The Valencian Ombudsman has initiated an ex officio proceeding following a complaint from a Madrid magistrate, mother of a young woman with cerebral palsy, who denounces the insufficiency of adapted amphibious wheelchairs for bathing at Muchavista beach, located in the municipality of El Campello (Alicante). The situation affects people with reduced mobility, the elderly, and those with disabilities.
According to the complaint, the El Campello City Council has not replaced the necessary equipment, as only one of the two amphibious wheelchairs required by regulations is operational. The other unit has collapsed and sunk, causing an overload of work for the existing chair and long waits for users, especially during the summer months.
“"Muchavista beach is next to San Juan de Alicante beach, which has a blue flag and a fully equipped accessible bathing point."
Magistrate Natalia Velilla, from the Family, Childhood, and Capacity Court of Madrid, has filed the complaint with the Ombudsman and the Special Area for Disability and Elderly People of the State Attorney General's Office. She considers that the council violates the principle of universal accessibility to bathing, as it does not guarantee equal use for people with disabilities, despite the area being advertised as accessible.
The family, regular users of this service, has noted a deterioration since early 2024, coinciding with a change in the service management contract. A video shared on social media on August 15th shows how family members have to manually lift the young woman out of the water due to the occupation of the only amphibious wheelchair and the waiting list of other users.
After submitting a written request to the city council asking for the damaged wheelchair to be replaced within 72 hours, the council responded that everything was correct, without announcing new measures. Faced with this situation, the mother has expressed her indignation and decided to file a complaint to prevent such incidents from recurring and to defend the rights of vulnerable individuals.
Additionally, Velilla has pointed out the lack of changing tables for individuals with high dependency and inclusive changing rooms, elements that complicate the normalized use of the beach and affect the dignity of people with reduced mobility.
The individual complaint has been joined by entities such as the Valencian Committee of Representatives of People with Disabilities (CERMI) and the provincial Spanish Confederation of People with Physical and Organic Disabilities (Cocemfe). Through these joint actions, they aim for the El Campello City Council to fulfill its obligations regarding accessibility and ensure dignified and safe bathing for all people with reduced mobility.
