Disabiltity: The Italian Paradox, disregarded in the Italian Constitution

Disability is a matter of perception. If you can do even one thing right, you need someone

The protection of rights for people with disabilities in Italy is going through a very difficult period, even as we face an ongoing and constant reduction of economic resources urgently calling for strong action in respect to the institutions. It therefore seems necessary to reflect on the current legislation and address the existing programs, with respect to the same, you can achieve rationalization of interventions, services and therefore spending and the subsequent maintenance of the protection of rights that the same laws recognize widely and have consolidated over time.

Law of November 8, 2000, no. 238 Article 1: The Italian Republic guarantees individuals and families an integrated system of interventions and social services, promoting measures to ensure quality of life, equal opportunity, non discrimination and citizenship rights, prevent, eliminate or reduce the condition of disability, the needs of an individual and family distress resulting from an inadequacy of income, social difficulties and conditions of non-autonomy in accordance with articles 2, 3, and 38 of the Italian Constitution.

It is necessary therefore to avoid the fragmentation of interventions with a “patch” solution, which start with the fundamental aspects of systematic global planning and an overall look at the problems in perspective.
Solving social emergencies means above all to follow the guidelines in force, to make sure that we can respond to the same emergency measures with systematic and non-sectoral procedures, encompassing the medium and long term plan.

The non compliance guidelines of the program highlights the existing legislation and points out the technological innovations for people with disabilities, ensuring compliance with the rules governing social integration: schooling, mobility, employment, housing.

Based on my disabling condition and my requirements that followed thereafter, a certain urgent need arose in me to survey people with disabilities in our country and to get the sense of what disability really means, modify the National Health Care Range of Fees (for prosthesis), and make it finally accessible technological innovations for people with a disabilities.

Until these measures are not put into action, for the protection of the rights of a citizen, we will continue to witness episodes of indifference on the part of institutions, both public and private against and even more so, the failures of the local authorities who do not provide primary services, leaving citizens with disabilities in undignified living conditions and the areas in total disarray.

Salvatore Cimmino