Expert: Sandra - 7/13/2011

Question
Are larger cities, such as Sao Paulo, well equipped to handle wheel chair accessibility? Or would life/vacation be very difficult for a disabled person in a wheel chair?

Answer
Since I truly love Brazil, I would be very pleased were you to decide to visit. "Life" and "vacation" might be two different situations, though, Ted. (And note that Sao Paulo is not, however,  what I would consider a tourist destination, so I am framing my thoughts in terms of, perhaps, a visit to Rio, or maybe Salvador or Recife.) Keep in mind that Brazil is a still-developing country. There are no accessibility laws, as far as I know, of the type there are in the U.S., regarding public buildings/spaces.

I can only speak to what I have personally seen of conditions in Brazil, though, and give my own impressions. I suspect that folks in wheelchairs who have any money at all hire a full-time attendant to help them get around, since salaries for that type of work are very low, or they have a family member whose full-time job is looking after them. But I have seen some truly heart-wrenching cases in Salvador (a poor, but culturally rich, city in the northeast) of poor people crawling onto a bus or down the street on their hands, dragging their paralyzed legs, or scooting on a skateboard like device, apparently without resources to obtain a wheelchair. I have seen very few people getting around on their own by wheelchair, as I am accustomed to seeing in the U.S. I have never seen van services for transport of wheelchair bound folks. I suspect that the type of hand-powered chair I've seen used by athletes might be the best design to use in Brazil.

As a tourist in the larger cities, you would be staying in hotels with elevators, but steps up to the lobby would be a question to ask of the individual hotel. Many larger/taller apartment buildings also have elevators. However, bathrooms, doorways and counters might not have accomodations for wheelchairs, or their width and height. Restaurants may or may nor be accessible, but most would be with some assistance up a step or two. Sidewalks can be made of small tiles, sometimes not in very good condition, and I know it is difficult to push a baby carriage in many places. (Drivers are crazy, and consider that they always have the right of way over pedestrians, so pushing a chair in the street would be dangerous.) Automatic cars are hard to find in the first place, and as far as cars modified for handicapped folks, I have never seen one, but I really don't know if they are available. Taxis are plentiful and fairly cheap, but you would need to accomodate yourself getting in and out, and I don't know if the trunk (which usually contains a space-taking gas tank) would fit a chair easily. Drivers would be accomodating, as all Brazilians endeavor to be, but I suspect few have had to deal with a chair of any kind. I have never seen a bus that had provisions for a chair lift or space for a chair.

As far a specific tourist sights/destinations, in Rio, going up Corcovado is by cog train or van/taxi/guide's car (with a change to an 'official' van most of the way up), and at the top, an elevator and then an escalator to the foot of the Christ statue, whose platform has some steps. Sugarloaf has a ski-lift type tram, and some asphalt paths at the top. The beach sidewalks are tiled, but in good shape. The downtown sidewalks (where many historic buildings are) are also mostly in pretty good shape.  Hiring a private guide with his own vehicle might be a good idea to get around Rio efficiently. In Salvador, the historic district is paved in cobblestones, and sidewalks are generally not in good condition. There were, for a while at least, some golf carts being used for tours of the Pelourinho historic district. Some of the historic churches are at street level, but the famous Bonfim has a flight of steps. The Olinda historic neighborhood near Recife is on a very steep hill, with narrow sidewalks. Old Recife seems a fairly accessible neighborhood, as does the popular Boa Viagem beach neighborhood. The unique Olaria Brennad ceramic studio and scupture park in Recife would be accesssible.

I hope I've been a bit helpful and not too discouraging. Not knowing your prior travel experience, and with whom you'd be sharing the trip, it's a little hard to judge what might be considered possible for you as an individual. As I said, I would be pleased to have you visit, since there is so much to see and experience.  I certainly hope you decide it might be worthwhile, despite some less than ideal conditions in some places.