Many foreign students looking for an international experience choose Spain because it epitomizes Europe through its food, dance and friendly people. There are many university programs, research grants and language schools, ranging in length from summer to semester or year-long programs. The range of programs, subject material and locations provide an endless array of choices.

Following a trip to Tunisia in 2000 to make a presentation at a disability conference, I had the opportunity to visit Spain, where I conducted several site visits at universities and other postsecondary institutions. As a person with a disability (I wear 2 below-knee prosthetics), I also enjoyed the opportunity to meet with representatives of Spanish disability organizations and learn more about resources available to students with disabilities. This article focuses on Instituto Internacional, but reports on my visits to the Fulbright Commission in Madrid, Enforex Language School, Universidad Complutense de Madrid and the University of Seville are available upon request from the National Clearinghouse on Disability and Exchange (NCDE).

About Instituto Internacional

Located in the heart of Madrid, the International Institute houses seven international programs and coordinates programs with many other colleges and universities in the United States. The school is an example of the beauty of Spanish architecture and is a historical monument dating back to 1910.

I visited the Institute to analyze accessibility for students with disabilities and talk with the staff about their programs. Upon arrival I found that just inside the institute’s main entrance there are fifteen steps leading into the school. Once inside, an elevator may be used to reach the additional three levels of the school. My hosts from Middlebury College and Boston University (BU) soon explained that the school is currently planning extensive renovations (beginning in June 2001), and that one of their goals is to increase access to the programs for students with disabilities. The changes will add an accessible side entrance leading into the library. From there, students can take the elevator, which is relatively small, to the classrooms and offices. This route is somewhat circuitous but will provide alternative access into the school.

Students are typically in class from 12-15 hours per week, with approximately equal amounts of outside work. Course material is taught through a combination of lectures, videos, readings, independent research, etc. Learning is assessed through both written and oral exams. The Institute stresses that learning is participatory and students are expected to participate actively. Field trips are also a part of many programs; students visit nearby cities and historical sites. According to the faculty, these trips often include a lot of walking, but the staff is flexible and willing to work creatively to include all students. For instance, BU has hired taxis to travel long distances on field trips so that a student who uses crutches or has a mobility or health-related disability could be fully involved. The staff at the Institute is open, friendly and willing to work with each individual to meet her or his needs.

Healthcare

All students enrolled at the Institute are required to obtain insurance prior to arrival in Spain. Students can go to any clinic or hospital in Spain for medical treatment and there are two local bilingual centers where students can communicate with doctors in English.

Transportation

The closest Metro station is Ruben Diario on line 5 and numerous buses stop within a block of the school. Unfortunately, the Metro in Madrid is not very accessible. Only the newer stations on the outskirts of the city have elevators, which makes transferring and traveling difficult for wheelchair users. Metro stations also have many steps to get to the platforms. Trains stop at varying distances and heights from the platform, so one must be cautious when boarding the train. Not all train platforms have tactile markers for individuals who are visually impaired.

Accommodations

The school has a scanner, screen magnification software and cassette recorders – all available upon request. Adaptive equipment for visually impaired students can be obtained from ONCE (the national organization for blind people in Spain, see below). Some programs have had students with learning disabilities. Advance copies of syllabi, modified deadlines, taped lectures, extra exam time and quiet spaces for exams are available. The staff is flexible and willing to make additional accommodations upon request.

Service Dogs

Service dogs are welcome in the school. According to the Spanish Embassy and the Spanish National Tourist Office’s website, there is no quarantine for animals entering Spain. Documentation of the origin and good health of the animal is required. Prior to departure, contact the embassy or consulate and request that information and forms be provided regarding bringing an animal to Spain. Additional information and contacts are available on request from NCDE.

Housing

The goal of all programs at the Institute is for students to be integrated into Spanish life. For this reason, all undergraduate students live with host families. Graduate students may choose to find their own apartments or live in residences. Program staff is open to working with students to ensure that their housing requests are met, but it is important to discuss accommodation needs prior to leaving the United States. Students interested in learning more about accessible homestays, installing TTYs, etc. should contact the housing coordinator of each individual program.

Resources in the Community

It is common to encounter stairs, uneven sidewalks, a lack of elevators, unequipped bathrooms, and narrow doors and aisles. Newer buildings are better adapted than the older ones and some of the major shopping malls, cinemas, museums, bars and restaurants are well adapted. The local newspaper, El Pais, lists the level of accessibility for the theaters in Madrid.

It is valuable to know about local organizations in Madrid that offer information on access and other disability-related information. Real Patronato de Prevención y de Atención a Personas con Minusvalia (see below) works on disability policy issues, has a library of accessibility guides and maps for Spain and produces a book listing many state and nongovernmental disability agencies. There are many other organizations in Madrid to provide this support, and NCDE can provide contacts upon request.

Conclusion

Accessibility in Spain is far from perfect. There are societal and architectural barriers, but it is my hope that the information presented here will highlight ways to allow all interested students to study and live in Spain. I hope all will see that an international exchange to Spain is possible and that the rewards greatly outweigh the challenges.

Contacts

Instituto Internacional
Miguel Angel 8
28010 Madrid SPAIN
Web: www.iie.es

Real Patronato de Prevención y de Atención a Personas con Minusvalia
Serrano 140
28006 Madrid SPAIN
Tel: (34) 91-411-5500 or 91-561-6240
Fax: (34) 91-411-5502 or 91-564-6244
Email: rp@futurnet.ex or siis@futurnet.es
Web: www.rpd.es
Contact: Elvira Villalobos

La ONCE
C/ José Ortega y Gasset 18
28006 Madrid SPAIN
Tel: (34) 91-532-5000
Fax: (34) 91-531-2409
Email: soi@once.es or riis@once.es?
Web: www.once.es
Contact: Ernesto Uria, Director of International Relations

The Association of American Programs in Spain (APUNE)

The Association of American Programs in Spain (APUNE) is a non-profit organization offering its services to American study abroad programs. With 36 member programs located throughout Spain, APUNE "provides a forum where members can discuss common problems and interests, share new ideas for program development and establish support systems for program directors and students." Kim Griffin, Director of Middlebury College’s program, is also the current president of APUNE and a member of a newly formed committee to study the inclusion and situation for students with disabilities in Spain.

Kim Griffin, APUNE President
Tel: (34) 91-319-8188
Email: kgriffin@panther.middlebury.edu

Solidarios para el Desarollo

Solidarios para el Desarollo is an independent volunteer organization that has agreements with several universities in Spain to provide support to students with disabilities. Headquartered in Madrid, Solidarios offers a variety of services at universities in other cities as well. Volunteers can assist with driving students with physical disabilities to and from their homes and getting around within the university. Students with visual impairments have received assistance with taking notes, reading materials onto audiocassettes and general orientation. Students with other types of disabilities are also served by Solidarios. Foreign students can receive orientation training at the beginning of the term to familiarize themselves with the campus.

Solidarios also conducts trainings on disability issues for university staff and professors. For instance, they have advised professors on how to be more conscious of the needs of lip-readers during their lectures. The ultimate goal of the organization is to work toward physical and social integration on campus. To find out if Solidarios provides services at a particular university, contact the organization directly or visit its website to learn about current projects:

Solidarios – Oficinas Centrales
C/Donoso Cortés 65
28015 Madrid SPAIN
Tel: (34) 91-394-6425
Fax: (34) 91-394-6434
Email: solidarios@lander.es
Web: www.servicom.es/solidarios

University of Sevilla

The University of Sevilla is located in the province of Andalucia in southern Spain. The city of Sevilla lies on the banks of the Guadalquivir River and is one of the largest historical centers in Europe. It is home to monuments and a fascinating history but overall, it is universally famous for being a joyous town. The Sevillanas are known for their life and energy and the city sparkles with vitality. The university, located conveniently in the center of the city, has over 85,000 students studying in 114 departments.

Transportation

The only form of public transportation in Sevilla is the bus system, which conveniently runs throughout the city and to many local towns. Unfortunately, similar to Madrid, most of the buses are inaccessible to wheelchair users. The city has recently purchased some newer buses, which have a lowered floor or lifts. As I explored the city, I looked for these buses and spotted them occasionally. In May 2000, there was no schedule indicating when and where these buses will appear.

The majority of the major cities in Spain do have accessible taxis. The same company, EuroTaxi, is throughout Spain. They need to be called in advance and are known to be a reliable and fast service.

SACU- Services for students with disabilities

The office I was directed to on campus when I asked what resources existed for students with disabilities was the "Servicio de Assistencia a la Comunidad Universitaria." This large office in the center of campus is a resource for all students and it is there that Benvienido Santiago serves as the advisor to students with disabilities. Benvienido and his colleagues have developed a program to increase attention to the accommodation of students with disabilities on campus.

Their detailed plan has three main components aimed at both architectural and attitudinal changes. The first is to work toward the elimination of barriers on campus. Recognizing that many of the buildings on campus are old and historic, they are slowly adding ramps, elevators, and lifts on campus. As with other universities with similar restrictions in Spain, they have established a long-range action plan on how to accomplish these goals.

The second part of the plan is the shifting awareness in the general community. SACU has teamed with disability organizations in the community: one Deaf organization, one blind organization and two organizations working with people with physical disabilities. Together, they are creating a document highlighting basic disability norms for the university community and the general population. These norms describe how society can shift their attitudes and actions to be inclusive of people with disabilities. What has resulted is the printing of these norms in formats to attract students and to disseminate to the community. They have also had mini-trainings and workshops on campus open to all students, faculty and staff. They have provided classes in sign language, information on disability rights, legal issues and societal norms. They plan to repeat the classes again each year, with the goal of attracting more participants.

The third aspect of their program is working with individual students with disabilities on campus. Upon matriculation, all students are asked if they require disability-related accommodations. SACU then works to provide individualized services to the students. These are also available to international students on campus. They offer grants to students with disabilities, which the student can use to find someone who they would like to assist them with their daily needs. The grant money then goes to hiring the assistant. Then SACU works with the assistant and student to create an agreement and discuss responsibilities.

Assistants have, in the past, worked with students to physically get around campus, into buildings, up stairs, etc. Others have read notes or texts to students who were blind or assist with note taking for Deaf and hard of hearing students. Benvenido recalled the lack of requests for sign language interpreters, as many Spaniards who are Deaf or hard of hearing use lip reading the majority of time. This is due to the lack of sign language interpreters available in the country.

Local resources are important and the school is trying to call on them more often. Resources for blind students are easily obtained via the local ONCE (National organization of the blind) office and for this reason not all blind students on campus use SACU’s services. Other local organizations are just beginning to work with the university community towards these goals.

SACU hopes to build stronger community ties with the local disability organizations and the university by organizing roundtable discussions with representatives from around Sevilla. The goal of their whole program is to allow students with disabilities to feel a part of the university community and to have access to the same resources, classes and activities as their non-disabled peers. Bienvenido also shared that students with disabilities do need to approach SACU. SACU will not search for the students to ensure they are using the available resources. The student must be proactive.

All resources available through SACU are available to foreign students visiting the University of Sevilla.

Solidarios para el Desarollo (see Madrid site visit)

The University of Sevilla also has the organization Solidarios para el Desarollo, similar to that in Madrid. This organization works in conjunction with, yet separately, from SACU. The program is small, working with only six students with disabilities for the 1999-2000 school year. The program coordinator, Marisa Vazques, is friendly and eager to include more students with disabilities into her program and the University community.

Resources

1. SACU, Bienvenido Santiago
   Pabellon de Uruguay
   Avda. de Chile
   Seville 41013, Spain
   Tel: 94-448-60-18
   Fax: 954-448-60-20
   Email: sacupsico@pop.us.es
   Web: www.us.es
   
2. Solidarios, Marisa Vazquez
   c/ Pabellón de Uruguay
   Avda. de Chile s/n.
   Seville 41013 Spain
   Tel: 95-448 60 23 ext. 7
   Fax: 954 48 60 20
   95-448-6023
   
3. Confederacion Andaluza Minusvalidos Fisicos (CAMF)
   C/ Alfareria, 126A
   Seville 41010 Spain
   Contact: Pepe Suarez
   95-433-1024
   central@camf.org
   
4. Federacion Minusvlaidos Fisicos de Sevilla
   Calle Leon 13, #24
   Seville 41009 Spain
   Contact: Manolo Olivar
   Tel: 95-436-1675
   
5. ONCE- Seville
   Jorge Gonzales
   Tel: 95-499-9023
   
6. Federacion Andaluza de Associaciones de Sordos (FAAS)
   Maria Jesus
   Calle Castellar, #71
   Bajo Primero
   Seville 41003 Spain
   Tel: 95-490-8386

Additional international exchange programs in Seville:

1. The Center for Cross Cultural Studies
   Judy Orliz
   446 Main Street
   Amherst, MA 01002-2134
   Tel: (413) 256-0011
   Fax: (413) 256-1699
   

   Calle Harinas, 18
   Seville 41001 Spain
   Tel: 95-422-4107
   Fax: 95-422-9204

   The Center for Cross Cultural Studies recently expanded their building to include an elevator and other accessibility modification.

   2. Lisa Dolan
   Assistant Academic Director
   Institute of International Studies
   c/Porvenir, 15
   Seville 41013? Spain
   Tel: (34) 95-423-3838?? Fax: (34) 95-423-4370
   emails: external.affairs@mail.zoom.es?? & IIS.ICS@zoom.es
   
   At this time, the Institute of International Studies is not wheelchair accessible. Although they have not had extensive experience on including people with disabilities they are open to working to meet the needs of students with disabilities.