Divulgando nuevas ideas sobre la diversidad humana: la dimensión educativa del discurso sobre la discapacidad en la España franquista

Under Francoism, disability appeared immersed in a complex discourse in which converged, among other things, scientific ideas, sensitivity towards people carrying “deficiencies”, economic interest, and political indoctrination. This paper aims to analyse the “educational” component of this discourse and underscore that not only pretended to improve the living conditions of people listed as “invalid”; but also to obtain the commitment, collaboration and complicity of the whole citizenship to implement measures to reduce the alleged negative impact of disability. Furthermore, we will show how this discourse, which sometimes acquired propaganda dyes, contributed to developing in Franco’s Spain a climate regarding disability that it has not always been favourable to the interests of people with disabilities.