Notes for the Disabled in Rome & Lazio
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+ | Notes for the Disabled in Rome & Lazio |
Resources for members of the community who have disabilities, including the wheelchair bound and the hearing or sight-impaired. Information on transport, parking, government aid, social security and non-profit organisations.
Information on the following below:
The City of Rome has a service dedicated to people with physical
or mental handicaps. This service, in collaboration with several associations,
aims to provide support to the disabled in various aspects of their everyday
lives: mobility, work, free time, rights, etc.
On request, the city can provide a guide in Italian, called
Che fare/Dove andare (what to do/where
to go) which has relevant information. The City of Rome has also created a
foundation, Handicap: dopo di noi providing support to disabled
people.
- More information can be found on the website: Click
here
Disabled Travel & Transport in Italy
Trains
Italian trains have a few reserved seats for wheelchair passengers, though
passengers must be able to transfer from their wheelchair to the seat.
Otherwise, some trains have compartments that can accommodate a
wheelchair.
The Italian Railways offers services to disabled people to
assist them during their train journey. These services can be arranged through a
Blue Hall (Sala Blu), an information point located in 14 main
train stations. 251 smaller stations make up the Assistance Circuit which
provide more abbreviated services.
Staff at Blue Halls can provide information, book seats, and arrange for a
wheelchair, guide and assistance carrying 1 item of hand baggage.
- Blue Hall (Sala Blu)
Tel: 199 30 30 60
Hours: 07:00-21:00
Website
- For a list and contact information for Blue Halls throughout Italy: Click
here
- For a list and contact information for Assistance Circuit stations
throughout Italy: Click
here
It is suggested to make special arrangements at least 24 hours prior to
travel for international travel and for e-mail requests. Arrangements should be
made at least 12 hours in advance for travel between or with connections at
Assistance Circuit stations. For travel from 08:00-22:00 between main Blue Hall
stations, notification should be given at least 1 hour before departure.
Travellers should arrive at the assistance point in the station no later than
30 minutes before departure.
A special free Blue Card (Carta Blu) provides fare reductions to
Italian residents entitled to Italian mobility allowance, including blind people and war
invalids. These cards can be obtained from a Blue Hall or station ticket
counter.
- For information on the Carta Blu from Trenitalia: Click
here
Italian international airports
EU regulations establish that people with reduced mobility should have free,
special assistance when needed in airplanes, airports, baggage check-in and with
flight connections. Responsibility has been passed to the airports to accommodate the needs of the
disabled traveller. Air companies are at liberty to provide services
to people with reduced mobility.
In all major Italian airports there is a special service providing assistance
to disabled people: wheelchair service, assistance during boarding and landing. The
assistance will be arranged through the airline once the airline is notified by
the passenger.
- For information on the facilities available for passengers with special
needs at Fiumicino and Rome Ciampino airport: Click
here
Each airline company has its own internal procedures, describing the type of
disability they may accept as well as the specific services offered on board and
on ground. The disabled passenger should always notify the company about their
specific needs when booking the ticket. It is also important to be present at
the check-in desk at least one and a half hours before boarding.
At the Fiumicino and Rome Ciampino airports, it is also possible to request
ground assistance via one of the Help Points (a pole-mounted intercom system),
which are accessible to disabled users.
Help Points can be found at:
- Terminals A, B, C and 5 just outside the entrances to the departure area
- Building E, Level 1 of the multi-story car park.
Bus travel
The website bus.it
(in Italian)
provides information on companies renting buses adapted to disabled people, by
region.
Boats and ferries
The boat companies operating between the continent and the Italian
islands have made most of their boats accessible to disabled people. It is
necessary to specify the nature of the disability when booking the ticket in order to
get specific assistance when going on board.
Among the companies offering
special assistance for disabled are:
- Corsica Ferriesi
At: Via Angelo Brunetti 25/D, Rome
Tel: 06 3222469
- Ferrovie dello Stato, Divisione Navigazione Trasporto Passeggeri
At: Molo Vespucci, 00053 Civitavecchia (RM)
Tel: 0906 786478
Cars and motorways
The accessibility of Italian motorway service areas, restaurants, bathrooms and various amenities
to disabled people is under development. On the national and provincial roads, this accessibility varies
according to the area. For more information contact the Handicap
Documentation Centre Association (Associazione Centro Documentazione Handicap/CDH).
- Associazione Centro Documentazione Handicap
At: Via Legnano 2, 40132 Bologna
Tel: 800 018 537 / 051 641 5005
Fax: 051 641 5055
Website
Parking
Cars parking in disabled parking spaces must display the blue disabled
parking card or a European Community blue badge. Contact the local town hall for
information on obtaining a blue badge.
The blue badge is a
standardised European Community disabled person's parking permit which provides
parking entitlements to badge holders in all complying European countries - a blue
badge from one country is valid in another. A person coming to Italy from another EU
country may find it easier to apply in their home country for this
universal badge which allows the use of reserved parking.
Things to keep in mind:
- Disabled spaces in car parks reserved for disabled people are marked with
a yellow line and a wheelchair symbol; parking is generally free in these
spots, check with the parking attendant
- Do not park in a space marked with a person's name or vehicle registration
number
- In an emergency and if not causing an obstruction, disabled parking is
allowed on roads where parking is normally prohibited
- Do not park in pedestrian zones or ZTL (restricted traffic area) unless
local law specifies it is allowed
- Disabled drivers may park without time restrictions on roads with parking
time limits
Drivers with a blue badge from another European country may display this
translation beside a badge written in another language (text from the UK
Automobile Association):
|
Contrassegno
d'invalidita per persone disabili
La
persona che espone questo
contrassegno
e un visitatore
disabile
di un altro paese europeo,
che
ha diritto alle stesse agevolazioni
dei
disabili residenti nel vostro paese.
MODELLO
PER LA COMUNITA EUROPEA |
General Information & Useful links
- Azienda Sociale Locale (ASL): Any person wishing to have their disability
recognised in Italy should refer to the local ASL (Rome is
divided into 4 ASL). Social invalidity benefits will only be delivered to people
holding not just a residence permit but an Italian residence card, which is
usually allocated after six years spent in the country. The same will be relevant
to families wishing to apply for benefits for a handicapped child.
- Conzortio Sociale (COIN): The focus of the COIN is the social and economic
integration of disabled people.
- General information can be found on
their website: Click here (in
Italian)
Tel: 800 810 810.
- Roma Per Tutti: This service, created by the City of Rome, provides
information for disabled people in Rome on such topics as accessibility of major
tourist places.
- Information available Monday to Friday 09:00-17:00
Tel: 06
57177094 and on the Roma Per
Tutti website (in Italian)
- Superabile: A website for disabled people, updated daily, provides useful information and tips on relevant laws, health issues, sport,
hobbies and work.
-
Information is provided through a call centre
Tel: 800 810 810
Superabile website (in
Italian)
- Handylex: This is a useful national database containing news from the
official paper Gazzetta Ufficiale and legal information relating to
disabled people.
- Cooperative ProgettAzione is a social project aiming to facilitate the
integration of people who are having problems through actions of prevention and
training.
- At: Via Piave 2/a, 24026 Ponte San Pietro (BG)
Tel: 0356 14928
Website
- Disabili: An online journal and news magazine for disabled, this website is
dedicated to handicapped people and provides information, chats, exchanges and
discussion forums on various matters (information provided in Italian language).
- The Assistive Technology Research and Information Service (SIVA): Provides
medical, social and vocational rehabilitation to people with a physical, mental
or sensorial handicap. SIVA is developing a nationwide information system on
assistive technology.
Information regarding work
- The website of the Ministry of Work and Social
Affairs (Ministerio del Lavoro e delle Politiche Sociali)
provides information on work policies, general social affairs and has a section
on disability with relevant information.
- Handimpresa: Organisation based in Milan, aims to make it easier
for disabled people to get jobs. Their website (in Italian) has useful links to help people find a job or a training session.
- Foundation Don Gnocchi: A non-profit board providing care, rehabilitation and
social integration for people in difficulty. Amongst its various missions the
Foundation provides training for disabled people in IT, Internet, retail,
catering and artisan trades.
Hobbies, sport and holidays
- On the initiative of the General Tourist Board (Direzione Generale per il
Turismo del Ministero delle Attivitą Produttive), an online service, Italia
per Tutti, has been created, which enables users to search and select a list of tourist sites in Italy with
information on allergies, reduced mobility, wheelchairs and access for blind,
deaf or elderly people. The website has a list of hotels, restaurants, bars and
monuments and is available in English and German.
- The tour operator Mondopossibile, member of the SATH (Society for
Accessible Travel & Hospitality) deals exclusively with travel and holidays
for disabled people.
- Sportabili is a non-profit organisation aiming to create contacts and links
between disabled people and the rest of the community. The services
proposed include skiing, cross-country skiing, hand-biking, rafting, hydrospeed
and tennis with special guides for blind people.
- Disabilincorsa offers several possibilities for disabled people to practice
sport; running, cycling, ice-skating, horse-riding, mountains walks and sailing.
- Tel: 0347 3845121
Website (in Italian)
- Centro Internazionale del Libro Parlato produces registered books, in
Italian, for blind
people.
- The Italian Library for the Blind (Biblioteca Italiana per i Ciechi) has a
website with an exhaustive list of libraries available for blind people in
Italy.
- In Rome, documents for blind people can be found at the Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale
- At: Viale Castro Pretorio 105, 00185 Rome
Tel: 06 44701871
Website
-
Calibre Audio
Books: UK charity, Calibre, supplies audio books in English on
cassette or disk to visually impaired and disabled people. The free service
is available to members (registration can be made via the website). Free
postal service is available to anywhere in Europe.
Italian Associations for the Disabled
There are a number of associations related to reduced mobility and disability.
Please note that these organisations operate in the Italian language. There is no
guarantee of finding an English-speaker.
- Associazione Nazionale Famiglie di Disabili Intelletivi e Relazionli (Anffas):
A national association looking after the rights of intellectually disabled
people and their families, the Anffas operates in the sectors of education,
professional training, work, sport and free-time.
- Associazione Sclerosi Tuberosa: This association dealing with tuberous
sclerosis aims to help the families concerned and provide support for the
research into the disease. The association organises meetings everywhere in
Italy to provide information on the disease and the latest medical treatments.
- Unione Italiana dei Ciechi: Association for the integration of blind people
into the community. The ALA (Agenzia per la Promozione del Lavoro dei Ciechi)
aims to help blind people in the work environment.
- Unione Italiana dei Ciechi
Tel: 800 682 682 / 06 699881
Website (in Italian)
- Associazione
Italiana Persone Down: The Italian Association for People suffering from Downs syndrome.
- At: Viale delle Milizie 106, Rome
Tel: 06 3720891
Website
- Unione Italiana Lotta alla Distrofia Muscolare
(UILDM) aims to promote
scientific research on muscular dystrophy and facilitate social integration.
- Associazione Anni Verdi: An association and support group for physically or
mentally handicapped people.
- At: Via Quirino Majorana 195, 00152 Rome
Tel: 06 5518211
- Mason Perkins: Fund support for deaf and deaf-blind children.
- At: Via Nomentana 56, 00161 Rome
Tel: 06 44234511
Website
- U.C.L.A.I.: Association providing help to disabled people.
- At: Via Paolo Emilio 24/d, 00192 Rome
Tel: 06 3610992
Related Information
- For information for wheelchair travel in Rome, see the Slow Travel Italy
website: Click
here
Related reference INFOrmation on AngloINFO Rome:
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