FCC to finance a project to improve accessibility for people with multiple sclerosis
FCC and Novartis will finance a project to improve accessibility for people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The "Removing Barriers" (Corta con las Barreras) project will be open to submissions from cities with 20,000 to 500,000 inhabitants. Other partners in this joint initiative include the Spanish Federation for the Fight against Multiple Sclerosis (FELEM), Santa & Cole, the Spanish Society of Neurology (SEN), and Spain's Infrastructure Ministry.
The project's total funding has been set at 135,000 euro, of which FCC will provide 100,000 euro. In the initial phase, interested cities are invited to submit projects, which will then be evaluated by a jury. Once the winning city has been chosen, the contract will be awarded and construction will commence.
"Removing Barriers" seeks to improve the mobility and autonomy of people with MS, providing them with more social interaction and independence. José Manuel Velasco, General Manager of Communication and Corporate Responsibility at FCC: "This is an innovative business project which promotes compliance with a national regulation that sets uniform rules on accessibility for all of Spain's regions. This project is perfectly in line with the principles that underlie our business activity: doing things right, integrity, efficiency, and proximity.
In the last few years, we have seen a change in municipal architecture models, as universal design is becoming increasingly important. However, there are still architectural barriers, so we must continue working to eliminate them on behalf of people who do not have full mobility."
FCC highlights that people with disabilities will be taken into consideration throughout the project, and "the persons in charge will provide an alternative access for people with disabilities and the general public."