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Background to the project

As the voices of those asking Public Administrations to ensure accessibility to public buildings is getting louder, the request for a commitment to make places of entertainment accessible to all is still a whisper. It would seem a kind of reticence deriving from the bizarre conviction that the disabled need only resolve their basic needs, and do not have, like everyone else, the right to emotional relationships, to sex, relaxation, entertainment and frivolous things. Moreover, when we think of the disabled we imagine them almost always as adults, and therefore with the needs and requirements of an adult. It seems to be more mentally difficult to imagine a disabled child in situations typical of the age of development, like for example, at nursery school, among the audience at a puppet theatre, Luna Park and, precisely, a playground.

Since the beginning of 2001 the Municipality of Jesolo with the Age of development Committee Association (onlus) has been developing guidelines, called “Stessi giochi Stessi Sorrisi” (Same toys Same smiles), with the aim of defining and suggesting solutions and plans addressed to ensuring accessibility and use of play grounds also to children and helpers with a handicap.

This initiative is part of the context of the activities undertaken by the Municipality of Jesolo for Total Quality, or rather of activities managed with a logic of continuous and sustainable development, and aimed at pursuing excellence in different social areas: quality of the environment, landscape, services, living, residing, etc.

Within the framework of Total Quality, and in line with the spirit that animates its initiatives, there is also a sector called “Strategies for accessibility” that includes different tangible activities addressed to eliminating the structural barriers and overcoming mental barriers that are an obstacle for the insertion of the disabled person in the social life.

The partner

The main priority of the “Age of Development Committee” set up in 1998, is the promotion of a new culture and awareness of Minors, still too often “transparent” to the eyes of adults; a modern society, instead, must recognize the rights of every child to live and grow in a context which can guarantee a normal psychophysical and affectionate development. For this reason, the Association wants to sustain initiatives able to assist all citizens to take on the role of educators with ability: it also intends to draw attention to forms of physical, psychological and emotional handicap, wishing to eliminate social, cultural, racial, religious and ethnic discrimination in which Minors are often involved.

Innovative elements

One of the essential characteristics of the suggestions contained in the “Stessi Giochi Stessi Sorrisi” guidelines is that of being totally and immediately applicable. In fact, thanks to the assistance of some of the leading companies in the sector, it has been possible to bring many concrete examples of accessible toys summarised in the different considerations developed in the different chapters of these guidelines.This allows to consider the “Stessi Giochi Stessi Sorrisi” guidelines a tangible operational tool, which can be applied, and not a sterile exercise of style.

2003: European Year of the disabled

The European Union Council has set up “ The European Year of the disabled person 2003”.

In this context, the Ministry of Community Policies and the Ministry of Employment and Social Policies have decreed the institution of a National Co-ordinating Body for the European Year of the disabled person.

Among the various initiatives that have been initiated, in Italy as in the rest of Europe, on this occasion, there is also the calling of a competition for the financial assistance of projects concerning the theme of disability.

The Municipality of Jesolo has taken part in this competition with a project to divulge these guidelines for accessibility to play grounds. This project, also called “Stessi Giochi Stessi Sorrisi” has been one of the 22 selected among the over 1,600 competing projects to receive financing.

The challenge

Divulging the “Stessi Giochi Stessi Sorrisi” guidelines is aimed at reaching the following subjects:
- Local Administrations of all the Municipalities of Italy.
- Leading Companies, at national level that produce and sell toys and equipment for relaxation areas and playgrounds.
- Leading Associations that represent the different types of disability.

Divulging the activities is intended to persuade, above all, those who have the power to intervene decisively on the structural and social characteristics of the city, to an effort that can allow disabled children to be able to play in normal areas and not those that are separated or isolated, being able to intervene in collective play activities, with those inevitable limitations which must be accepted, not hidden.

The challenge of the “Stessi Giochi Stessi Sorrisi” project is also to enable the three great powers to impart a change of direction:
- the demand, represented by the Associations for the disabled
- the offer, by the Companies in the sector
- the client, or rather the Public Administrations that are also guarantors of the satisfaction of the needs of the minorities.

Feedback

The “Stessi Giochi Stessi Sorrisi” guidelines are an open book, which admit, rather demand to be continuously developed and updated, to offer ever more detailed and precise advice.

To this end, it becomes of great importance to gather as much information as possible, above all from those who have already started concrete experience in the field of widespread accessibility.

Therefore, we invite whoever can contribute to the development of the “Stessi Giochi Stessi Sorrisi” guidelines to contact us.