The aim of the present article is to analyze the role of civil society in healthcare policymaking for persons with disabilities in the municipality of Aracaju, Sergipe, Brazil. This was a qualitative study with semi-structured interviews with representatives of the Council for the Defense of the Rights of People with Disabilities. The data were analyzed according to thematic content analysis. The results show that the representatives held diffuse understandings of the concept of disability, shifting among existing paradigms. Special mention goes to the difficulty presented by the representatives to propose issues for the local political agenda and participate in the creation and implementation of public health policy, creating a gap between social control organizations and public management.
Health policymaking; Social control; Public policies