Spain Explained

Helping disabled children and adults – ALPE

Last updated on February 19th, 2020 at 01:21 am.

Many people travelling up and down the old Alicante Road or Cortes Valencianas in Torrevieja will never have noticed ALPE (Asociación Comarcal para la Rehabilitación del Discapacitado). It’s on the side of this very popular stretch of road and provides education and life-long learning opportunities for children and adults who have a disability.

The facilities are divided into two. The Centro Educación Especial caters for children from 3 years old and provides education and care. The Centro Ocupacional is aimed at adults who have intellectual disabilities and need continued support within the community to lead a full life.

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The Centro Educación

The classes are small and well equipped as many of the children and young people here have very specific and high level needs. Classes require a high staff to pupil ratio and have to provide care as well as education. It caters not only for children with different physical and mental needs but also of different nationalities with different languages and cultures.

What these children do have in common is that they will need support for many years to come, if not throughout their lives. Some of the students here have profound difficulties that will have been identified when they were born. Others have been diagnosed through assessment at later points in their lives.

Psychologists assess the level of need and the information is then analysed and processed. A decision is then made in consultation with parents as to whether the child stays in a mainstream school or whether they are referred to ALPE. The number of children in the school is small, 53 at this moment, and reflects the high level of need and unpredictability of when children might seek admission. Both of these factors can make planning and class organisation difficult.

The school has a similar curriculum to a mainstream school but is adapted to accommodate the children’s needs. An outside area is equipped with resources but the students here also use other local facilities such as the town’s swimming pool and sports grounds. Keeping physically active is an important part of their education.

ALPE relies on the Special Education Center of the Ministry of Education and the Occupational Center of the Conselleria of Equality and Inclusive Policies, and to some extent for resources on money donated to it by a number of charities and through fund raising. ALPE is an official ONG – a registered non-profit association, but this kind of funding isn’t sufficient when it comes to financing some of the larger projects for the school. For example, a crowd funding campaign was launched to help them raise money for a specially adapted play area, a total of €9,500 was fundend altogether and was supported by CaixaBank, other private companies and other private funders.

Some of the money raised is used to buy extras such as additional equipment for the school. The school is financed in part by the government but, like most state funding in Spain, as in other countries, this does not usually stretch as far as it should.

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The Centro Ocupacional

This part of ALPE is focussed on people between the ages of 18 and 65 who have an intellectual disability. It helps to support them in becoming more independent and increasing their quality of life. There are different workshops catering for 43 people altogether.

The aims include supporting their inter personal development and helping them to develop socially. Each person is provided with the assistance that they need and therapy where appropriate. The users here come from across the Vega Baja and many of them are collected on buses. They can attend their occupational center every day between September and July.

Again, the group sizes are small and workshops and activities include practising basic language skills, art work, gardening, carpentry, handicrafts and computers. There are opportunities for family and friends to see what they are making and their involvement is a crucial part of the programme.

Between them these two centres provide an essential hub for the children and adults who attend them. The staff are very special too in the level of patience and expertise that is required of them. Altogether this is a vital facility that deserves all the financial help and support that it can get.

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8 comments

anne Brady

17 July, 2019 10:30 pm

hello,
hello,
I have a son with Angelman Syndrome 31 yeaars old. He is very happy and makes everyone smile. I feel very blessed that he is in our lives. I want to know if I move permanently to Spain if we would be able to get day care services for him. We are travelling to spain for the last 11 years with our son from Ireland but would very much like to stay there and let him be happy in the spanish climate that allows him to be outdoors more.

Suzanne O'Connell

25 July, 2019 3:03 pm

Hi Anne

Hi Anne

To answer your question you will need to speak with the relevant social services department within the town where you are planning to live. 

Keely Lilley

26 May, 2020 10:29 pm

Hi,
My daughter is 16 years old and attends mainstream school in San Fulgencio, Alicante. She is due to remain there until June 2021. However, she is autistic, has Tourettes Syndrome and dyspraxia. She struggles daily and has not progressed and I am extremely concerned as to what she will do at the end of her education there. Would it be possible that she could perhaps enter the centre for adults next year? She is very isolated and I am extremely concerned about her future. Any advice you can give me, or if you could advise me how we would go about this would be most welcome. We are resident in Spain. Many thanks.

Oscar Paoli

27 May, 2020 6:55 am

Hi Keely,
Thank you for your message.
If you wish to get more information from ALPE please let us know by contacting us at op@abacoadvisers.com or if you wish to contact them directly they will also be happy to help. Their contact details are below:

info@centroalpe.es

Please do not hesitate to contact me should you have any further queries.
Kind regards,
Ábaco Advisers

venetia clare charlton

14 September, 2020 11:24 am

Good Morning
I hope you are well. I have read about your centre with much interest. I am currently a communicator guide for deaf blind, a notetaker and sighted guide. I have also worked with people whom have learning disabilities and the elderly. I have lived in altea on and off for a couple of years although i am currently in the Uk but want to return. i love working with people and enabling them to do a variety of activiites..for me there is no such word as can’t just do it in a different way. Would it be possible to let me know what qualifications you require in Spain to work in this sector.
I look forward to hearing from you
Yours sincerely
venetia charlton

Oscar Paoli

14 September, 2020 3:19 pm

Dear Venetia,
Thank you for your message.
We would recommend you contacting ALPE directly at email info@centroalpe.es and they surely will be more than happy to assist you.
With kind regards,
Ábaco Advisers

Joanne

25 May, 2023 12:06 pm

hello I’m looking for some information regarding my Son.
I am in the process of looking I to moving to Spain.
My Son is 13 at moment and he is Autistic and attend Special Needs School in UK.
I’m trying g to find similar for him in the Alicante area and came across your blog .
would this be a school or centre suitable for him and what’s the process for him to access the facility .
Thanks
Joanne

Oscar Paoli

25 May, 2023 8:41 pm

Thank you for contacting us, unfortunately we are not specialized in this field, nevertheless please find some interesting links below that may be of assistance in the search process:

http://www.aspergeralicante.org/

https://apacv.org/centro-infanta-leonor/

https://www.colegioceualicante.es/educacion-especial/

Wishing you best of luck.

Kind regards,

Ábaco Advisers