Moving to Mexico with a disability

If by chance you mean disabled as in a wheelchair. I had a friend that was in a wheelchair and he found many places in Vallarta to be inaccessible to him.

First off there is little if any wheelcharair access. In some places where ramps do exist they are too steep, narrow or broken down to be useful. I have seen this in Chapala and Vallarta. Even if there is a ramp on a sidewalk it is likely you would find the sidewalk too broken down or a Post in the middle of a sidewalk blocking your way.

If you need ongoing medical care this is something that needs to be carefully considered as many towns do not have good medical care. You often need to go to a large city like Guadalajara for a specialist. This may sound okay at first but when you realize that they do not care if you are in a wheelchair or have a heart condition they will run you all over a large hospital then tell you that you are missing a signature and need to go back again. At the end of the day you will be exhausted and hate the idea of returning.  If you are relying on any medical insurance whatsoever you should make damn sure they will have someone that can "orient" you at least for your first few visits, especially if you have a language barrier.

I think the first step is to see how citizens with handicaps get along and are treated. Much of what Markosjal says is true. Unlike the U.S. accommodations were not mandated.  Given that infrastructure in the U.S. has declined I suspect U.S. accommodations will decline.

I don't think most people know the U.S. didn't have ACA laws until 1990, so the U.S. did not feel they needed to accommodate handicapped people until then.

If you observe people here you will see handicapped people in W/C's in the street, getting by. W/C ramps are possibly present, but they are not very accommodating. Streets are narrow and sometimes poles or plants are in the sidewalk. It makes it hard for people without handicaps to get around, and explains why the handicapped natives are in the street.

I do not agree with the comments about medical care, but he is correct about lines, rules, and expectations.

I would think one would have to look closely and probably choose a city with a heavy expat population where it would be more likely that they would demand American like accommodations in all areas of life.

I think Mexico is trying because some stores and restaurants have w/c ramps. But it is a work in progress because often at the end of the ramp the need for further accommodation ends. So you can get to the door then there will be a door and perhaps a step or two. There is no plan for improved infrastructure on a countrywide basis.

Here the Malecon has a long very useful path for everyone which looks great but there is no continuation beyond that point. Some walkways or crossings with speed bumps but once you are across the street you will be on your own.

Travellight,

My comments about medical care were from FIRSTHAND experience, not imagined. If you are lucky enough to be in a city that there are the kinds of specialists you need , will your insurance cover them? Numerous times now I have paid out of pocket for even a diagnosis because the large medical facilities were too busy and/or run by a bunch of interns with no experience.

Yes the quality of medical care can be very good but can be very bad. Much of that depends on your insurance, and what covered doctors are available to you where you are located.

Many years ago I was in Vallarta and got dengue. I had Seguro Social. I am Bilingual. I lived three blocks from Seguro Social Hospital, but it was all I could do to get there that afternoon, as I was so sick. THEY TURNED ME AWAY  saying I needded to come back in the Morning, not in the afternoon. I walked a few more blocks to a private hospital on the side of Plaza Caracol and paid out of pocket. They did not say at Seguro Social, "Go to the urgent care door"  which is what they should have said, I later discovered. By then it was too late, I had given up on Seguro Social completely and completely lost confidence because they turned away a covered sick person instead of orienting them. This was not the first such experience with Seguro Social.

Many areas are COMPLETELY INACCESSIBLE by wheelchair, I also know from experience as I used to take my neighbor out in his wheelchair . Try parking with a wheelchair in one of vallartas underground parking structures then getting the person out of the parking area. IMPOSSIBLE. You must block traffic on the street and leave that person on the street while you go park. Then the same to pick them up again. Those underground parking structures are only several years old. and there is no handicapped access. Using the auto ramps is dangerous as traffic may not see you and they are very steep for a wheelchair.

It's the worst country I know of for a disabled person. 

If you could create a list of all the social ills that aren't addressed you might ask yourself why would disabled people not rate a spot ON the list?   if you were murdered they'd be no investigation .. unless you paid for it. 

Sure they have SS hospitals and such but the care is poor, not always, but mostly.  Here you can buy a medical school diploma.   And if you have blonde hair and blue eyes you wouldn't even need a diploma; hang a shingle, everyone else does; hair dressers, mechanics, computer techs, veterinarians.  There are two vets in my pueblo, neither one has a license.

Another reason is that Mexico is a dumping ground for every prohibited insecticide banned in the other 196 countries of the World.  Why would medicine avoid that norm?  Why, because they don't give a toss.

Mexicans are a very hardy people and they prolly see White People as weak and privileged, and of course, rich.  Your petty suffering doesn't go in one ear and out the other, it never even reaches an ear.   

The high side is that you could hire a live-in or semi live-in helper for cheap.  Here in GDL maybe 300 mxn a day.  That's likely what I will do.  I'm 75 now, been here since 1981.

I'm basically agreeing with you mark. But not everyone has had bad experiences. I know qualified, good experienced care when I see it. I was caring for someone who got very good care in Merida. I have a friend who got good care in T.J.  That said, big cities and specific hospitals are important, and you have to know the system to have it work for you at all.
I checked out the hospital and their reputation in Merida before I took him there, which is exactly what I always did in the U.S. If you have a bilingual medical person in your corner it helps a lot. My family member had me and my friend who went to T.J. has numerous friends and family who are medical persons,

I have seen ugly results also. A neighbor was on holiday when he had a hemorrhagic stroke while visiting a small beach town. He had had 3 beers so the town doctor just said he needed to sober up. His friends felt more should be done so they drove him to  Merida where he died. Even sadder is that I have seen similar things happen in the U.S.

With medical care, some research and great caution needs to be used everywhere.

yes infracture for disaled is limited, but i have no issues here, i have a slight issue, if i cannot go up steep stairs or anything i always get help from strangers, people running to help,  they never asked me what is wrong unless i volunteer to share. Back in the U.S. i was asked almost daily what is wrong, or being discriminate from the look i got. Here in mexico i got no issues at all. Everyday they are working hard to help the disabled.

abgelwebdesign wrote:

yes infracture for disaled is limited, but i have no issues here, i have a slight issue, if i cannot go up steep stairs or anything i always get help from strangers, people running to help,  they never asked me what is wrong unless i volunteer to share. Back in the U.S. i was asked almost daily what is wrong, or being discriminate from the look i got. Here in mexico i got no issues at all. Everyday they are working hard to help the disabled.

Yes, people are generally very kind and helpful. How do you manage those stairs? they are everywhere. That's probably why even the heavier people have great legs. I know of no building without stairs, except the mall and perhaps a hotel here and there. How do people help you?