The Canary Islands government says it issued 57,184 disability decisions during the current legislature, cutting assessment waiting lists by 75.5%. Decentralised teams have brought procedures within the 180-day legal limit on the non-capital islands.
The Museo Elder de la Ciencia y la Tecnología in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria hosted a national congress on disability rights as officials reported a sharp drop in assessment waiting times. The Canary Islands government has issued 57,184 disability resolutions during the current legislature, reducing assessment waiting lists by 75.5%.
The figures were presented at the opening of the XX Congreso de CERMIs Autonómicos Canarias 2026. Francis Candil, the regional vice-minister for social welfare, said the reduction reached 68.4% on the capital islands. On the non-capital islands, decentralised assessment teams have brought procedures within the legal 180-day period.
That regional split matters for residents who might otherwise face barriers to accessing the service. Candil said assessments now meet the legal timeframe in La Gomera, El Hierro, La Palma, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote and La Graciosa.
President Fernando Clavijo said the government created a Directorate General for Disability during this legislature after CERMI called for a direct interlocutor within the regional administration. The structure is meant to support regular dialogue with representative organisations and shape public policy planning. Clavijo said decisions should reflect the needs of people with disabilities and their families, wherever they live in the archipelago.
Earlier coverage of the royal visit to Ceuta and Melilla concerned a different territorial issue. The congress focused on equal access to disability services across the archipelago.
The regional government also cited measures under Decreto-ley 4/2025 to speed up administrative procedures, including priority attention for children under 18. It has invested more than €333,000 in artificial intelligence tools to manage case files.
Figures presented at the congress also included 28,157 disability cards issued in physical and digital formats. Public buildings have received 252 induction loops, and 76 amphibious chairs have been supplied to 28 municipalities.
The congress brings together regional CERMI organisations to discuss the application of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities across Spain, twenty years after its approval.
