Bogota (Colombia) has spent years building a citywide care system. But new research on disability care and support shows that the system still isn’t reaching some of the people who need it most. A study co-authored by Monica Pinilla-Roncancio and Maria Antonella Pereira of the Center for Inclusive Policy (CIP) surveyed 1,001 adults with disabilities across the city and found that most who receive care still don’t get enough of it.
What Did the Study Measure?
Researchers surveyed adults with disabilities aged 18 and older across Bogotá, using the Washington Group Short Set to identify participants. They asked about eight daily activities to identify care and support needs, from walking and eating to managing money and attending medical appointments, and whether respondents received the support they needed for each activity.
The Numbers Behind Unsatisfied Care Needs
The results were stark. Among all respondents, 58.7% received some care but needed more, and another 7.6% received no care at all despite needing it. In total, 66.3% of adults with disabilities in the study had unsatisfied care needs. Communicating with others , using the toilet, and attending doctor’s appointments were the activities where the gap between need and actually receiving supports was widest.
People with Disabilities Are Caregivers Too
One of the study’s most important findings: 35.7% of adults with disabilities provided care themselves, to children, older relatives, other household members with disabilities, or people who were sick or injured. Caregivers with disabilities tended to be younger, more likely to be women, and better educated than people with disabilities who didn’t provide care. This challenges the common assumption that people with disabilities are only ever on the receiving end of care.
Who Is Most Likely to Go Without Care Needs Satisfied?
People with self-care or communication-related functional difficulties were significantly more likely to report unsatisfied care needs. On the other hand, higher and having a job both reduced the likelihood of going without adequate care.
What Does This Means for Bogota's Care System?
The study’s central recommendation is straightforward but significant: care systems need to recognise adults with disabilities as both recipients and providers of care, not just one or the other. That means designing services around independence and autonomy, not dependency, and building specific support for caregivers who themselves have disabilities, a group the current system doesn’t address at all.
About the Report
Disabilities (MDPI) published the study on January 12, 2026. It was authored by Monica Pinilla-Roncancio of the Center for Inclusive Policy (CIP) and María Antonella Pereira, with research funding from the Ford Foundation.
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New study on disability care and support in Bogota finds most adults with disabilities still lack the care they need.
