The Consulta Regionale degli Handicappati-ONLUS

The Consulta regionale degli Handicappati ONLUS was constituted with notarial deed in July 1980 by the representants of some groups and associations which, since 1975-76 started ti fight for the entire inclusion of handicapped people in civil and social life. Our most intense activity started right after the earthquake of 23/11/80, when we gave our contribution coordinating young volountaries who distributed helps to the blessed and the traumatized people in the hospitals, giving information to rejoin the families, and distributing clothes of the CO.MI.LI.TER., and others sent from different associations in Italy and abroad. Through a french benefit society (Secour Populaire Français) many wheelchairs and didactic equipments were distributed to the schools of Irpinia. At the same time the Military Health Department promoted a survey to know the number of handicapped people living in the area hit by the heartquake. After the period of urgency the Consulta has maily worked to create a link among the different associations of disables in order to promote concrete interventions on behalf of the "State-run organizations" for integration. From 1981 to 1984 a battle was led to obtain a specific regional law concerning these subjects. In that period the V Advice Committee of the Regione Campania many times sought the advice of the Consulta until the law was approved (Regional Law 15/3/84, n.11). Today the initiative continues for its real application in order to awaken public opinion, Asl and Municipalities, and in order to establish prevention and rehabilitation remedies in the ASL, and in the field of Social Services in each Town. Our goal is the overcoming of handicapped people's reclusion in institutes. Therefore we develop everyday relations with Municipal Administrations, the ASL, with the provincial or regional political forces even for the correct planning of services. A representant of the Consulta together with others of similar associations is always present in the Advisory Committee provided for by Regional law art. 19, established with order of the President of the Regional Council. The Consulta is always present to support the right to life and health of the disabled, and denounced, sustaining the role of plaintiff in a criminal case for the death of a young person, Massimo L., the extant conditions in many institutes. The strict relation with the Cooperativa Rosanna produced since 1994 the first and only experience realized in Campania of a casa-famiglia (a house where handicapped people can live as if they were with their own family) for people coming from institutes , within the ASL Napoli 2 (National sanitary system). We printed a brochure called "Quota Zero" which illustrates with simple images the directions on the subject of architectural barriers and a Guide-book on the city accessibility for which we took a census of 1200 public buildings. The periodical newsletter "Handinews" has been since years the organ of information of the association and is today on our internet site. Thanks to regional levy we created a specialized library "Handibook", which contains hundred books and computer material. We obtained from the Commissionership for reconstruction in Campania and in Naples , established by the law n. 219 of 1981, the respect of the law on architectural barriers in all the buildings of general interest and the 3% of houses is predisposed for handicapped people with special walking problems. In the field of application of the law about architectural barriers (art. 27 law 30/03/71 n. 118 and DPR 384 of 1978 L.13 of 09/01/89; circular 22/06/89 n.1669/U.L.) the consulta obtained the respect of this set of rules in the projects for the rebuilding of flats and infrastructures after the earthquake, of Naples' underground and in some buildings of cultural importance (es. the Archeological Museum). These achievements have been illustrated in an exibition intitled "Architecture without barriers", patronized by the Municipality of Naples and the Presidency of the Regional Council, at the Villa Pignatelli in April '83, and then presented in Nice, Marseille and at the SAIE in Bologna. The Catalogue of the exibition represents an original contribution on the subject. We obtained then the adaptation of important buildings such as the II Policlinico hospital in Naples, the Pompei excavations, Naples airport which now has buses equipped with elevator. We obtained the overcoming of architectural barriers in the San Paolo Stadium thanks to the new accessible stands; this is the first intervention in the architecture of a sport structure in Italy. The Secour Populaire Français gave the Consulta a minibus with a slide as a present. New opportunities were possible with the application of the law n. 13/1989 , for the overcoming of architectural barriers in private building trade, but after three years the funds have been interrupted. Moreover we estimated that the adoption of modern technologies in the field of aids represents a further chance to overcome architectural barriers, and the Consulta has a ceaseless role of information and consulence , even through permanent or itinerant exhibitions of pictures and objects in agreement with the Regione Campania and with the private market of these articles. We obtained the engagement, even if discontinuous, of the Municipality of Naples for the purchase of aids for handicapped pupils . In collaboration with the ASPHI from Bologna and IBM Italia we organized courses for the application of computer science in the field of didactics for disabled children. Another field to which the Consulta turned its attention is the scolar integration of disabled children. The Consulta showed its opposition in all the cases in which schoolchildren were emarginated without reason, and aiming to defend their rights we represent a landmark for those teachers who want to improve their knowledge. The consulta has its own representant in the group which works for this subject in the Provincial Education Office in Naples , provided for by the law 104/92. At the same time we opened a contention against some municipal administrations in order to obtain scholastic help and means of transport for the students who are not self-sufficient. In collaboration with the Cooperativa Rosanna we could obtain a first, partial service of scholastic aid for not self-sufficient handicapped children in the schools of Naples, a service which employs 20 people. After a first experience of a vocational guidance course for material assistence duties addressed to 200 young people, we obtained the authorization by the Region for a vocational training course on this field , with the relative qualification and inscription to the employment exchange. A similar course was organized in the province of Caserta for unemployed people registered in the mobility of labour list in the employment and labour office. The consulta has also started a project for the inclusion of handicapped people in the vocational training courses and for the reform of the compulsory employment , and besides we support all those initiatives addressed to the integration of handicapped people in the labour market, like the "Cooperative Integrate". With a regional authorization and the European Social Fund we obtained a course for the practice of computers for deaf people and handicapped with special needs. Furthermore the association obtained special facilitations for people with walking or visual problems in the main theatres of Naples, in particular in its most prestigious theatre : the S. Carlo. Besides the Consulta is present, together with other associations, in the municipal consulta for handicap in the city of Naples. After a long formulation we took a computerized census of handicapped people as a necessary tool to seize the attention of the Local Administrations for a program of services..A file-card has been widely tested first in small towns S. Antimo and Palma Campania, than used, in collaboration with the Cooperativa Rosanna, in Naples and in 30 model towns in Campania thanks to two "projects for young people" (art. 23, law n. 67, 1988), "Handicomp 1" and "Handicomp 2" . A third project art. 23 for the year 1991 concerned the census of architectural barriers. From this census we realized the first guide to the accessibility in Naples "Napoli: dove accedere". The charter of the Consulta is conformed to the national and regional law about volountary apprenticeship. In conformity with the law n. 266 of 1991 and the R.L. 9/93 we stipulated an agreement with more than twenty municipalities in the district of Naples for the realization of volountary apprenticeship service in the field of home and school assistence for handicapped people, and domiciliary nursing service and transport for elderly people. In some towns we realized a day-time centre with laboratories, in other towns we realized day-time "Case Alloggio" for disabled-CAD, always with qualified workers. More than two hundred volountaries are engaged in the services. All the workers attended a full immersion training course before starting the job, others had a regional qualification after a vocational training course. Since 1997 the Consulta has a convention with the "Città della Scienza" (Science Museum) in order to disseminate the achievements in the field of computer technology connected to disability (educational computer programs, control of the house with central data-base, others). The consulta carries on an intense activity to give information and legal advice for what concernes disability certificates, concession of pensions etc. With the collaboration of the Centro Studi Europa we created a kind of legal patronate mainly to act through legal proceedings against the injustices and the delays of the ASL (National Sanitary Service). The consulta keeps connections with all those cultural associations which fight for the chidren and citizen's rights,which take part to the same cultural fight. Every year the Consuta organizes one or two public meetings about the most relevant subjects in the field of disability. In November 1985 a delegation of our representants went to Strasbourg and was received by the European Parliament, another one went there on May 93. At the moment, since June 1998 the Consulta together with Naples Provincial Authority started on a project HORIZON: "Global consulence to the Social Services of the Municipal administrations for what concernes the disables", where we provide vocational training for 100 municipal employees in 50 towns in the province of Naples, mainly in the computer and legal field. This newsletter is the first issue for what concernes the project HORIZON and was realized thanks to the cooperation among the four european partners. Our aim is to inform all the partners of the activities each one carries out and to create growing agreement and understanding among the partners. At present we have about a thousand members, the board of directors is composed of five members, besides we organized branch offices in other small towns in the sourronding of Naples. In the areas where we haven't got any office we always keep connections with the institutions.
The main office is in via Don Bosco 4F - 80141 Napoli
The operational office is in via Pietravalle, 10 - 80131 Napoli

Tel/Fax:	081.372.23.82
Internet site:	http://www.crhonlus.it
	crhonlus@crhonlus.it