Stop barriers! together to get out of the dark

When I started to swim around the world, within the framework of the project “Swimming in the Seas of the Globe” I could not imagine to be able to raise the interest of the Chamber of Deputies of the Italian Parliament, the core of the Italian political activities, where many fundamental decisions for the lives of many people are taken.
I want to thank, with sincere gratitude, Laura Coccia and Maria Chiara Carrozza, Members of the Italian Parliament, for their interest and factual support to my initiative, and their daily commitment to promote activities with the ultimate goal to improve the quality of life of disabled people.

I am a 52-year old transfemoral amputees because I was victim of an osteosarcoma when I was a teenager: from that point in time in my life I started paying attention to the technological progresses in the field of advanced prosthetic devices and more generally of the bioengineering and assistive technologies.

What I realized over years is that technology can have in impact in our life. There is an increasing number of both research prototypes and commercial devices that can or promise to improve quality of life of many disabled persons. You can imagine how much it can be frustrating and tiring ambulating with a traditional passive prosthesis.

Walking is definitely more challenging: you consume more energy, you walk more and any up and down or stairs is a very big issue to negotiate. And, if we look to persons with more demanding disabilities (e.g., paraplegic/tetraplegic persons) daily life is even more complicated and reliance on personal assistants is still the only possible solution.

Italy is a Country at the forefront of legislation on disability, and definitely a leader in the field of scientific, medical and technological research activities to fight against disabilities, from all perspectives. However, I still believe this is not enough. Indeed, current regulations are not yet allowing disabled people to easily access the most advanced systems available on the market, and – at the same time – we do not have an ready-to-be-used strategy to smoothly and promptly change our urban scenarios (e.g., public transportations, public halls, schools) to break all of the barriers to the mobility of disabled people.

It is hard to say, but it is clear that this “lack of progress” on the side of policies to favor the inclusion of disabled people in the societies is caused by a lack of resources: in other terms this is a matter of priorities for our welfare system. Inclusion of disabled people is less important than other sectors of the public life. But, can we consider a Country really democratic, advanced and civilized even if there is not a strong willing to really minimize the burden of disability, thus ensuring the highest quality of life to all?

I believe that this condition must change and I am confident that this is possible. Indeed, in the last years, during the several steps of my project, I met a lot of people, and in particular a lot of decision makers committed to improve the life of disabled people, and that inclusion policies are not an option, rather their implementation is a must. This is definitely a sign that changes are possible!

On February 2016, thanks to the extraordinary company of Finmeccanica – historically has always paid close attention to social issues – the industrial group I work for, I will leave for the United States where I will face the last stage of the project “Swimming in the Seas of the Globe”, an initiative that I started with the goal to raise awareness on the need to enhance the access to the new available technologies for all disabled people. This is undoubtedly the most challenging course I will face: I will swim the distance between Cuba and Florida (US). This is more than 180 kilometers: a very hard journey that many people tried but that only one person was able to accomplish.

I want to say that during these years of swimming, I never felt alone, I always had the support of so many people convinced and decisive, from many associations like the “Aniene Rowing Club”, and also from many local authorities and organizations.

This time – regardless the more ambitious challenge and the several difficulties and uncertainties – I will even leave more relaxed: indeed, this time I can also count on the support of two prestigious Italian Universities (Università Campus Biomedic, Rome, and Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Pisa), as well as the Institute of Science and Sports Medicine of the Italian National Olympic I will leave despite more objective difficulties and uncertainties, childbirth even more peaceful and motivated thanks to the support influential and promising major Italian research centers, the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna di Studi Universitari e di Perfezionamento, the Università Campus Bio-Medico of Rome and the Institute of Science and Sports Medicine of the C.O.N.I (Italian National Olympic Committee, CONI); they all will support me during my stay in Miami and throughout the journey from Habana (Cuba) to Key West Island (Florida, US).

Now, let me thank some important persons for their sincere and proactive support: Giovanni Malago, President of the CONI; Emmanuele Emanuele, President of “Fondazione Roma”; Father Raffaele Mandolesi, a Caracciolino missionary, General of the Order of Clerics Regular Minor; Antonio Spataro, Director of the Institute of Science and Sports Medicine; Eugenio Guglielmelli, Pro Rector of Università Campus Biomedico in Rome; and Piero Salussolia, lawyer of the Rotary Club of Orvieto (Piero will host me in his home in Miami); and my friend Filippo Tassara, member of the technical staff of the Italian national swimming team, whose recommendations are and will be fundamental for my adventures.

Finally, let me thank the Association of Social Promotion Monte Sacro: thanks to a memorandum of understanding with Inail Lazio, they helped me to transfer more than “20 cubic meters” of humanitarian aids to the rehabilitation center for disabled people “Shirika The Umoja” located in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo.

A big hug for you all.
Salvatore Cimmino