History

The APCC was founded in 1975 as a non-profit voluntary organisation, originally named NRC/APPC - Núcleo Regional do Centro da Associação Portuguesa de Paralisia Cerebral (Association of Cerebral Palsy in the Central Region of Portugal).

Soon after, the CRPCC - Centro de Reabilitação de Paralisia Cerebral de Coimbra (Cerebral Palsy Rehabilitation Centre of Coimbra) was created mainly for preventive purposes.  In September 1977, the CRPCC became an official organisation with its own independent management.

The Quinta de Conraria opened in 1983 in order to continue the rehabilitation process by giving disabled people the necessary vocational skills to prepare them for work.

Portugal’s accession to the European Union brought with it new opportunities to develop the first training courses, leading to the introduction of vocational training in 1989.  Throughout this period, an increasing number of training opportunities were created.  Currently, there are 18 training courses aimed at disabled peopled from the central region of Portugal and young people and adults at risk of social exclusion.

Whilst there has been a positive change in the attitude of Portuguese society towards disabled people, achieving complete integration is a difficult task, particularly for those with more complex needs. For this reason, the association created the Occupational Activities Centre in 1992.

The internationalization of APCC started in the mid-90s, with the first project on new training methodologies for people with cerebral palsy. Since then the association has participated in more than 30 EU projects and has widened its field of work, always investing in highly specialised staff and best quality services.

In 2005, the association changed its name to APCC - Associação de Paralisia Cerebral de Coimbra (Coimbra’s Cerebral Palsy Association).