Accessibility label
Since the beginning of 2008 Flanders has had a regulated label for accessible tourism. At the moment only holiday accommodation can acquire a label. But the collection is already looking good! The assessments are based on objective on site research. The full descriptions are available at “Accessible Flanders” (see below). Here your can read all about our label, and consult a list of accessible accommodation.

Accessible Flanders

On www.toevla.be, you will find information about the accessibility of buildings such as hotels, holiday centres, museums, cultural centres, sports centres, town halls and schools as well as cycle paths, footpaths and other tourist amenities.  These are objective measured data, including some collected on behalf of Toerisme Vlaanderen.

The website has various search options, which means that you can quickly obtain information adapted to your own limitations and needs.  Info available in English, Dutch, French and German.

Assistance

From Flanders it is possible to arrange personal assistance on holiday via the LIDOA service.  The Limburgse Dienst voor Opvang en Assistentie (Limburg Service for Reception and Assistance) has been operating with volunteers for a number of years, and can help out at home, or provide personal assistance, even on holiday.  It is best to contact them well in advance at LIDOA, Schoolstraat 40, 3500 Hasselt, tel: +32 11 28 57 40, e-mail: ookerbij@busmail.net.

Tourist information Flanders

General tourism information about Flanders and Brussels.

Info: Information desk, Grasmarkt 61, 1000 Brussel – Tel: +32 2 504 03 90 – Fax: +32 2 504 02 70

e-mail: info@toerismevlaanderen.be

web site: www.visitflanders.com

Available in Dutch, French, German, English, Italian, Spanish, Danish, Swedish, Czech, Japanese and Chinese.

WC OK
That WCOK volunteers spend a lot of time in the toilet is not a reflection of their health. They want to collect reliable information about the state and usability of public toilets in Flanders. Consideration is always given to accessibility for wheelchair users. The detailed but colourful assessments are given on the website http://wcok.internethical.be. Particular mention is made of good examples. Well worth a visit!
Information is provided in Dutch.

Spending a penny in Antwerp
Antwerp has a town map showing the public toilets. If you are desperate, you can now find the quickest way to the nearest facility. Click here to download toilettenplan (pdf file). The icons show where there is a baby changing table or fully accessible toilet and whether access is free or paying.

Crohn’s disease
Living with a chronic bowel disease, such as Crohn’s, means that you may have an unexpected need for a toilet. First paying for a drink, as required for most cafés and restaurants to use the toilet, is therefore not an option. The website www.ziekte-van-crohn.be/nl/campagne.php gives a list of the public buildings in Belgium where there is no charge for using the toilet. You can look at the options on a map, search for an address in the database or download the list as a pdf document.
There is a FAQ page on the same site giving practical tips.

Help!

The fire, ambulance and police services in Belgium can be reached on the emergency number 112. the general public knows this as a telephone number but it is also a fax number. Deaf and  hearing impaired people and people with speaking difficulties can seek emergency assistance by fax anywhere in Belgium. The emergency form to be used in this case is available here (PDF file). The form is provided by Fevlado vzw (Flemish deaf association). It is important to remember that the form should be used solely for emergencies, not for matters that can be dealt with a day later, for example.

Card Stop

The Card Stop number featured on all  bank cash dispensers can be used to block a credit card when it is lost or stolen. There is also a fax notification system for the deaf and  hearing impaired and people with speaking difficulties. To notify Card Stop you have to use a special form that can be downloaded here (PDF file). The form is provided by Fevlado vzw (Flemish deaf association). It can be used anywhere in Belgium.

Carefree on the beach
From July 1st until August 31 you can easily find help to enjoy the beach in several Flemish coastal towns. Personal assistance, sanitation and support facilities (such as beach wheelchairs) will be available at the following locations:

*   Nieuwpoort - Hendrikaplein (T 0498 92 92 79)
*   Middelkerke - Casino (T 0498 90 58 70)
*   Westende – on the corner of Strandlaan/Koning Ridderdijk (T 0498 90 58 71)
*   Oostende - Diksmuidestraat (T 0491 50 54 33)
*   De Haan - Leopoldplein (T 059 23 39 00)
*   Vosseslag - Vosseslag (T 059 23 67 30)
*   Wenduine - Demeyhelling (T 050 41 23 96)
*   Zeebrugge - Badengebouw (T 0472 90 08 46 en 0472 90 08 45)

Assistance is daily available between 10.30 a.m. and 6.30 p.m. .

For further details about accessibility on the Flemish coast, download the flyer here (pdf-format).

Accessible Nieuwpoort

For a number of years now, the Municipal Advisory Board for People with Disabilities has been producing an annual brochure called “Toegankelijk Nieuwpoort” (Accessible Nieuwpoort).  It shows all the public services available, parking spaces, hotels, restaurants and cafés (with adapted toilet) and shops that are accessible to wheelchair users.  A new feature this year is that 25 hotels, restaurants and cafés which have a menu written in braille and in large type for people with impaired sight.

The four “jutters” (beach wheelchairs) are also featured in the brochure.  This brochure is available free of charge at the tourist office of the town of Nieuwpoort, and can be consulted on the website www.nieuwpoort.be. Click on the wheelchair icon at the top of the screen.

Info available in Dutch.

Schelde, Dender, Rupel
Between the Flemish Ardennes and the Antwerp Kempen and between the Green Belt and the Waasland lies the Scheldeland. It is a tourist region with a great deal to offer. Organised packages, which are also suitable for disabled people, are bundled together in a 15-page leaflet. Accommodation, attractions, bike or boat trips, horeca, etc. There are specific recommendations for wheelchair users and visitors with impaired vision. You’ll find this on the website www.scheldeland.be.
Information available in Dutch.

Autonomia
An impressive website about everything that’s going on in the disabled world (especially in French-speaking Belgium). Visit wal.autonomia.org. This approach is obviously broader than accessible tourism, but the sections on accommodation, free time, transport and general tourism are very comprehensive. The information is available in French.

Passe-partout for Wallonia
With a ‘passe-partout' key you can open all doors. The “indice passe-partout” from Gamah asbl is especially useful because you can find out which buildings are accessible. The Gamah association from Namur carries out objective information-gathering sessions on buildings and finds out about their accessibility. On www.ipp-online.org/recherche/recherche.php every building first gets a score between 0 and 10 for various types of visitors: wheelchair users (with or without assistance), people who have difficulty walking, or have a mental or visual disability, and deaf and hearing-impaired visitors. Then a pdf document offers a thorough illustrated review. The database contains the results on all kinds of public buildings, and a good selection of touristy places, in French-speaking Belgium. All information is available in French.
 

Horizon 2000

The French-speaking organisation Horizon 2000 offers on its website a wide selection of information on French-speaking tour operators, accessible buildings, cities... in Belgium and abroad.

Brussels

The organisation ANLH (Association Nationale pour le Logement des personnes Handicapées) is in the process of surveying the degree of accessibility if a few hundred buildings. The results of this investigation can be found on www.anlh.be/?view=rubl&id=74. The investigation is mainly done from a tourist angle, but also includes schools and prisons. The search engine offers the user option to select what applies to him. This way looking for a suitable building is a lot faster.

Available in French.

"Brussels for all": Information on accessibility of hotels, restaurants, parking places, public toilets, recreation, culture and transport in Brussels. The composers have based themselves on international standards and the symbols linked thereto. Information: AMT, A. Renoirstraat 5/4, 1140 Evere, phone number: +32(0)2 705 03 48, e-mail: info@brusselvoorallen.be or magmaybe@hotmail.com. Website: www.brusselvoorallen.be, available in English, Dutch and French.

You can find out even more about our capital on www.brusselandersbekeken.be. Non-profit organisation vzw Gehandicapten en Solidariteit describes some real unmissable things to do on an accessible trip to Brussels. There are suggestions about transport, activities, eating and drinking. The website is available in Dutch, and a French-language version is in production. The information also exists in brochure form: "Brussel anders bekeken” (A different angle on Brussels”). Find out more from: Steden anders bekeken; Brussel inclusief - Gehandicapten en Solidariteit - Zuidstraat 111 - 1000 Brussels - tel. +32 (0)2 546 15 91 – e-mail nfgz@skynet.be.

In Brussels and looking for something to do? “Loisirs des personnes handicapées” (Leisure activities for people with disabilities) offers inspiration: there is a wide range of tourist sights, hobbies and leisure activities. In the printed brochure, you can search for activities depending on the type of disability or using a keyword. The guide is available free from: IDJ asbl – rue au Bois 11 – 1150 Brussels – tel.: +32(0)2 772 70 20 - fax: +32(0)2 772 72 09 - e-mail: idj@idj.be. If you visit the website www.idj.be, click on Loisirs des personnes handicapées to consult the same information in a database. Both the printed guide and the website are available in French.