The Netherlands has legislation protecting the rights of people with a physical, mental, emotional or sensory impairment that ensures equal access to social, economic and transport systems and full participation in society. In typical Dutch fashion, multiple ministries and organisations coordinate policy. Your doctor, city hall, or one of the major advice centres (ANGO, CG-Raad or MEE) can point you in the right direction.

Experienced expats can also provide invaluable advice and support – put up a thread on a forum.

Transport
Old Dutch cities with narrow, uneven streets and bikes parked everywhere are not brilliant terrain for those in wheelchairs, but access is improving. Help is available getting to/through Schiphol airport (www.ihd-zorg.nl), on the railways (www.ns.nl) and there's a bureau for disabled travellers (030-235 7822). Your gemeente site will give local information, often in English, for the location of disabled parking places and other access issues. Or select zorg en welzijn and gehandicapten.

Education
Wherever possible, children are encouraged to attend mainstream primary schools under the “Going to school together” policy”. A quarter of Down's syndrome children now attend mainstream education. Parents can also opt for a special school with referral from a Regional Education Centre (REC). There are 320 special primary schools and 323 secondary schools. The language of instruction is Dutch but children from a non-Dutch background can sometimes be taught in their mother tongue to help them settle in. SEN teachers are in place at international schools (public and private) where the language of instruction will be (mostly) English but you may have to fund the assistant. Contact the school directly in the first instance. For higher education, handicap+studie is a Dutch expert centre.   (www.onderwijsenhandicap.nl).

 1 2 3 Next >