Moving to Costa Rica in a Wheelchair?

Question

I am confined to a power wheelchair and need to find out what handicap services are available. ( ie: How much would it cost to hire home care helpers?, Is there affordable housing?, Is there wheelchair accessible public transportation?)
I would also like to find some who is disabled who could be a contact for me.

Answer 1

you will encounter architechtural barriers, lack of wheelchair accessibiliy. You will be able to hire locals to assist in your home without difficulty, and will find that help very reasonably priced. Housing is affordable, but access with a power wheelchair may be difficult. Good luck on your adventure!

Answer 2

Although Costa Rica has good laws for helping the handicapped the enforcement of the laws is lackadaisical. COrners do have ramps but sidewalks are so holed and pitted they challenge everyone. Public transport is required to be wheelchair accessible but the deadline for compliance keeps being pushed back. Many that have the machinery installed do not work anyway.



Housing is becoming more affordable as the economic crisis stretches out. You can hire help for reasonable prices but be sure to comply with all the payroll rules, especially the obligatory health care (its a good deal, make sure you enroll yourself too). Very likely you will have to hire and fire a few people before you get someone that you like. If you need people to speak English you will have to pay a lot more.



Costa Rica is pretty up to date so a lot of the daily things, banking and so on can be done on line. Still, you will find being a a wheelchair in Costa Rica a lot harder than Canada or the USA.



I do not know any specific groups for the handicapped but the Residents Association and the Veterans Club will help out.



I have met several people with various handicaps, most give up after a year or two. I think the real problem for most is the language barrier. And you can expect long and expensive problems maintaining a wheel chair.

Answer 3

try the link below and see if someone there can help you with info. I find the board very good.

http://forums.arcr.net/



from personal observation, CR is nothing like a city in the US or Canada, where we have pretty good accommodations in daily life for disabled persons. as above was pointed out, the infrastructure for the disabled is not the best in CR.

help, perhaps even qualified help, will be much cheaper than back home though. so will be lodging and food, if you live like the locals. heating bills will be unknown, depending where you settle, and so will be winter clothes.



biggest hurdle is the immigration law:

Rentista - Requires a $60,000 deposit to a qualifying Costa Rican Bank. This must be paid again in 5 years. You must convert $12,000 per year to colones and keep proof that you did so. You may also use a bank guarantee for this.



Pensionado - Requires proof of at least $600 per month from a permanent pension/retirement fund or equivalent, for life.



there are restrictions with each of these as well, so check the link above.

Answer 4

There are Taxis that only transport handicapped people and they have cheaper rates than regular taxis. A lot of busses have a electric lift for handicapped but most of them do not. CR has less wheelchair friendly options than other more developed countries but it does have a lot to offer and hiring help is less expensive and the cost of living is less expensive. In the super markets you see ramps and in the banks and buildings have elevators so it is possible to live in CR on a wheel chair. A lot of people do.

Answer 5

Nothing is available for your disability.........sorry.



Getting from one place to another will be very, very difficult if not impossible.



Sorry again.



We spent the entire month of Feb and never saw one handicap service in any of the 10 places we stated at.



Sorry again.



There is no such thing as transportation for the handicap.



Sorry........but you need to know........



Put it this way.......in many areas you cannot flush the toilet paper down the toilet. Their infrastructure will not handle it.



Don't expect anything and you won't be disappointed.

Answer 6

I am very sorry to have to say it would be a very bad idea for you to move here for many of the reasons others have stated.