Why Sickness Is Always a Family Issue

Touched by a very personal experience, Nicoletta Balbo, started to look at the social impact of disease and disability. In the third episode of the THINK DIVERSE podcast series, Balbo, Assistant Professor at Bocconi's Department of Social and Political Sciences, makes a gripping list of how disabilities can affect not just the individuals but their families as well. Lost opportunities, psychological strain, marital tensions are just the tip of an iceberg.

She soon discovered that there is very little research on how families are influenced by the presence of one or more member with disabilities, she says to host Catherine De Vries, Bocconi Dean for Inclusion and Diversity. The first problem is marginalization, whether voluntary or imposed by social norms, or both. Being "invisible", these families are also likely to be ignored or overlooked by policymakers.

Research then is not just a tool to gather better insight and knowledge but also a necessary step if we want more effective relief policies to be undertaken.

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