For some expatriates, getting settled in the new country means finding out where they can get support for special needs like hearing impairment or learning disabilities. Our list of resources will get you started on helping them.

Expatriate families with special needs — chronic illness, allergies, learning disabilities, etc —can find life abroad more challenging than other expats.

Although resources may be hard to find, they are available. In Europe, the only general support organisation that caters to expatriates is Access, which provides information in English to the Netherlands' international community.

According to Leanne Bodley of Access, a complete listing for English-speaking people who have disabilities is still a "work-in-progress". In the meantime, she recommends that expats in the Netherlands contact ACCESS directly with their disability resource questions.

Here are resources, both pan-European and country-specific, to help you help your expatriates.

• Pan-European
• The Netherlands
• Belgium
• France
• Germany

PAN-EUROPEAN RESOURCES

European Disability Forum
Square Ambiorix 32
1000 Brussels
Belgium
Phone: +32 (0)2.282.46.00
Fax: +32 (0)2.282.46.09
info@edf-feph.org
http://www.edf-feph.org

This umbrella organisation represents 37 million people with a disability in Europe. Good resource for finding a particular organisation in a particular country, from epilepsy to mental illness, for pan-European or national associations.

Pinocchio
Chemin Français 1
25000 Besançon
France
Phone : +33 (0)3.81.80.81.80
Fax : +33 (0)3.81.80.26.83
pinocontact@pinocchio.org
http://www.pinocchio.org

Provides a school directory for children with special needs all over Europe.

Autisme Europe
Rue E. Van Becelaere 26B, bte 21
1170 Brussels
Belgium
Phone: +32 (0)2.675.75.05
Fax: +32 (0)2.675.72.70
autisme.europe@arcadis.be
http://www.autismeurope.org/

Disabled Peoples' International Europe (DPI-Europe)
11 Belgrave Road
London SW1V 1RB
United Kingdom
Phone: +44 (0)207.834.04.77
Fax: +44 (0)207.821.95.39
dpiEurope@compuserve.com
www.dpieurope.org

European Blind Union (EBU)
Avenue des Arts 24 / bte.21
1000 Brussels
Belgium
Tel: +32 (0)2.280.33.28
Fax: +32 (0)2.280.49.88
ebu.cleu@skynet.be http://www.euroblind.org

European Federation of Parents of Hearing Impaired Children (FEPEDA) c/o FIADDA

Via San Bartolomeo degli Armeni, 1
16122 Genova
Italy
Phone: +39 (0)10.839.25.94
Fax: +39 (0)10.815.925
info@fepeda.org
http://www.fepeda.org (this site is being reconstructed)

European Kidney's Patients Association (CEAPIR)
Eininger Strasse 10
80993 Munich
Germany
Phone: +49 (0)89.149.57.68
Fax: +49 (0)89.141.62.70
ceapir@ceapir.org
http://www.ceapir.org

European Union of the Deaf (EUD)
rue Franklinstraat 110
1000 Brussels
Belgium
Phone: +32 (0)2.735.72.18
Textphone: +32 (0)2.733.55.35
Fax: +32 (0)2.735.53.54
info@eudnet.org
http://www.eudnet.org

European Federation of Families of People with a Mental Illness(EUFAMI)
Groeneweg 151
3001 Heverlee
Belgium
Phone: +32 (0)16.23.23.82
Fax: +32 (0)16.23.88.18
http://www.eufami.org/index.pl

THE NETHERLANDS

ACCESS
Plein 24
2511 CS Den Haag
The Netherlands
Phone: +31-70-346.25.25
Fax: +31-70-356.13.32
Email: info@access-nl.org
http://www.access-nl.org

Nierenpatientenvereiniging LVD
(Renal patients of The Netherlands)
PO BOX 204
1400 AG Bussum
The Netherlands
Phone: +31-35-691.21.28
Fax: +31-35-691.93.34
secretariaat@lvd.nl
http://www.lvd.nl

Dovenschap
(Dutch association for the deaf)
Postbus 323
3500 AH Utrecht
The Netherlands
Phone: +31-30-297.08.00
Textphone: +31-30-297.06.00
Fax: +31-30-297.00.30
info@dovenschap.nl
www.dovenschap.nl

Dutch Federation of the Blind and Partially Sighted
P.O.Box 2062
3500 GB Utrecht
Phone: +31-30-299.28.78
Fax: +31-30-293.25.44
federatie@sb-belang.nl
http://www.sb-belang.nl

BELGIUM

Europe’s Children – Our concern
Rue Washington 40
1050 Brussels
Belgium
Phone/fax: +32-2-537.48.36
ecoc@ecoc.be
http://www.ecoc.be/

Run by volunteers, ECOC is an information and support organisation that caters for children with any disability. From learning problems to physical disability, they have a database of schools for all needs, as well as information about what international schools in Belgium have to offer for children with special needs.

Community Help Service
Rue St. Georges 102
1050 Brussels
Belgium
Phone: +32 (0)2.647.67.80
Fax: +32 (0)2.646.72.73 HELP LINE only: +32 (0)2.648.40.14
http://www.belgium-info.com/helpline/bel22.htm

This service provides support for mental illness patients and their relatives, as well as for children with learning disabilities. They do tests and therapy.

Ligue Belge de la Surdité
(Belgium’s deaf association)
Vicomte Réginald Jolly
Micolombe, 2
1460 Ittre
Belgium
Phone: +32 (0)67.64.84.32
Fax: +32 (0)67.64.82.83

Handiplus asbl-VZW
(association representing people with all kinds of disabilities)
Rue Beckersstraat 117
1040 Brussels
Belgium
Phone: +32 (0)2.646.34.76
Fax: +32 (0)2.646.34.79
info@handiplus.com
www.handiplus.com

Ligue Braille
(Braille League)
Rue d’Angleterre 57
1060 Brussels
Phone: +32 (0)2.533.32.11
Fax : +32 (0)2.537.64.26
www.braille.be

The Belgian branch of the international organisation provides information and support for blind and visually impaired people.

Ligues des Insuffisants Rénaux
(League for Renal Insufficiency)
Place du Campanile 23
1200 Brussels
Phone/fax: +32 (0)2.772.16.00

Provides addresses of dialysis centres, support and information for people suffering renal insufficiency.

FRANCE

FNAIR
(National federation for renal insufficiency)
Rue des Frères Lion 31
31000 Toulouse
France
Phone: +33 (0)5.61.62.54.62
Fax : +33 (0)5.61.62.06.91
fnair@wanadoo.fr
www.fnair.asso.fr

People suffering from renal insufficiency will find information on dialysis centres and support groups all over the country.

Fédération des Aveugles et Handicapés Visuels de France
(federation of the blind and visually impaired)
Avenue Bosquet 58
75007 Paris
France
Phone: +33 (0)1.44.42.91.91
Fax: +33 (0)1.44.42.91.92
faf@faf.asso.fr
www.faf.asso.fr

UNAFAM
(national union of friends and families of patients suffering from mental illness)
Villa Compoint 12
75017 Paris
France
Phone: +33 (0)1.53.06.30.43
Fax: +33 (0)1.42.63.44.00
www.unafam.org

For support and resources for families and friends of people suffering from mental illness. They have branches in all of France’s “departments”.

GERMANY

Dialysepatienten Deutschlands e. V.
(Dialysis Patients of Germany)
Weberstrasse 2
55130 Mainz
Germany
Phone: +49 (0)6131.851.52
Fax: +49 (0)6131.835.189
geschaeftsstelle@DDeV.de
http://www.DDeV.de

German Federation of Blind and Visually Impaired People -
Deutscher Blinden- und Sehbehindertenverband e: V.
Bismarckallee 30
53173 Bonn
Germany
Phone: +49 (0)228.95.58.20
Fax: +49 (0)228.35.77.19
info@dbsv.org
http://www.dbsv.org

Deutscher Gehörlosen-Bund
(German association for the deaf)
Hasseerstrasse 47
D- 24113 Kiel
Germany
Phone: +49 (0)431.643.44.68
Fax: +49 (0)431.643.44.93
Videophone : +49 (0)431.643.46.56
info@gehoerlosen-bund.de
http://www.gehoerlosen-bund.de

August 2002 (updated October 2005)

Christine Scholtes is a freelance journalist based in Brussels.