Institutional portal - Municipality of Milan

The initiative of the ASST Gaetano Pini-CTO and the Lombardy Paraplegic Association: "Disabled students also have the right to play"

Milan, July 2 2019 – As stated in the 1989 UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, all children have the right to play. This is why the ASST Gaetano Pini-CTO supports the fundraising of APL, the Lombardy Paraplegic Association which, thanks to this initiative, will purchase "multisport" wheelchairs to be allocated to disabled children in Milanese primary schools, to allow them to carry out sporting activities and improve, in general, one's mobility thanks to greater manageability.

“An initiative of great value for which we thank the Lombardy Paraplegic Association: a concrete gesture that will be able to help the most needy families to accompany the path of inclusion and support that is carried out every day in our schools”. This is the comment of the Councilor for Education and Instruction Laura Galimberti.

Inclusion and support are the key words of this project, thanks to which the "multisport" wheelchairs will be given on free loan to families who request them from primary schools in the city of Milan. The initiative is developed in synergy with the territorial school office of Milan which, as part of the progressive development of inclusion processes, helps families with children with disabilities and which, thanks to the initiative of the association and the support of ASST Gaetano Pini-CTO, decided to take stock of the presence of disabled students in Milanese primary schools: to date there are 21 children who use wheelchairs.

Lightweight, easy to handle and adjustable, "multisport" wheelchairs are a technologically advanced tool that promotes the right to play and the introduction to sports disciplines, including competitive ones, for children with disabilities. The idea of ​​the project was born from the comments of the parents of the students who in other regions had the opportunity to experiment with the functionality of this type of wheelchair: being able to participate in physical education class or recess together with their classmates has completely revolutionized their lives. of their children.

“We would like to equip schools with these wheelchairs because they allow children to integrate with the activities of their peers and to imagine bigger, without having to highlight the limits – explains APL ONLUS -. We adults have a duty to work hard to ensure that children grow up peacefully. The donation effort that we ask from the friends of the APL association and the people who will support this cause goes in this direction."

“Our company recognizes the value of sport – comments Dr. Paola Maria Pirola, Social Health Director of the ASST Gaetano Pini-CTO – necessary for correct psychophysical development and as a valid support for rehabilitation interventions, as well as a means of social inclusion, especially for younger people, such as primary school pupils to whom the 'multisport' wheelchairs will be donated. This is why APL's initiative has our full support."

The APL fundraiser launched on Produzioni dal Bottom, the first Italian crowdfunding platform, has the objective of raising €12.200,00 to purchase up to 6 "multisport" wheelchairs: a first step in the hope of being able to cover the long-term the entire city needs.