By Ana Luengo

The concept of “functional diversity” presents an inclusive and positive alternative to terms with negative connotations such as “disability” or “handicap.” While these terms deny human abilities and restrict people to an arbitrary value, “functional diversity” views both ability and limitation as unavoidable elements of the human condition and acknowledges that all people require care, dependency or specific attention. 

The Spanish activists Javier Romañach Cabrero and Manuel Lobato coined the term “functional diversity” at the 2005 Foro de Vida Independiente. The same authors published the paper “Diversidad funcional. Nuevo término para la lucha por la dignidad en la diversidad del ser humano”* in the journal Comunicación e Discapacidades (2007). The concept has generated questions about how changing the social paradigm of “disability” can reduce undue attention on people with special needs (Joan Canimas Brugé. “Discapacidad o diversidad funcional” en Siglo Cero, 2015, Vol.46(2), pp.79-97).

The concept of “functional diversity” has made its way from Spain to Latin America, allowing people normally denied dignity to express themselves. For instance, the documentary Yes, We Fuck, by Antonio Centeno and Raúl de La Morena (2015) explores the intersectionality of ability and sexuality, as its cast expresses their needs, longings and obstacles.

*This title translates roughly to “Functional diversity: a new term in the fight for dignity in the diversity of human beings.”