FOUR young adults with Down Syndrome are standing for the local elections on May 26, each in different regions.
Blanca San Segundo, 29, is number eight on the list for the centre-right party Ciudadanos in Godella (Valencia province) and stresses that 'people with mental disability are not ill' and in fact 'tend to have more empathy', which she says is 'necessary' in politics.
“You need to be able to put yourself in other people's shoes,” says the special education worker.
“People confuse mental disability with mental illness, and it's not the same.”
Blanca is just about to graduate from Valencia University with a degree in Occupational Therapy, and has not needed extra learning support or an adapted curriculum to do so.
She says she has 'never been given any special concessions' in any area of life and has achieved everything she has 'through effort and consistency', which are values she believes should be present in any level of government.
“For a disabled person to be able to defend his or her ideas and for these ideas to reach local politics is important,” Blanca argues.
“Whenever I've given talks on inclusive education and on the rights of people with disabilities, it's always made me mad that there was never any politician among the audience. This is one of the most crucial areas I'll be fighting for if I become a councillor.
“I'll also be fighting for universal access to political participation for the disabled community and campaigning for fair and decent employment for us, with the right support; and also to ensure compliance with the United Nations Convention on the rights of people with functional diversity, which was adopted by Spain a decade ago.”
Blanca, who says she is 'lucky' because she has 'never suffered discrimination' at work or at university as a result of her Down Syndrome, says even if she wins a seat on the council, she will combine this role with her job at the infant school in Godella: “I love my work, I earn a decent wage and my goal is to be independent and autonomous,” she concludes.
Jesús Bermejo, 39, was invited to stand for the right-wing PP party by mayoress of Cáceres (Extremadura), Elena Nevado, who visited him at home, and whose candidature has been supported by the new number one on the list, Rafael Moreno.
“My sister María José and my brother Francisco Javier are pleased I'm standing; my parents, not so much,” Jesús admits.
If the PP achieves the same results in Cáceres as it did in the 2011 local elections, Jesús is practically guaranteed a council seat.
“I'm interested in politics, but mostly, I like to keep in touch with things that are happening,” he explains.
“A councillor with Down Syndrome would bring greater calm, more sense and less anger to the local authority.”
Many of Jesús's key proposals are aimed at young adults, and include more leisure areas and opportunities and 'fewer places which sell alcohol', although he also wants the council to 'donate empty flats to create an elderly residents' home'.
Carlos López-Sáez de Riba, 23, is standing as an independent candidate for the PP in Sevilla after its number one, Beltrán Pérez, proposed this to him in March.
“I'm very happy and excited; I'm looking forward to working for Sevilla,” Carlos says.
“I want my city to be a pioneer in working with people with disabilities and for us to truly have a voice and a vote.”
He says his family and friends are 'very proud' of him and are 'all going to vote' for him.
Trained and qualified in catering and hospitality, Carlos works for the Barceló Renacimiento Hotel in Spain's fourth-largest city, and says 'people like him' can offer 'so much more than people think' they can, such as 'a fresh outlook' and a 'different point of view'.
Susana Polo, 39, works mornings in Murcia's regional ministry for public works and infrastructure as an admin assistant, meaning she is very used to dealing with the public.
She believes this is why she has been invited by the PP to stand for the city council elections, at number 19 on the list.
If she wins a seat, she wants to focus on 'representing persons with disabilities' and fight for the rights of her community in Murcia.
Susana says she has the full support of her friends and family to 'make her dream come true', for which she herself is 'ready and willing' to take on.
Head of the charity Down España, Agustín Matía, says the fact that four persons with Down Syndrome have been chosen to represent the public is a reflection of 'normality in the most noble sense of the word'.
He does, however, voice a caveat for political parties: “Don't just add a person with Down Syndrome to your list to make yourselves look good. These young people can carry out their political roles perfectly well, and their parties need to provide an excellent support network for them.”
Electoral materials and all municipal information need to be adapted to make them accessible to anyone with a functional diversity – not just candidates with disabilities, but the rest of the public, Matía stresses.
“Put this way, it becomes a learning curve for all local political groups,” he argues.
Matía adds that 2019 has been a 'ground-breaking' year for people with cognitive impairments or learning disabilities, thanks to a law reform that has allowed those declared legally incapacitated to be able to vote – meaning another 100,000 people in Spain will be able to cast their ballot on May 26 – and also because the forthcoming elections have more candidates with Down Syndrome than ever before.
'Legally incapacitated' is a term which applies to an official documentary process, normally effected by families or carers, to protect the subject from situations where they may be vulnerable – such as having to speak in court, signing contracts, or carrying out financial transactions.
It prevents them from unwittingly entering into deals, especially involving money, where they do not have sufficient knowledge or cognitive awareness to be able to make an informed decision, and includes people with severe learning disabilities, brain damage through injury or illness, or with late-stage Alzheimer's or other serious forms of dementia.
But for the first time, these people are no longer barred from voting.
The photograph shows (left to right) Blanca San Segundo (Godella), Susana Polo (Murcia), Carlos López-Sáez de Riba (Sevilla) and Jesús Bermejo (Cáceres).
