This work demonstrates how it is possible to realize the mainstreaming of disability in a complex field such as that of bioethics, through a collaboration over time between associations of people with disabilities, academic institutions, and national and international bodies. The participation of Disabled People’s International Europe in the planning and teaching of the Master’s in Bioethics at the University of Camerino, and the Polytechnic University of the Marche, constituted a starting point for a cooperation project that resulted in participation in the National Bioethics Committee of Republic of San Marino by Giampiero Griffo as an external expert. Thanks to this support, the first document on disability was elaborated by a National Bioethics Committee and this theme was kept in mind in all other documents, where needed. The point of view of the disabled associations was also taken into consideration in relation to the evaluation of particularly important Council of Europe documents for people with disabilities. It is hoped that this example of cooperation could be an incentive for further forms of collaboration in other areas of society, with the awareness that inclusion is the only form of involvement in decision-making processes.
Keywords: bioethics; disability; mainstreaming; human rights; empowerment.
