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December 26, 2013

Taking a Look at Wheelchair Access Laws Worldwide

You may think that being in a wheelchair means you cannot travel anywhere, but you couldn’t be more wrong. Despite what stereotypes about countries might make you think, a large portion of the and a few of them may even surprise you.

Europe

Europe is one of the most wheelchair friendly continents on the planet, and you can thank the European Union and other overarching governing bodies for it. Be it Greece, England, or Lithuania, countries will have wheelchair access readily available in most places thanks to the wheelchair access laws and good old fashioned common decency.

Asia

In Asia you’ll have a better time in larger cities but might run into trouble if you move too far away from them. Countries like Japan and China have wheelchair transit services readily available for you in the major cities, but be prepared to adjust if you decide to wander into the less inhabited areas.

Australia

The land down under takes care of its people, and as long as you stay within the small zone populated by 98% of its inhabitants near the eastern border you should have no problem maneuvering your way around.

South America

In the larger countries like Brazil, Argentina, and Peru you will find no problem getting wheelchair access, as South America takes great pride in its disability laws. Just like in every other continent, the more rural you get the more difficult it will be, but if you plan on visiting Suriname be aware that it has almost no disability rights whatsoever.

Africa

Africa has been moving slowly but it’s heading in the right direction. Many countries are just now for the first time signing legislation to provide for disabled persons, and that means within the next however many years Africa will be becoming more and more wheelchair accessible.

Think about it this way: there are people in wheelchairs in every city in every country around the world, so any place that passes laws to accommodate its own citizens has services provided for visitors too. Hopefully after reading this you are a little more inspired to go see the world.

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