Only 44.4% of the over 3 million and 100 thousand Italians living with some form of disability are satisfied with their free time, compared to 69.4% of the rest of the population. And so that leisure and tourism are priority fields of intervention in equal opportunities policies, Apmarr Aps (National Association of People with Rheumatological and Rare Diseases) Ast Aps (Tuberous Sclerosis Association) and Uildm Mazara del Vallo Odv (Italian Union for the fight against muscular dystrophy) they carried out the project ‘SiPuò – Accessibility practices’, an initiative that aims to spread the culture of inclusiveness in Italy. Co-funded by the Ministry of Labor and Social Policies, the “Si Can” project was conceived and supported in development by the SocialNet Agency (National Social Service Agency) under the supervision of Cerpa – European Center for Research and Promotion of Accessibility.
“With the ‘SiPuò’ project, we have promoted and developed an innovative model of accessibility and inclusiveness of tourism and leisure practices that allows people with disabilities and their families to access these sectors like everyone else – says Antonella Celano, president by Apmarr -. The well-being and social inclusion of people with disabilities and chronic and rare diseases do not pass only from health and social assistance, but from guaranteeing a satisfactory quality of life in all fields, including leisure, tourism, free time. and sport, essential in a person’s life. Although these aspects, unfortunately, are often underestimated, the full implementation of the right of citizenship and equal opportunities also passes from here. It is essential to make these sectors priority fields of intervention for equal opportunity policies given the enormous possibilities and needs of many and different people with disabilities, still often discriminated against today ”.
Only 9.3% of people with disabilities – a note reads – frequently go to the cinema, the theater, a concert or visit a museum during the year, while in the rest of the population the figure is 30 8%; on the other hand, 62.5% of Italian museums, both public and private, are not equipped to receive people with severe limitations. Sport is practiced by only 9.1%, against 36.6% for the rest of the population and only 1/3 of school-age children with disabilities participate in school trips and share experiences outside the home with their classmates. Yet, statistics show us that people with disabilities who are placed in the conditions of being able to participate in cultural and sporting activities double the satisfaction with their life and social relationships, demonstrating how these factors are decisive.
Regarding the tourism sector, a study commissioned by the European Parliament on the accessibility of services and transport in Europe – – continues the note – shows that the services of the tourism and transport sector in Italy are unable to respond to the needs of people with disabilities. Yet, in Europe it is estimated about 80 million people with a disability and a direct economic potential derived from accessible tourism equal to a gross turnover of about 352 billion euros. In Italy, Istat estimates a 70% increase in travelers with disabilities by 2035, but only on condition that tourism and leisure experiences become increasingly accessible and inclusive. Circumstances that today would not seem guaranteed: among people with disabilities, interviewed as part of the ‘SiPuò’ project, 51% found the lack of interesting activities and experiences suited to their needs during a trip, and 49% saw difficulties relating to transport, while the poor usability and accessibility of tourist and interesting places is a criticality for 32%.
“A country with a tourist vocation like ours should invest more resources to obtain higher and more satisfactory levels of accessibility of its destinations – explains Giovanna Tramonte, president of Uildm Mazara del Vallo -. As underlined by the SiPuò Report, accessibility should always go hand in hand with inclusion, avoiding potentially discriminatory situations as much as possible. In one of the numerous experiences implemented within the SiPuò project, for example, we have made a bathhouse completely accessible to customers with disabilities, and at the same time fully inclusive : umbrellas and services were placed evenly among all the others. This contributed significantly to the success of the business and not to make anyone feel excluded or different from the others “.
The SiPuò project operates on all fronts essential to the dissemination of the culture of accessibility and inclusion: training, through the provision of a free 40-hour course in which 78 tourist and leisure operators have participated, selected out of 270 members and public webinars . The direct involvement of people with disabilities and listening to their needs led to the definition of guidelines, collected in the SiPuò Report, with the aim of providing everyone with practical criteria to ensure accessibility and inclusion. These guidelines were finally tested allowing some people with disabilities to directly experience practical tourism and leisure paths with very heterogeneous activities that took place in 12 Italian regions.
“A hospitable system – underlines Piera Nobili, president of Cerpa, who has been promoting the culture of social inclusion for 30 years – is not achieved only through greater technical attention, but it is necessary to combine environmental comfort with careful management of services and greater attention to the needs of people with disabilities at 360 degrees. It is necessary to adequately train the personnel involved and spread awareness of the importance of accessibility and inclusiveness. But awareness and good will are not enough alone, specific professionalism, knowledge and skills are needed For this reason, within the SiPuò Report we wanted to provide everyone with methodologies and practical tools to achieve them “.
“It is essential to invest to guarantee people with disabilities and chronic and rare diseases the opportunity to fully exercise their rights in all aspects of their lives, including those of leisure and free time – declares the Honorable Massimiliano Panizzut (Lega), former member of the Social Affairs Commission -. The SiPuò project and the resulting Report are a tool to be shared as they focus attention on these issues in order to spread the culture of accessibility and inclusiveness in our country in the sign of a local struggle against barriers. architectural ”
“Thanks to the SiPuò Project, families and people with disabilities have been able to travel, discover the sea and the mountains, practice sports, live cultural experiences, cultivate new passions and stay in contact with nature, through a series of practices carried out throughout the national territory in order to guarantee maximum accessibility and inclusion – concludes Francesca Macari, President of Ast – We hope that these experiences and the joy felt by people in their development should not be found only within defined projects, but that the contents and the guidelines of the SiPuò Report can contribute to spreading such opportunities more and more, making them accessible to all. Because everyone has the right to be happy, even through travel and entertainment ”.
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