Notes for the Disabled on the Côte d'Azur

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Notes for the Disabled on the Côte d'Azur

Note: Most of this information for the disabled takes you to services in French only.

Information for the disabled regarding living in the region is available from the local Centre communal d'action sociale/CCAS, at the local Mairie, or Commission technique d'orientation et de reclassement professionnel/COTOREP. 

The CCAS is an organisation that provides practical assistance and social interaction for elderly and disabled people. It also has specialised vehicles for people with reduced mobility. There are branches throughout the Riviera.

• CCAS - Nice
  At: 4 Place Pierre Gautier
  Tel: 04 93 13 51 00
  e-mail
  Website

• CCAS - Cannes
  At: 22 rue Bornoil
  Tel: 04 93 06 31 70
  Fax: 04 93 06 32 36
  Website

• CCAS - Menton
  At: 4 prom Mar Leclerc Hautecloque
  Tel: 04 92 41 76 00

• CCAS - Antibes
  At: 2 Avenue de la Liberation, BP 83, 06602 Antibes Cedex
  Tel: 04 92 91 10 00 / 04 92 91 39 08
  Website

The CCAS Antibes branch publishes a guide (in French) detailing the accessibility of local Antibes offices and facilities, including among other things: post offices, police stations, utilities offices, churches, pharmacies, schools, car parks and sporting venues.

• For the CCAS-Antibes "Antibes Accessible" guide: Click here (in French)

COTOREP is a governmental agency responsible for the recognition of disabled status. 

For visitors to the region, local tourism offices may have information on accessible facilities for the disabled.

• For contact information for local tourism offices: Click here

General Information and Helpful Links

Most large towns have a pharmacy or medical supplier for purchase or rental of equipment for the disabled and elderly: wheelchairs (fauteuils-roulants, manuel/électrique), mini-lifts, walkers and general orthopedic equipment. Ask at an English-speaking pharmacy or look in the Pages Jaunes (French yellow pages) under the heading "Handicapées: matériel et services pour".

A Handicapped Person's Priority Card (Carte de Priorité Pour Personne Handicapée) is available to those deemed by the French government to be at least 80 percent disabled. The card is used to obtain priority queuing and seating on public transport and in waiting rooms, schools and public events. 

To obtain a Handicapped Person's Priority Card, the following must be presented at the Departmental Disabled Persons Office (maison départementale des personnes handicapée/MDPH):

• Forms Cerfa 12689*01 and 12692*01: Click here and here for PDF versions of the forms (in French)
• a medical certificate from a doctor specifying the disability
• identification and at least one photocopy
• a valid residence permit and at least one photocopy (if applicable)
• a recent passport photograph

The Alpes-Maritimes MDPH office is located in Nice.

• MDPH
  At: 66-68 route de Grenoble, 06201 Nice CEDEX 3
  Tel: 08 05 56 05 80
  Website

Utilities

• For information on Solutions Handicap: Click here (in French)

National French Associations for the Disabled and Mobility Reduced

• Handicap.fr: French website with general information, articles, resources and legal information on a number of sub-domaines:

  • Aides Techniques: searchable database (in French) to to find suppliers of technical aids such as adapted vehicles, clothing, home aids and much more

  • Emploi: job search website for disabled job seekers and employers offering work to disabled people in France 

• Handicap.Gouv: French government website with full details of practical, legal and social relevance to the disabled resident of France.

• Comité National Français de Liaison pour la Réadaptation des Handicapés (CNFLRH)
  At: rue de Tolbiac 236 bis, 75013 Paris 
  Tel: 01 53 80 66 66

• Association des Paralysés de France: French website with news, information and advise for people living with paralysis in France.

• Autisme France: National association helping autistic people and their families

Local Associations for the Disabled and Mobility Reduced

The Association des Paralysés de France provides information for paralysed people in France. It has special divisions for youth and for parents of children who are in wheelchairs and also provides an online forum for discussion.

• Association des Paralysés de France
  Central Office, Alpes-Maritimes
  At: 3 ave Antoine Véran, Nice
  Tel: 04 92 07 98 00 
  Fax: 04 92 07 07 24
  e-mail
  Website
  Central Office, Var
  At: 58 rue Fourcroy, 83130 La Garde
  Tel: 04 98 01 30 50
  Fax: 04 98 01 30 51

• Association Autisme France (English-language) 
  N° Azur: 0 810 179 179 from 09:00-17:00
  At: 1209 chem Campelières 06250 Mougins 
  Fax: 04 93 46 01 14 / 04 93 46 01 77

• Association Valentin Haûy: Provides services to the blind and visually impaired (in French)
  At: 4 avenue Henri Barbusse, Nice
  Tel: 04 93 52 54 54
  e-mail
  Website

• French Riviera Tendances has a list of associations for the disabled on the French Riviera: Click here (in French)

Leisure Time and Entertainment

Libraries

Calibre Audio Books is a UK charity that supplies audio books in English on cassette or disk to visually impaired and disabled people. The free service is available to members (registration can be made via the website). Free postal service is available to anywhere in Europe. 

• Calibre Audio Books
  Tel: + 44 1296 432339
  Fax: + 44 1296 392599
  e-mail 
  Website

The English Language Library for the Blind in Paris provides books on tape in English to English-speakers all over the world by post. The selection of available audio books is quite large.

• English Language Library for the Blind
  At: 35 rue Lemercier, 75017 Paris
  Tel: 01 42 93 47 57

Sports

Handisport Côte d'Azur provides information on the different sports clubs in the Alpes-Maritimes and the Var.

• Handisport Côte d'Azur
  At: 1124, route de Carces, Lorgues
  Tel: 04 94 73 79 27
  Website

The Ecole de Ski Française offers skiing lessons for the disabled in over 50 of its skiing schools. Individual and group classes are available for the deaf, blind and those with reduced mobility.

• To find a ski school offering handiski lessons: Click here

Fédération  Française Handisport is a French organisation that provides information on national and international disabled sporting activities and events.

• Fédération  Française Handisport 
  At: 42 rue Louis Lumiére, 75020 Paris
  Website
  e-mail

The Comite Departemental HandiSport for the Alpes-Maritimes region website provides information on various disabled sporting associations in the area.

• For the Alpes-Maritimes Comite Departemental HandiSport list of sporting organisation in the region: Click here

Wheelchair Accessible Beaches

Handiplage: Several beaches of the Côte d'Azur and Monaco cater specifically for wheelchair bound people or those with reduced mobility. They are usually well signposted "Handiplage". There are beaches in St-Laurent du Var, Cagnes sur Mer, Antibes, Nice, Cannes, Cap d'Ail and Monaco.

• For further information on these beaches: Click here

Tourism

Travel and tourism information for the disabled is available from the Association Tourisme & Handicaps

• Association Tourisme & Handicaps
  Tel: 01 44 11 10 41
  e-mail
  Website

Disabled Transportation and Travel

Ulysse

Ulysse Transport provides transport service catering specifically to helping those with mobility problems. It also caters to transporting the elderly and infirm, the polyhandicapped, the blind, and disabled children to and from school. 

• For the Ulysse Transport website: Click here

• Ulysse Transport - Nice
  At: 234 route de Grenoble, 06200 Nice
  Tel: 04 93 71 07 00 
  Fax: 04 93 71 14 74
  e-mail

• Ulysse Transport - Cannes/Antibes
  At: 11-13 chemin d'industrie, 06110 Le Cannet
  Tel: 06 26 59 81 10
  e-mail

• Ulysse Transport - Var (East)/Frejus
  At: 16 Park d'activite de la Bouverie, 83520 Roquebrune sur Argens
  Tel: 06 61 91 36 36
  Fax: 04 94 58 84 16 
  e-mail

Nice International Airport

The following special facilities are available at Nice Airport for people with reduced mobility: reserved parking, lounge, wheelchairs, toilets with special access, access ramp, escalators, lift, specially equipped minibus and car. 

Saphir is Air France's service for the disabled. Operators, who are based in Nice, can provide information and reservations for the disabled. 

• Saphir
  Tel: 08 20 01 24 24 
  Hours: Monday to Friday 09:00-19:00, Saturday 09:00-18:00 
  e-mail

• For information for disabled travellers about travelling to and from Nice International Airport: Click here 

Adapted Airport Shuttle Service

Vehicles adapted with ramps are available for transport to and from Nice International Airport from the following organisations.

• CCAS Nice 
  Tel: 04 97 11 40 53

• Groupement pour l'Insertion des Personnes Handicapées Physiques/GIHP 
  Tel: 04 93 19 51 61

Trains

SNCF, the French railway system, caters to the hearing and sight disabled as well as physically disabled and wheelchair bound passengers by providing designated spaces and facilities in the carriages. In some locations, adapted transport service to the station can be provided. 

A door-to-door bag transport service is available for a fee, and can be booked when the ticket is purchased. The baggage will be delivered within 24 hours.

For more information regarding SNCF's accessibility service for passengers with disabilities, see the SNCF website.

• SNCF
  Tel: 08 00 15 47 53
  Website

Boats and ferries

The SNCM ferry-boat service between Nice and Corsica provides facilities for disabled passengers. The ferries have lifts and travelators to facilitate access for wheelchairs.

• SNCM Ferries
  Tel: 04 93 13 66 66
  Website

Car Hire

Holiday Cars and Hertz offer vehicles adapted for drivers who require hand controls. Holiday Cars offers these vehicles at most locations in France, though may charge a delivery fee. Hertz only offers these vehicles at some locations (including Nice International Airport). Car should be reserved well in advance.

• Holiday Cars
  Tel: 04 78 60 31 31
  e-mail
  Website

• Hertz
  Tel: 08 25 34 23 43
  Website

Parking

Cars parked in disabled spaces must display the GIG - GIC disabled sticker or an EU blue badge in the window. The blue badge is a standardised European Community disabled person's parking permit which provides parking entitlements to badge holders in all complying European countries - a blue badge from one country is valid in another. A person coming to France from another EU country may want to apply in their home country for this universal badge which allows the use of reserved parking. 

It is recommended to check locally at the town hall (hotel de ville) or with the municipal police (police municipal) for disabled parking regulations.

Things to keep in mind:

• Disabled spaces in car parks reserved for disabled people are marked with a wheelchair symbol
• Do not park in pedestrian zones or on roads where parking is not allowed
• Parking on roads is generally not free of charge for disabled drivers (except in Paris and a few other cities)
• In many areas, disabled drivers may park without time restrictions on roads where parking is free but has parking time limits

Driver's with a blue badge from another European country may display this translation beside a badge written in another language (text from the UK Automobile Association):

• For further information on disabled parking in Europe see the Focus on Disability website: Click here

Related Information

• See the AngloINFO INFOrmation page on Qualifying for French Disability Benefits
• See the AngloINFO INFOrmation page on Facilities for Children with Disabilities