Crossing the now theoretical boundaries of the European
Union to widen one's own perceptions of diverse realities, even for those
who share a physical limitation that makes the reality of the surroundings
more difficult to make sense of.
In short, this is the meaning of the
experience reached by the 17 adolescents who participate in the
telephone operators' program offered by the Istituto Cavazza. They
travelled to Paris from September 23rd to October 1st and were guests at
the Institut National des Jeunes Aveugles (INJA). Students from INJA had
come to Cavazza in the spring before that.
We met Vania, Giuseppina,
Ivan and Roberto to understand what they were most impressed with during
their week-stay in Paris. There seemed to be a certain degree of
wariness about the pedagogical approach used by the very well-known
Paris institution, founded in 1784 by Valentin Hauy to guarantee an
education to blind and visually impaired students. Braille's nation, in
fact, in regards to its own conception of an approach strongly statist and
centralist, expects INJA to have national competence regarding the
education of blind and visually impaired students, directly by being host
of 150 students, or indirectly, through specific counselling for
students who try to integrate regular schools.
The choice between a
regular school and a special school is entrusted to a team of specialized
physicians and parents, who assess the specific aptitudes of each student.
What puzzled Vania and her friends is the strong discipline of the
Paris institution. She thought about these moments of astonishment when
their young French counterparts, during the few occasions in which they
were able to spend time together in the evening (also because of the age
difference), simply vanished at 10 o'clock, leaving their guests alone,
because it was curfew time, apparently unchangeable only for five minutes.
So, the students of the City of Light did seem rather formal; while in
Bologna they had shown a more carefree and spontaneous attitude.
It
must be remembered that at the Institut National des Jeunes Aveugles, kids
can arrive there at the young age of 11 years old, often far away
from their parents for extended periods of time. Nevertheless, blind
students, once they receive their diploma, they can go to university
staying in dorms with their colleagues, without any particular
problems.
The "Bolognese" were astounded to hear that some
transalpine people living with vision loss, once their studies are over,
choose to receive a disability pension rather than integrate the workforce
(by going through an operators' course, for example, it has to be said,
however, that the number of necessary operators is established by the
State every five years). But, it is also true that this underlines a
certain attention by the State towards people with disabilities with
specific funds dedicated to each student and amounting to about
60,000 € for assistance, and disability benefits obviously sufficient
to take care of oneself.
Cavazza's students were able to realize, when
visiting Paris, some gaps that blind people need to face, surprisingly,
given the fact that this is the city in which lived Louis Braille. For
example, on many underground lines, the platforms do not have the tactile
protections necessary on the ramps. The cars have shutting systems for the
doors that are too sudden. Also, nothing indicates from which side one
needs to get off from. The buses do not have a voice synthesis system to
inform passengers of the stops that are coming up. And, the acoustic
signal of the street lights can simply abandon you right in the middle of
an intersection often with
delays for crossing good enough for a
hundred-metre sprinter. In regards to the attention for blind people by
the citizens, Paris is not unfaithful to its own tradition of a rude and
distracted metropolis, but according to Vania and her friends, this is
probably due to the daily and widespread presence of blind people in the
urban environment.
Despite the logistic difficulties (which can be
overcome, after all), Paris has unveiled its beauty to the young group of
people from Cavazza, also thanks to professor Salvo Falcone, teacher of
Italian at INJA, expert in this type of international exchange, and thanks
also to the companions of the Istituto Cavazza. The visit to the City of
Science and Industry at La Villette was really appreciated. Guiding was
provided by the person who was in charge of accessibility for blind
people at the museum. A disappointing experience at the Louvre though
because there were no services dedicated to blind visitors.
The
intercultural exchange, after all, really was a success, so much so that
those who participated have expressed the desire to travel elsewhere,
maybe in London or Berlin, capitals in a Europe truly without
boundaries.
