analysis of the

factors that converge for disability to occur

and to make proposals for intervention from

the proposed approaches in various areas, to

promote the guarantee of the rights of

persons with disabilities. It is a master's

degree in arts that is made up of four training

areas that support the 12 courses that are

developed during the two years, as described

in the curriculum shown in Table 1.

Table 1. MASDIS curriculum (2016-2017).

Year

Semester

Area of training

Course

First year

First

Sociopolical and

economic reality

Context of the disability MD-01 Inclusion, exclusion MD-02

Invesgaon

Integrave Seminar I MD-03

Second

Principles of

intervenon

Human rights, public policies and enforcement mechanisms MD-04

Intervenon formulaon from the approach of acon without harm MD-05

Invesgaon

Integrave Seminar II - benchmarking of public policy MD-06

Second year

Third

Principles of

intervenon

Memory and disability MD-07

Substanve focus

Educaon for diversity MD-08

Invesgaon

Integrave seminar III -social analysis of disability MD-09

Fourth

Substanve focus

Community-based rehabilitaon MD-10

Social and labor inclusion MD-11

Invesgaon

Integrave seminar IV -Substanve proposal for disability care MD-12

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The master's degree is congruent with

USAC's Policies for the Care of the Disabled

Population (hereinafter The Policies)

approved in 2014, which in turn, respond to

the commitments assumed by the State upon

ratifying

the Convention on the Rights of Persons with

Disabilities. These policies are sixteen in total

and are divided and organized into USAC's

functional and operational frameworks as

shown in Table 2.

Table 2. Policies of attention to the population with disabilities at USAC

Functional and

operational frameworks

Policies

Teaching

Focused on enhancing the learning capabilities of students with

disabilities.

Adjustments in the methodology for the development of the teaching-

learning process.

Adaptation in the admission process and support in transit.

Use of ICT to generate accessibility in learning.

Investigation

Transversalization of disability in the investigation processes to be

carried out.

Promote multidisciplinary investigation in the field of disability.

Collaborative investigation between teachers and students.

Extension

Training USAC students in the area of disability from the extension

area.

Attention to the disabled population from the extension area.

Interinstitutional relationship to strengthen processes in the area of

disability.

Processes of labor inclusion

Administration

Accessible procedures and adaptations for student admission.

Sensitization and awareness raising for teachers and administrative

staff with a focus on rights.

Territory and

infrastructure

Universal design in new projects and actions to carry out the necessary

adaptations to generate accessibility to physical spaces.

Planning and monitoring

Coordinated actions from planning to guarantee the right to education

for students with disabilities.

Actions to enhance planning in order to eradicate discrimination against

people with disabilities.

As part of the academic professional

practice of the master's degree students of

the first MASDIS cohort (2016-2017), out of

17 investigative works, four focused on the

analysis of Policies, which are named in

Table 3.

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Table 3. Titles of the investigative works

Methodological development of the teaching axis -incises two and four- of the

Policies of aenon to the populaon with disabilies at USAC (Alvarez, 2017).

Educaonal inclusion in higher educaon: teaching atude and student

experiences (Carrera, 2017).

Proposed observatory of the Policies of aenon to the populaon with disabilies

in the USAC (Avila, 2017).

Processes of labor inclusion of teachers with motor disabilies in the USAC. USAC

(Estrada, 2017).

The units of analysis in the four investigative

works were: students with disabilities,

teaching in higher education, the

methodology to generate inclusion, the

policies of attention to the population with

disabilities at USAC, the teaching attitude

towards students with disabilities, student

experiences, and the labor inclusion of

teachers with motor disabilities. The following

is the definition of each unit of analysis.

capable of being self-sufficient (Aguado,

1995). The medical-rehabilitative model that

conceives disability as a disease and seeks

normalization (Brogna, 2006), and the social

model that postulates that disability arises

when a person with impairments is

unnecessarily isolated and excluded from

participation in the society of which they

belong. Therefore, its analysis requires an

intersectional look and attached to human

rights since it constitutes a situation of

oppression (Tobar, 2013).

Disability imposes on the impairment that a

person has (Tobar, 2013). The Convention

(UN, 2006) is emphatic that disability is a term

that advances over time and it is increasingly

possible to have a better vision of what it

implies. Palacios (2008) indicates that

disability arises from the interaction of people

with impairments and the barriers that limit

the person's development. For their part,

several authors agree that there is a range of

barriers, including: attitudinal, access to

information, communication and physical

space barriers (Adame, et al., 2008). (Adame,

et al., 2016; Pérez-Castro, 2021).

From a human rights perspective and under

the social model of disability, it is understood

that political, economic, social, cultural and

environmental factors converge for disability

to occur (Hüg, et al., 2019), which affirms that

disability is not an individual matter, but that

there is social joint responsibility, therefore, it

is essential to see it as a social production

(Barton, 1998).From this perspective, it can

be seen that in higher education there are

various agents that have a determining role in

generating inclusive education processes, for

example, teachers. For Freire (2009), in the

teaching and learning process, it is the

teacher who promotes interaction with

knowledge and in turn stimulates the

development of autonomy so that the learner

is the one who builds themselves at every

moment of the process. In this regard,

teachers need knowledge of methodologies

that allow them to make adjustments

There are explanatory models of disability, for

example, the marginalization model and the

welfare model, which cancel out the alterity of

the person with an impairment and, therefore,

deny the participation in the various activities

of daily due to the belief that the person is not

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to students with disabilities in order to

guarantee their full development in the

process (UN, 2006).

Reasonable adjustments must be made in

the teaching and learning process,

specifically in planning, execution and

evaluation, this allows the student with a

disability condition to enhance the skills of the

discipline being studied (Alvarez, 2017). As

mentioned above, there are several barriers

faced by students with disabilities: attitudinal,

access to physical spaces, access to

information and communication. All these

barriers are highly harmful to the

development of the person, however, of the

four types which generate greater

segregation, exclusion and discrimination are

the attitudinal barriers.

human rights is interdependence, which is

evident in these two rights: the right to

education enables access to decent

employment; on the contrary, the denial of

this right undermines the short, medium and

long term future of the person.

Methodology

The methodological model used for the

realization of the investigative work is

described below.

Alvarez's (2017) research was based on a

qualitative methodological approach. The

population consisted of 22 participants, 9

teachers from the School of Psychological

Sciences and 13 from the School of Political

Science of USAC. A total of 13 women and 9

men participated, as well as 12 students from

7 academic units, of which 8 were women

and 4 were men. The instruments used were:

1) a structured interview based on the

elaboration of a tree of categories and

subcategories that emerged from the

objectives of the investigation. 2) A guide for

focus groups conducted with students with

disabilities. The guide was also constructed

using the category tree technique (Cisterna,

2005). The procedure followed by the

research started with the piloting of the

instruments, meetings to make known the

objectives of the research with the two

academic units involved, the application of

both instruments, the analysis of the

information, the discussion and preparation of

the report.

Negative attitudes towards people with

disabilities constitute barriers that do not

allow the development of policies aimed at

inclusion (Arellano et al., 2019). Several

studies reveal that attitudes towards persons

with disabilities may be associated with

sociodemographic factors, defining them as

the characteristics assigned to sex, gender,

age, religion, area of residence, marital

status, level of studies, profession or usual

work, socioeconomic level, contact with

persons with disabilities, reason for contact,

frequency of contact, disability condition and

level of knowledge about disability

(Bermúdez and Navarrete, 2020; Bolaños-

Motta, et al., 2020; Córdoba-Warner, 2020).

In this regard, it is of vital importance to

generate investigation processes to account

for the interaction of the aforementioned

variables in the implementation of policies in

USAC. It should be assumed that education

is a key right (Rodino, 2015) since it enables

the opening of doors such as social and

political participation and access to decent

employment. One of the characteristics of

Carrera's investigation (2017) was based on

a mixed methodological approach. The

population consisted of 60 participants, 30

teachers from the ECPs and 30 from the

Faculty of Architecture of the USAC, as well

as the participation of 10 students with

physical, hearing and visual disabilities from

the ECPs. The instruments used were: 1) The

questionnaire (Likert-type scale) for

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university teachers on educational inclusion,

made up of a section of sociodemographic

information, 13 statements that indicate

attitudes towards disability and 5 questions

multiple choice answers that allow to have

reference of knowledge about adjustments to

generate inclusion. 2) A focus group guide

containing 15 generative questions that was

applied to students with disabilities. The

procedure followed in the investigation

started with the implementation of the

instruments, meetings to make known the

objectives of the investigation with the two

academic units involved, and the application

of the instruments. For the analysis of the

information, it was used the design of a single

measurement (quantitative) and the

grounded theory and discourse analysis

(qualitative).

The procedure followed in the investigation

began with the construction of the scale by

means of the category tree technique,

implementation of the instruments, meetings

to inform the academic units involved of the

objectives of the investigation, application of

the instruments and preparation of the final

report.

Avila's (2017) investigation was conducted

with a qualitative methodological approach

and focused on analyzing the first disability

observatory performed in 2013. The

instruments used were: 1) A focus group

guide made up of 10 questions addressed to

5 researchers of the first disability

observatory. The instruments were applied,

the analysis of the information, the review of

some of the inputs that served as a basis for

the construction of the Policies and the

elaboration of the conclusions and

recommendations were carried out.

Results

Each investigation provided elements for the

analysis of the structure of the Policies at

USAC, as detailed in Table 4.

The investigation by Estrada & Ureta (2017)

applied a quantitative methodological

approach. The population consisted of 39

participants, 27 teachers and 12

coordinators, from the ECPs, the Faculty of

Engineering and the Faculty of Economics of

the USAC. The instrument used was a survey

divided into five areas: knowledge of the axes

and policies, identification of teachers with

disabilities, admission profile for hiring

teachers, universal design and attitudinal

barriers.

Table 4. Structure of policies for the care of people with disabilities

Description

Analysis of the elements found

Define the problem

To define the problem, it started from the information found in the III Student Census, done

by Usac in 2009, where in section 5.8 Information on integral health, it requests information

related to impairment and disability.

The overall result is: 931 students with disabilities: physical, visual and hearing are enrolled

in the university.

Problem: There are students in the university classrooms that require some type of

adjustment to access information or in the methodologies, due to a disability condition,

however, there is no institutionalized route to make them. The probability is very high that

within the academic units they were unaware of its existence.

Describe the problem

To describe the problem, disaggregated information from the III Student Census (2009) is

presented below.

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Students with limited mobility require accessibility to physical spaces: entry to the campus,

buildings, both horizontally and vertically, accessible restrooms, ramps or elevators, space

inside classrooms.

Students with hearing impairment require sign language interpreter, adjustments in the

presentation of information, in the evaluation processes, and support such as tutoring for full

access to the information provided.

Students with visual impairment require adjustments to access information in printed media,

adjustments for their mobility within the campus and buildings. As well, access to information

developed by professors, as well as to access evaluations.

Identifying Stakeholders

It was determined that the key stakeholders would be represented by: Dean of the Faculty of

Humanities, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Dean of the Faculty of Medical Sciences,

Director of the School of Psychological Sciences, General Coordinator of Planning, Director of

the General Directorate of Administration, Head of the Directorate of Student Welfare and the

USAC Delegate to the National Council for Attention to the Disabled Population (CONADI).

Overall: teachers, administrative and service managers.

In the principles governing the policies, emphasis is placed on the fact that students with

disabilities must be the protagonist of their academic training process

Identify causes/

Distinguish consequences

Identification of causes:

Invisibilization of the person with disabilities.

Discrimination and exclusion in the guarantee of their rights.

Inequality and discrimination in the transit within the educational system, when it does not have

the

Predominance of a welfare vision and as a person in a dependency relationship, who cannot

develop in a university training process.

Identification of consequences:

Low school performance, not due to the disability, but to the inexistence of adjustments.

School failure/repetition

School desertion

Perpetuates exclusion and poverty

Design objectives and

define desired results

Each of the axes has proposed policies. These are linked to the strategic plan.

They are related to a program:

Human development program

Define operations

Each of the policies is linked to:

The strategic plan

A program

It has project ideas that allow to move towards the fulfillment of the policy.

Each project idea has an assigned unit or entity within USAC that is responsible for executing

it.

And the various project ideas are planned for the short term (2 years), medium term (4 years)

and long term (no more than 10 years).

Build the operational plan

In these, it is stated what needs to be done, however, there is no reference to an operational

plan.

Source: with information from (Flacso, 2013: Usac, 2016; Alvarez, 2017; Avila, 2017).

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In Avila's study (2017), the results indicate

that:

• Participants in the first disability observatory

in Guatemala in 2013 were identified, which

was based on four key themes of the

convention: education, employment, health,

and accessibility.

• One of the themes that coincides is that

access to information is vital for dissemination

efforts. This provides ideal information to serve

as a reference document on the topic of

disability and sheds light on the Guatemalan

system's reality in this area.

• Factors affecting the observatory's

implementation include time, funding, and the

importance of having qualified personnel for

such projects.

• Both participant groups have similar

indicators in different types of observatories,

showing a clear trend toward information

instruments with a social orientation and a

human rights focus.

• The development of these observatories has

facilitated the gathering of inputs for political

advocacy, providing information and creating

documents that serve as reference points

nationally and internationally due to the

interest identified in each of the analyzed

observatories.

Alvarez's research (2017) proposes the

following results:

• Students with blindness and deafness

encounter significant barriers in accessing

information and communication.

• There is no accessible bibliography available

for students with visual and auditory

disabilities.

• When teachers are unaware of how many

students with disabilities they will be working

with and the specific disability conditions,

they may not consider their unique needs

when planning activities.

• A high percentage of surveyed teachers

have no experience working with students

with disabilities and therefore do not factor

this into their planning.

• There is a lack of knowledge and

understanding of the specific learning styles

and needs of individuals with visual, auditory,

and physical disabilities.

• The participation of sign language

interpreters is crucial.

• Lack of awareness of updated definitions,

responsibilities of each stakeholder, and

appropriate adjustments to teaching and

learning methods can lead to exclusion.

• Strategies that teachers should consider

for developing an objective evaluation system

that takes into account the unique needs of

students with disabilities, from a human rights

perspective, are not well-known.

• The deficiencies of individuals have been

perceived as more relevant than the skills

they have developed.

• Teachers believe that the absence of clear

enrollment and graduation profiles for

students with disabilities poses a risk of

diverting the goal of producing qualified

professionals to address national issues.

The findings from Carrera's study (2017)

include:

• Regarding curricular accessibility, it is

identified as a category with fewer frequent

results, with little practice on the part of

teachers in terms of adapting objectives,

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content, and/or evaluation.

• Students reported having no evidence of

these practices and believed that teachers

used the same procedures and methods for all

students without distinction.

• The study was conducted with an

emancipatory vision (Álvarez-Gayou, 2003),

aiming not only to improve the process but also

to promote social change among participants

and raise awareness of their social

circumstances.

• Due to the intentional sampling, the results

cannot be generalized to other academic units.

The main limitations in the execution of the

graduation work include a lack of records of

students with disabilities in the ECPs and the

Faculty of Architecture at USAC, and physical

barriers (lack of ramps and others) in buildings

prevented the participation of some students

with disabilities in the focus group.

that the State is obligated to create

mechanisms to guarantee human rights to all

Guatemalans without distinction, inequality in

the distribution of wealth in the country

persists, leading to impoverishment and the

denial of rights inherent to individuals

(Rodríguez, 2015). Education has been a

target of this inequality and injustice (Rodino,

2015).

The admission of students with disabilities to

USAC has been a process that has

undergone variations over time. It has ranged

from explicit denial of admission to exemption

from basic knowledge tests and specific

exams. Additionally, there has been a

prevailing attitude of hegemony, rejection of

diversity, and a charitable or segregating view

towards individuals with disabilities, which

has been a constant in society and has been

visible within USAC's internal workings.

Currently, students with disabilities who have

managed to overcome barriers imposed by

an unequal educational system, which denies

them access from an early age, attend USAC.

The right to education should not be

understood merely as gaining admission to

an educational institution, in this specific

case, USAC, and being included in its

records. Instead, this right implicitly

guarantees that every stage, including

admission, progress, retention, and

graduation, will be accompanied by

measures for accessibility and relevant

reasonable adjustments. In this regard, in

2014, USAC took a significant step by

approving policies for serving the disabled

population. These policies aim to ensure and

promote the full exercise of all human rights,

create opportunities for development,

integration, and community participation

within USAC, encompassing six fundamental

areas: teaching, research, extension,

administration, territory and infrastructure,

planning, and monitoring.

The findings of Estrada & Ureta's graduation

work (2017) determined the following:

• There are personnel with motor disabilities

working at USAC.

• In some cases, there still exist stigmas,

discrimination, inequality, and inequity from

peers toward teaching staff with motor

disabilities.

• To facilitate the process of labor inclusion, job

profiles, required competencies for

professionals, and suitable conditions in terms

of infrastructure, equipment, and furniture for

incoming teachers in different academic units

of the University must be determined.

Discussion

In Guatemala, despite having a significant

series of legal instruments that emphasize

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These policies are based on the historical

disadvantage faced by individuals with

disabilities in accessing three rights that are

pillars of development: health, education, and

employment (Adame et al., 2016; Pérez-

Castro, 2021). The lack of assurance of these

rights leads to exclusion and discrimination,

perpetuating the vicious cycle between

poverty and disability (Tobar, 2013; Grech,

2016). Together, these three rights are known

as interconnected rights (IDHDES, 2014)

because a violation of one unquestionably

affects access to the others. Various studies

(Brogna, 2006; FLACSO, 2014; Grech, 2016)

highlight the existing barriers that individuals

with disabilities face in accessing the right to

education, at both the primary, basic,

diversified, and higher education levels.

In 2013, the Latin American Faculty of Social

Sciences (hereinafter, FLACSO) reported that

the Student Welfare Division had received 103

requests for exemption from basic exams due

to disability between 2011 and 2013. In 2018,

the United Nations Educational, Scientific and

Cultural Organization (UNESCO) referred to

the Student Disability Support Office at USAC,

stating that during that period, 94 students

sought assistance and exemption from first-

entry exams due to disabilities. These data

provide a parameter for understanding how

the number of students with disabilities has

been growing. The inclusion of students with

disabilities in higher education represents an

important step in social and educational

inclusion processes; however, reasonable

adjustments are necessary to ensure their

admission, progress, and graduation.

The human rights approach includes principles

that underlie actions aimed at breaking down

barriers for the development of vulnerable

individuals. These principles include: a) the

principle of free participation; b) the principle of

responsibility; c) the principle of non-

discrimination; d) the principle of

empowerment,

and e) the principle of minimum policy

standards. These five principles guide the

actions developed so that the ultimate goal is

not under an assistive view that limits the

participation of people with disabilities but rather

makes them active participants, in charge of

their own life processes.

The human rights approach proposes various

actions to combat discrimination, which is

defined as exclusion or restriction through

actions or omissions, with or without intention,

that seek to hinder, prevent, or nullify the

exercise of the human rights and fundamental

freedoms of historically discriminated

individuals and groups. Therefore, it is essential

to identify the barriers faced by students with

disabilities, including barriers to accessing

communication, information, or physical

spaces. Reasonable adjustments should be

made regarding the methodology used,

assessments, and other supports in the

academic training process. Brogna (2006)

refers to architectural, methodological,

communication, information, and attitudinal

barriers.

The implementation of policies at USAC

requires the allocation of funding, resources,

and budgets. The budgetary process should run

in parallel with the planning, considering short,

medium, and long-term timeframes,

contingencies, socio-political contexts, and

anticipated income and expenses. Policies

should have a structure that allows for a

theoretical foundation explaining key concepts

at the core of the policy's essence, guiding the

discussion, and fitting within a knowledge

paradigm. A legal framework should support the

commitments of the State and, in this particular

case, the commitments of USAC. An

operational framework should identify key

actors in this process, along with a

methodological framework proposing the path

to achieve the policy’s goals.

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Guatemalan Journal of Psychology

According to Segeplan (2015, p.24), there are

two fundamental steps for an effective policy:

1) Linking policy priorities with strategic and

operational planning, which is evident in the

policies, and 2) budgeting operational and

strategic plans. If these two aspects are not

taken into account, it can hinder execution

since each academic unit is responsible for

covering the costs of the actions they

implement. Considering the inequality in

budget allocation for faculties, which is greater

than for a non-faculty school or regional center,

there may be a connection to non-execution.

The contribution of this article lies in a brief

examination based on research conducted by

graduates of the first cohort of the Master's

program in Social Analysis of Disability. It

assesses the actions taken by USAC to ensure

the right to education for students with

disabilities and reflects on important internal

aspects of the academic units that participated

in various studies. The approval of policies is a

significant step; however, it is crucial to follow

up on each of the 16 approved policies, linking

them to strategic planning as USAC and,

therefore, as academic units. Likewise, it

should be expressed in budgetary plans to

make it a reality rather than merely an exercise

of good intentions.

Conclusions

Based on the contributions of the four

graduation papers that make up this article, it

can be concluded that the approval of policies

for serving the disabled population at USAC

has been a crucial step in asserting the rights

of individuals with disabilities. This step opens

up the possibility for students to enter,

progress, stay, and graduate with reasonable

adjustments and accessibility measures.

Additionally, with this step, USAC fulfills its

shared responsibility to contribute to the

solution of national problems. Valuable actions

have been taken in various academic units;

however, it is necessary to coordinate and

monitor them in a timely manner to avoid

duplicating efforts.

The structure and design meet the necessary

formal aspects. However, it is important to

mention that there were no resources available

that documented the process, particularly

regarding the budget. Therefore, further

research is considered necessary to strengthen

the present exercise.

The operationalization of policies requires

budgetary, methodological, and monitoring

infrastructure, with clarity on the responsible

actors for each part of the process. This

infrastructure is influenced by political, social,

economic, and cultural factors that depend on

the interests of the authorities and the prevailing

welfare regime.

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About the Authors

Karla Amparo Carrera Vela is a Psychologist,

holds a Master's degree in Social Analysis

of Disability, is a Speech Therapist, Full

Professor VII, and General Academic

Coordinator.

Gabriela Alvarez García is a Psychologist,

holds a Master's degree in Social Analysis

of Disability, and is a doctoral student in

Education at the University of San Carlos of

Guatemala. She is a certified Transactional

Analyst, Clinical Member of the Latin

American Transactional Analysis

Association (ALAT). She is a Postgraduate

Professor in Psychology and Special

Education at the School of Psychological

Sciences, USAC, and a researcher at DIGI-

USAC.

Macjorie Beatriz Avila García is a Licensed

Psychologist, holds a Master's degree in

Social Analysis of Disability, and is a

Technical Occupational and Recreational

Therapist. She is a professor in the

Technical Career of Occupational and

Recreational Therapy at the School of

Psychological Sciences. She is also a

member of the team that provides support

to students with disabilities at the School of

Psychological Sciences, USAC.

Verónica Jeannette Estrada Gonzalez holds

a Master's degree in Social Analysis of

Disability, is a Licensed Psychologist, and a

University Technical Occupational and

Recreational Therapist. She has 25 years of

experience as a university professor at the

School of Psychological Sciences, USAC.

Francisco José Ureta Morales is a Licensed

Psychologist from USAC, holds a

Master's degree in Measurement,

Evaluation, and Educational Research

from UVG, and is a doctoral student in Forensic

Psychology at the Universidad Internacional

Iberoamericana, Mexico. He is a professor at

the undergraduate and postgraduate levels at

the School of Psychological Sciences and the

Faculty of Humanities. He is also a researcher

at DIGI-USAC.

Research Funding

Funded with personal resources.

Declaration of Interests

I declare that I have no conflicts of interest that

could have influenced the results obtained or

the proposed interpretations.

Informed Consent Statement

The study was conducted in compliance with

the Code of Ethics and Good Publishing

Practices.

Derecho de uso

Alva- rez García, Macjorie Beatriz Avila García, Verónica

Jeannette Estrada Gonzalez & Francisco José Ureta

Morales

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