Notes for the Disabled in São Paulo, Brazil

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Notes for the Disabled in São Paulo, Brazil

Many buildings and transport systems in Brazil are equipped to accommodate visitors and passengers with reduced mobility. 

Getting Around São Paulo with Visual or Physical Disabilities

Guide dogs for the blind are allowed on public transport and staff are available to offer assistance at metro stations. Trains have an audible signal to indicate when to board the carriage. On the metro, grey seats by the doors are available for the disabled and the elderly. These are indicated by a sign Assento para deficientes. On buses there are also reserved seats, located near the door and with a similar sign as the Metrô. At metro stations and in some other locations, text telephones can be found.

Most road junctions do not have an audible signal to mark when to cross, only a visual indicator of a green or red silhouetted person.

Some private and many public buildings have brail buttons in elevators. Many private and all public institutions have facilities for people with hearing deficiencies.

Special Transport Services

A special transport service for the severely disabled (Transporte especial para pessoas com alto grau de mobilidade) is available in São Paulo. This provides free door-to-door transport for those with a disability which prevents them from using public transport within the greater São Paulo area.

The service is primarily to facilitate travel to and from clinics and hospitals but may also be used for work, leisure and cultural destinations.

• Tel: 0800 155 234
• Further information from the São Paulo Town Hall: Click here (in Portuguese)

Driving Licence

Those with reduced mobility may apply for a special driving licence (Carteira National de Habilitação Especial) if they meet the standard criteria and undergo a medical evaluation to determine they are able to drive.

• Further information is available from the São Paulo Transport Office: Click here (in Portuguese)

Sport for the Disabled

There are five big associations that since the 1970s have strived to make every type of sport available to the disabled.

Two such associations are:

• Brazilian Sporting Association for Amputees (Associação Brasileira de Desporto para Amputados - ABDA) 
• Brazilian Wheelchair Sporting Association (Associação Brasileira de Desporto em Cadeira de Rodas - ABRADECAR)

Those with reduced mobility and other disabilities can participate in Judo, tennis, swimming, football, racquet sports, table tennis, cycling, bowls, basket ball, athletics, archery, equestrian disciplines, fencing, shooting and yachting. Many of these sports can be participated by men and woman with severe physical deficiencies including cerebral paralysis and amputees.

• For further information: Click here (in Portuguese)

Brazilian Disability Benefits & State Support

Some disabled people in Brazil have access to government benefits, however special needs facilities are limited in comparison to other more developed nations.

Disability benefits (aposentadoria por invalidez)

Disability benefits (aposentadoria por invalidez) are paid to a worker who through accident or illness (verified by a medical expert from the Social Welfare) is no longer fit to work. The disabled person has to have contributed to Social Welfare for at least 12 months to be able to claim this benefit (except in the event of an accident).

Payment of disability benefits is 100 percent of the salary. If the person is dependent on another (for example if they need regular assistance at home) this amount increases by 25 percent.

• For further information on temporary incapacity benefits: Click here (in Portuguese) 

Child benefit (Salário-família)

Employees (not self-employed workers or domestic helpers) have the right to a Salário-família benefit if they have disabled children younger than 15 years of age and their monthly salary is inferior to R$ 710,08.

• For further information and payment amounts: Click here

Work Programmes in São Paulo

The Government of the State of Sao Paulo has developed a work programme for the disabled (PADEF), to increase their inclusion in society. The programme acts as an intermediate between those with disabilities and potential employers.

To benefit from this programme, a disabled person can go to their nearest Work Attendant Post (Poste de Atendimento ao Trabalhador) with proof of identity and their Individual Taxpayer's Number (Cadastro de Pessoa Física - CPF).

• At: Rua Boa Vista 170, 1st floor, Centro, São Paulo
• For a list of offices in São Paulo: Click here
• For further information: Click here (in Portuguese)

Associations in Brazil

The Brazilian Association for the Support of People with Visual Disabilities (Associação Brasileira de Assistência ao Deficiente Visual - LARAMARA) is an organisation which supports the educational and social inclusion of people with visual impairment: the blind, partially blind or those with multiple deficiencies.

• LARAMARA
  At: Rua Conselheiro Brotero 338, Santa Cecília, 01154-000 São Paulo
  Tel: (11) 3660 6400
  Fax (11) 3662 0551
  Website (in Portuguese)

The Council for People with Disabilities (Conselho para Assuntos da Pessoa Portadora de Deficiência - CEAPPD) is a consultation and support network in São Paulo working in conjunction with the government.

• CEAPPD
  At: Rua Antônio de Godoy 122, 5th floor, Centro, 01034-000 São Paulo
  Tel: (11) 3337 7862 
  Fax: (11) 3331 2276
  e-mail
  Website (in Portuguese)

The Association of Parents and Friends of Disabled People in São Paulo (Associação de Pais e Amigos dos Excepcionais de São Paulo - APEA) is an organisation supported by grants and donations and assisted by volunteers. It provides a wide range of advice, support and events.

• APEA
  Tel: (11) 5080 7123
  Website (in Portuguese)

The Association for the Assistance of Disabled Children (Associação de Assistência à Criança Deficiente - AACD) is another organisation that can provide information and support (in Portuguese). 

Related Information

• Information on special needs education in Brazil from the Ministry of Education: Click here (PDF in Portuguese)

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