Accessible Everything - An accessible & inclusive travel blog for people with disabilities

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Noticias desde Barcelona (News from Barcelona)

By Craig Grimes

Esta semana en Barcelona hay la Avante Primera Salón Para Autonomía Personal Y la Calidad de Vida, 5 - 7 de junio en la Fira Barcelona. Aún que la lista de expositores parece un poco incompleto, puede ser que la feria esta interesante porque hay Turismo de Catalunya y Human Resources S.A. un empresa que recientamente han publicado su guía de Catalunya para discapacitados. (enlace en castellano)

This week in Barcelona is the Avante First Exhibition of Personal Independence and Quality of Life, 5th - 7th June at the Fira Barcelona. Even though the list of exhibitors seems tobe somewhat incomplete, it could be that the exhibition is interesting as attending are the Catalan Tourist Board and a company called Human Resources S.A. which recently published their access guide to Catalonia for people with disabilities. (link in English)

También hoy en Absolut BCN (enlace en castellano) han anunciado “Música als Parcs” (enlace en catala) del Ajunctament de Barcelona cual es música en directo en los parques de Barcelona y lo mayoria son accesibles para discapacitados (junio - agosto).

Also today Absolut BCN (link in Spanish) have announced “Música als Parcs” (link in Catalan) by the Barcelona City Council which is live music in the different parks around Barcelona, the majority of which are accessible for people with disabilities (from June - August).

Your Questions Answered #1 - “Living in Spain with a Disability”

By Craig Grimes

I’ve started receiving a few emails through the blog recently, which I’m really pleased about because it means that people are actually reading it! I’ve decided that I will post the questions and answers to the emails so that I can try to share this information with more people. Here are two to start with, the first is about living in Spain with a disability and the second is about traveling to New York. If you have a question that I may be able to help with, please do not hesitate to contact me: craig@craiggrimes.com

I’ll start a new category for these blogs FAQ’s (frequently asked questions) so that they are easier to find in the blog.

Living in Spain with a Disability: Email from Holland, Thursday 25th October

Question: We currently live in Holland and my family and I would like to move to Spain but my husband is Spinal Cord Injured. What medical assistance is there and will the government give us financial assistance?

Answer:

Spanish Medical Assistance:

As a European Union Citizen you are entitled to free health care in Spain. In order to receive this you first have to register that you are living in Spain with the local Town Hall and you will receive a certificate. Then you have to apply for your National Insurance Number (NIE). Once you have the NIE you can go to the medical centre and register with a doctor. You will then be entitled to free health care in Spain and receive prescriptions for the things that your husband requires such as tablets, catheters, sheaths etc. depending on his situation.

I must warn you that you may not be able to get exactly the same things from the doctor in Spain that you would get from you doctor in Holland. For example, I use leg bags and the brand that is available in Spain on prescription is terrible. Therefore, I made the decision to buy the lag bags that I prefer separately which costs about 55euros for a box of 10.

Spinal Cord Injury Centres:

Spain does have specialist centres for spinal cord injured people and the best is called the Institut Guttmann(Guttmann Institute) and is located just outside Barcelona in a town called Badalona. Here they can give specialist care to your husband if he ever requires it, you should register with them as soon as possible when you arrive in Spain. They will also give your husband an annual check up to make sure he is healthy! You can find their web site at: www.guttmann.com there is some limited information in English, they also have some consultants that speak some English.

Benefits in Spain (money received from the government to help disabled people):

I have never received any help from the Spanish Government with regards to them giving me financial assistance due to mt disability. As far as I know, as a foreigner, you have to be a resident in Spain for 5 years before they will even consider helping. Maybe the Dutch Government will help?

I am very aware that English is your second language, therefore, I have also sent this email to a contact of mine that lives near Barcelona. His name is Ruud Brahms and he owns a company called Creu Costa Catalana. This is a care company for disabled people, but more importantly, he is Dutch and therefore, will be able to explain all of this in your own language! His email is: info@adcc.cat and their web site is: http://adcc.cat/holandes/holandes.htm