NEW YORK, JUNE 7 – The role of sports and culture in ensuring the inclusion of persons with disability will be examined next week at the United Nations headquarters. The Italian Permanent Mission along with the Missions of Belarus, Dominican Republic, Slovakia and Qatar will join forces to showcase concrete examples of governments’ strategies and policies focused on promoting participation and, chiefly, the benefits of interaction and synergies between governments and civil society organizations to this goal.
The added value of the event will also lie in bringing to the UN direct experience from the field and good practices of non-governmental organisations and associations with a life-long commitment to involve persons with disabilities in sports and cultural activities, such as Qatar Foundation for Social Work, Fundación Dominicana de Autismo, Progetto Filippide and Dario D’Ambrosi’s Teatro Patologico.
Opened by Ms. Robert Venne, from the Division For Inclusive Social Development UN/DESA, the event will serve the purpose of raising awareness on the human rights of persons with disabilities and on their full inclusion in all activities of the society, in accordance with the saying “Nothing about us without us”.
Affiliated with the Fisdir and recognized by the Italian Paralympic Commission, Progetto Filippide trains people affected by autism and its correlated rare syndromes for sports competitions. Established in Rome thanks to the strong support and contribution of the Municipality, the initiative counts dozens of affiliated sections throughout Italy which have tested and validated the work methodology based on physical education, behavioral treatment and integration.
D’Ambrosi was last at the UN in December 2017 when he brought to New York headquarters his award-winning version of Medea, performed with a chorus of actors with diverse abilities from his Teatro Patologico di Roma. Following the panel he read an address titled “All Mad Free,” in which he will share an overview of Italy’s leadership in care for the mentally disabled and the radical contribution his Teatro Patologico has made in realizing new theoretical and practical approaches.(@OnuItalia)
