Students with intellectual disabilities complete Camino de Santiago
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Each year, a group of teenagers with intellectual disabilities from the A La Par Foundation in Spain walks a 60-kilometer stretch of the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route.
For the past six years, these students have completed four days of the walk, accompanied by teachers and employees from the vehicle rental company Alquiber.
The program, called Cuando hace falta moverse (When it’s time to move), aims to both help the students build confidence and allow people without experience with intellectual disability to connect with them. Alquiber provides vehicles for the foundation’s sporting events and extended that support to cover travel costs for the Camino. The company hopes the shared experience between its employees and the students will increase understanding and visibility for people with intellectual disabilities.
The group walks between 15 and 20 kilometers each day, stopping in Melide, Arzúa, and O Pedrouzo before reaching Santiago de Compostela. The students also prepare for the trip by making their own lunches, which helps them gain independence. Upon reaching the Plaza del Obradoiro in Santiago, the group releases paper wishes written by their classmates into the sky.
Alquiber’s corporate general manager, José Ramón Calvo, said the initiative proves that with unity and mobility, there are no barriers to the students’ ambition and drive.
