On the occasion of World Cerebral Palsy Day, which is celebrated on October 6, Fundación Aspace Zaragoza joins the national campaign of the ASPACE Movement under the slogan It’s About Time. The initiative firmly demands the implementation of a National Strategy for Major Support Needs, aimed at the 80% of people with cerebral palsy who require continuous support 24 hours a day.
The ASPACE Movement has organized a campaign involving numerous personalities from culture, politics, and various social spheres in a video to amplify the advocacy message. In Aragón, Aspace Zaragoza has invited leaders from different social sectors to participate on the 6th through the entity’s social media by ringing a bell as a form of advocacy. Mónica Iglesias, manager of Aspace Zaragoza, emphasizes that this call to attention is not only from the associational movement but from society as a whole.
In Spain, over 120,000 people live with cerebral palsy. 80% of them require constant support, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, to perform basic activities such as getting up, dressing, eating, communicating, or participating in the community.
In Aragón, Aspace Zaragoza has been working for more than 50 years for the inclusion of people with cerebral palsy. The organization currently serves nearly 90 people at its Integral Care Center, through contracted placements and educational agreements with the Government of Aragón. The center includes a school, a day center, residential facilities, and living units, and develops programs in the educational, therapeutic, occupational, and basic fields based on a person-centered model.
Specific Requests from the ASPACE Movement
The ASPACE Movement demands that the National Strategy recognizes and strengthens this model, ensuring stable and sufficient funding that guarantees the sustainability of ASPACE entities and allows for the expansion of places and services. There can be no inclusion without equity, nor equity without coordination. We need common protocols, real health-social care coordination, and a shared perspective that places the person at the center, emphasizes Mónica Iglesias.
The manager of Fundación Aspace Zaragoza adds that this Strategy is not just a demand from the entities that work daily with major support needs: it is a national challenge. A society that cares for those who need it most is a fairer, more cohesive, and more humane society. She also highlights the need to create synergies between the entities that provide services to people with cerebral palsy and public administrations, and to work together to improve the quality of life for individuals with cerebral palsy and related conditions.
