Pharmacies play a vital role in healthcare, so ensuring they are accessible is essential for providing inclusive services. To this end, the International Programme for Evaluating Universal Accessibility in Pharmacies was created. It forms part of the Advanced Course for Support Consultants in Universal Accessibility (CSCAAU), which is organised by CEU San Pablo University and designed for young people with intellectual disabilities.
As part of the program, students with intellectual disabilities have evaluated the accessibility of various pharmacies in Madrid. They were accompanied by lecturers from the School of Engineering: Guadalupe Cantarero and Concepción Pérez; and from the Faculty of Pharmacy, Paola Otero, Carmen Trives, and Carmen Pérez. Pablo Muñoz, an expert in universal accessibility, also participated.
With the support of the Official College of Pharmacists of Madrid, several pharmacies where CEU San Pablo students were completing supervised internships participated in the programme. The pharmacy students welcomed those with intellectual disabilities and helped them assess various aspects of accessibility, such as how easy it is to enter the pharmacy, read and understand the signs, navigate the furniture layout, access the counters and service areas, and whether people with mobility issues or hearing or vision impairments can move around and communicate effectively. This experience taught the future pharmacists about universal accessibility and how to improve the experience for all patients.
This programme helps students to learn more and provides pharmacists with detailed reports offering suggestions for improving their practices. This makes their service more accessible to all.
Funded by the ONCE Foundation and the European Social Fund, the programme is supported by the International Academic and Professional Institute for Innovation in Accessibility.