Spain
- Tourist
Information -
Travellers
with Disabilities
Though laws
to guarantee accessibility to all have recently been passed in Spain
in general the facilities for travellers with disabilities are not
ideal. That said in the larger cities there are many hotels that
are accessible to wheelchair users and the Spanish National Tourist
Office (SNTO) publishes a handy leaflet for travellers with disabilities
which includes a list of useful numbers and accommodations rated
for accessibility. Ramps and other forms of access are slowly being
added to museums, sites and sports facilities. As a general rule
of thumb more modern and famous city museums will be adapted for
accessibility however it often pays to call ahead and check.
Travelling on
public transport, especially buses can be difficult for travellers
in wheelchairs. In Barcelona the municipal authority publishes useful
sightseeing itineraries for people with disabilities that you can
pick up at the main office in Plaça de Sant Miquel.
The high speed
trains AVE and Talgo services are all accessible to wheelchair users
and RENFE the Spanish State Railway provides wheelchairs at main
city train stations. Smaller stations however can be significantly
less well equipped.
For travel by
ferry from the UK to Spain there are specially fitted cabins that
are accessible to wheelchair users but these must be booked in advance.
At the ports in the UK and Spain there are minibuses are available
to assist travellers with disabilities transfer from the terminal
to the ferry.
Major car rental
companies such as Avis and Hertz have hand-controlled vehicles for
hire.
Useful
Links
Cruz Roja
Española (Spanish Red Cross)
Doctor Federico Rubio y Galí, 3
28003 Madrid.
Tel: +34 91 533 4531
Fax: +34 91 553 2579
Website: Cruz
Roja - the Spanish Red Cross
Assistance with travel plans in Spain
Instituto
Municipal de Personas con Disminución de Barcelona
Address: Avinguda Diagonal, 233 planta 1
Tel: +34 934132775
Fax: +34 934132800
Website: Municipal
Institute of People with Disabilities of Barcelona
Federation
ECOM (Federation of Spanish Private Organisations for the Disabled)
Gran Via 562
PR2, 08011
Barcelona
Tel: +34 93 451 5550
Fundación
ONCE
Sebastián Herrera 15-50
28005 Madrid
Tel: +34 91 506 8888
Fax:+ 34 91 539 3487
Website: Fundacion
ONCE (Spanish)
RADAR Royal
Association for disability and Rehabilitation
250 City Road
London EC1V 8AF
Tel: +44 20 7250 3222
Fax:+ 44 20 7250 0212
Email: radar@radar.org.uk
Website: RADAR
