ASTRAPACE: Improving the Lives of People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and Promoting Their Inclusion in a Fair and Supportive Society

The Association for the Treatment of People with Cerebral Palsy and Related Pathologies (ASTRAPACE, acronym in Spanish) (in Spanish) is an association founded by parents in 1980 in Spain that provides services to children, adolescents, and young adults with cerebral palsy and related disabilities, such as social assistance, therapies, and educational- and work-related services. ASTRAPACE’s mission is to improve the quality of life of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), such as cerebral palsy) and other disabilities and their families by promoting the full development of their individual and social capacities. ASTRAPACE provides services throughout the Murcia region of Spain through various centers with each center focused on a specific age group. The early care and support centers provide services to children from birth to six years old with developmental disorders or who have risk factors that may affect their development. The ASTRAPACE School Unit (in Spanish) provides personalized services to school-age children and teens with IDD and other disabilities to complement the support that they receive in their school. The School Unit also promotes strategies that support the child’s motivation, memory, logical reasoning, social skills, and more. The association’s Day Center provides assistance to youth and young adults with activities of daily living and provides therapeutic services, such as programs related to occupational therapy, social services, multi-sensory stimulation, community participation, independent living, among others. ASTRAPACE helps the community to provide accessible cultural events (video in Spanish) and assists youth with disabilities and their families in attending these events. Finally, ASTRAPACE provides recreational therapy services, such as adaptive sports, musical entertainment, pet therapy, and more.