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Notes for People with Disabilities in Dordogne

Resources - mostly in French - for disabled: wheelchair bound, physically disabled, hearing or sight-impaired members of the community. Information on government aid and social security organisations, non-profit organisations and parking facilities.

Note: Most of this information for the disabled takes you to services in French only.

The Caisse Nationale de Solidarité pour l'Autonomie (CNSA) is the overseeing body for the disabled adults and children and the aged with limited abilities.

Locally relevant information for people with disabilities living in the region is available from the Departmental Disabled Persons Office (Maison Départementale des Personnes Handicapées, MDPH).

To find the nearest MDPH office: Click here and enter post code

For visitors to the region, local tourism offices may have information on accessible facilities for the disabled.

For contact information for local tourism offices, see The AngloFILE: Click here

General Information and Helpful Links

Most large towns have a pharmacy or medical supplier for purchase or rental of equipment for the disabled and elderly: wheelchairs (fauteuils-roulants, manuel/électrique), mini-lifts, walkers and general orthopedic equipment. Look in the Pages Jaunes (French yellow pages) under the heading "Handicapées: matériel et services pour".

A Handicapped Person's Priority Card (Carte de Priorité Pour Personne Handicapée) is available to those deemed by the French government to be at least 80 percent disabled. The card is used to obtain priority queuing and seating on public transport and in waiting rooms, schools and public events.

To obtain a Handicapped Person's Priority Card, the following must be presented at the MDPH:

Forms Cerfa 12689*01 and 12692*01: Click here and here for PDF versions of the forms (in French)
a medical certificate from a doctor specifying the disability
identification and at least one photocopy
a valid residence permit and at least one photocopy (if applicable)
a recent passport photograph

There are several MDPH offices in Dordogne.

Utilities

France Telecom has a selection of services called "Solutions Handicap".

For information on Solutions Handicap: Click here (in French)

National French Associations for the Disabled and Mobility Reduced

Handicap.fr: French website with general information, articles, resources and legal information on a number of sub-domaines:
- Aides Techniques: searchable database (in French) to to find suppliers of technical aids such as adapted vehicles, clothing, home aids and much more
- Emploi: job search website for disabled job seekers and employers offering work to disabled people in France
Handicap.Gouv: French government website with full details of practical, legal and social relevance to the disabled resident of France
Comité National Français de Liaison pour la Réadaptation des Handicapés (The French National Liason Committee for the Readaptation of the Handicapped/CNFLRH)
At: rue de Tolbiac 236 bis, 75013 Paris
Tel: 01 53 80 66 66
Association des Paralysés de France: French website with news, information and advise for people living with paralysis in France
Autisme France: National association helping autistic people and their families

Leisure Time and Entertainment

Libraries

Calibre Audio Books is a UK charity that supplies audio books in English on cassette or disk to visually impaired and disabled people. The free service is available to members (registration can be made via the website). Free postal service is available to anywhere in Europe.

Calibre Audio Books
Tel: + 44 1296 432339
Fax: + 44 1296 392599
e-mail
Website

The English Language Library for the Blind provides books on tape in English to English-speakers all over the world by post. The selection of available audio books is quite large.

English Language Library for the Blind
At: 35 rue Lemercier, 75017 Paris
Tel: 01 42 93 47 57

Sports

Fédération Française Handisport is a French organisation that provides information on national and international disabled sporting activities and events.

Fédération Française Handisport
At: 42 rue Louis Lumiére, 75020 Paris
Website
e-mail

The Ecole de Ski Française offers skiing lessons for the disabled in over 50 of its skiing schools. Individual and group classes are available for the deaf, blind and those with reduced mobility.

To find a ski school offering handiski lessons: Click here

Tourism

Travel and tourism information for the disabled is available from the Association Tourisme & Handicaps

Association Tourisme & Handicaps
Tel: 01 44 11 10 41
e-mail
Website

Disabled Transportation and Travel

Ulysse

Ulysse Transport provides transport service catering specifically to helping those with mobility problems. It also caters to transporting the elderly and infirm, the polyhandicapped, the blind, and disabled children to and from school. English-language service is not guaranteed.

For the Ulysse Transport website: Click here
Ulysse Transport - Agen
Tel: 05 53 87 48 69 / 06 27 11 23 08
e-mail
Ulysse Transport - Biarritz
Tel: 08 20 82 58 00
e-mail
Ulysse Transport - Bordeaux
Tel: 05 56 34 75 37 / 06 08 84 49 48
e-mail

Parking

Cars parked in disabled spaces must display the GIG - GIC disabled sticker (valid until December 2010) or an EU parking badge in the window. The EU parking card is a standardised European Community disabled person's parking permit which provides parking entitlements to badge holders in all complying European countries - a card issued in one country is valid in another. A person coming to France from another EU country may want to apply in their home country for this universal badge which allows the use of reserved parking.

It is recommended to check locally at the town hall (Mairie) or with the municipal police (police municipal) for disabled parking regulations.

Things to note

Spaces in car parks reserved for people with disabilities are marked with a wheelchair symbol
Do not park in pedestrian zones or on roads where parking is not allowed
Parking on roads is generally not free of charge for disabled drivers (except in Paris and a few other cities)
In many areas, drivers with disabilities may park without time restrictions on roads where parking is free but has parking time limits

Driver's with a parking badge from another European country may display this translation (text from the UK Automobile Association):

Carte de stationnement pour handicapé.

La personne à qui appartient cette

carte de stationnement est un

visiteur handicapé d'un autre pays de

la communauté européenne et a les

mêmes droits en matière de

stationnement qu'un handicapé de votre pays.

VERSION COMMUNAUTE EUROPEENNE

Information from the EU: Click here
Further information on disabled parking in Europe see the Focus on Disability website: Click here

Getting an EU parking card in France

Application is made to to the local Maison Départementale (MDPH) relevant to the disabled person. It can also be submitted by the attending doctor. The following documents are required:

Completed application form Cerfa 13788
- Available online: Click here (in French)
Recent medical certificate completed by the attending doctor
- Cerfa form 13878 available online: Click here
One recent colour photograph
Photocopy of ID, passport or valid Carte de Séjour
Proof of address (EDF bill or rent receipt)