Once again this year, December 3 - International Day of Persons with Disabilities - was an opportunity to reflect on the importance of inclusion, in respect and appreciation of diversity. The call is for constant action, to break down the physical, mental and social barriers that still limit many people with disabilities, fighting all forms of discrimination and violence.
"Disabled are those who are unable to feel empathy by putting themselves in the shoes of others, to mingle hungrily with other existences, to adopt novel points of view out of sheer curiosity. Disabled people do not exist: everyone has abilities, as well as difficulties. We determine whether there will be more disabled people in the future or whether, starting today, anyone can choose the future they dream of. When we start seeing a disabled person as an ordinary person instead of a "special" person, it will be a great achievement for society."
Iacopo Melio
In our institute, every form of welcome has a fundamental value. Along with respect, tolerance, empathy. Here people feel welcome, supported and included. We want to create positive relationships, break down social walls, making patients feel as comfortable as possible. We animate a space designed and equipped to provide accessibility and inclusion for different forms of disabilities, ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to receive medical care and easily access health services: from access ramps, to elevators, to waiting rooms and more.
Each environment is designed to allow easy movement of wheelchairs and ensure sufficient space for people with reduced mobility. There is clear signage, specialized equipment, and assistive technology. Reserved parking spaces can always be found near the entrance. Ensuring equality in access to services for everyone, no one excluded, continues to be a priority for all of us.
"Is there a difference between saying ' disabled ' and 'person with a disability'? Yes, there is a big difference, because in the former you identify the person with his or her disability, in the latter you put thefocus on the person regardless of his or her disability. We have to use the exact words if we want people to stop treating those with physical or mental disabilities only as poor people to be pitied and not people with a life to live.".
Bebe Vio
The idea of building an inclusive, accessible and sustainable future underscores the urgency of creating a world where every individual has the opportunity to participate fully and unhindered in the dynamics of society. How? By eliminating the architectural, technological and social gaps that still exist. "This position of ours ," explains Dr. Maurizio Dal Maso, Medical Director of the Fanfani Institute, "stems from the willà "to give all our patients exactly what they expect without any physical or mental distinction or barrier. We must aim for accessibility universally, given also by highly usable digital tools, to improve the quality of life as much as possible.
"In 2001 - says Francesco Epifani, director general of the Fanfani Institute. - the World Health Organization published the ICF, the new International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health, a tool that aims to provide a universal language for the description of health and related states, in which the term disability is used to indicate a multidimensional phenomenon, resulting from the interaction between the person and the physical and social environment. On this basis, in Fanfani's Health Project, protecting disability is a totalizing pathway, toward sensory, motor, intellectual, and mental disabilities and not just the more obvious. We will build projects to listen to need and improve the experience of care to offer authoritative, sustainable, accountable responses."