Advocacy Campaign for Disability Health Rights in Brazil’s Congress

In 2022, I led a high-impact advocacy campaign in Brazil that mobilised public support and political pressure for the approval of PL 2033/22—a bill aimed at protecting the healthcare rights of people with disabilities, autism, and rare diseases. The campaign was launched in response to a Supreme Court ruling which enabled private health insurers to deny coverage for treatments not explicitly listed by the national health agency, jeopardising lives and placing significant financial strain on thousands of families.

My approach was grounded in building strategic partnerships with aligned organisations and disability rights movements, which led to a joint digital platform that allowed citizens to automatically email their representatives. The campaign was promoted through a multi-channel strategy that combined powerful storytelling—through testimonials from affected families—with social media content, press releases, media outreach, and interviews.

The campaign's core narrative framing emphasised “life over profit”, drawing attention to the disproportionate burden on low- and middle-income families paying for private health insurance now seeking to avoid responsibility for essential care and the physical, emotional, and financial toll on caregivers, mostly women.

The campaign mobilised over 18,000 emails to Members of Congress, secured nationwide media coverage, and contributed to the successful passing of the law.