Rome, 6 November 2018
Promote full accessibility for people with reduced mobility and disabilities in railway stations, on board trains, and in sporting activities through dedicated communication and information campaigns.
This is the main objective of the collaboration initiated by the Italian Paralympic Committee (CIP) and FS Italiane through a Memorandum of Understanding signed today in Rome, on the occasion of the inauguration of the Paralympic Culture Festival by Luca Pancalli CIP President and Gianfranco Battisti CEO and General Manager of the FS Italiane Group.
The activities of the Italian Paralympic Committee, together with the individual Paralympic Sports Entities of the CIP, and the FS Italiane Group, through its main operating companies, will have a single purpose: promote parity and equality in access to rail services and sporting practices. For this reason CIP and FS Italiane will provide know-how and resources to promote the importance of sport for people with reduced mobility and disabilities and to promote the many opportunities offered by Paralympic sports.
The agreement is the continuation of a collaboration started in 2017 on the occasion of the presentation of the "Ambassadors of Paralympic Sports" of the CIP. An initiative, supported by FS Italiane, which sees the most representative athletes of the Italian Paralympic movement committed to promoting sport as a tool for cultural promotion and social integration in schools, in spinal hospital units, and in other public contexts.
"The FS Italiane Group is proud of the Protocol signed with the Italian Paralympic Committee - said Gianfranco Battisti - because we hope that the commitment and willpower of these people is an example for all of us, especially in knowing how to believe in themselves and in achieving one's goals always following the true values of life. Our actions won't stop with the Protocol. We are committed to improving the accessibility of railway stations by raising the sidewalks to facilitate entry and exit from trains, installing lifts and tactile routes and we have the Sala Blu circuit for assistance to people with reduced mobility, even if temporary, and with disabilities. As for the new regional Rock and Pop trains, which will go into service in the middle of next year, we have changed their perspective in their design. We have also designed and built them around the needs of people with disabilities and reduced mobility thanks to the precious contribution of the relevant Associations ".
From November 20 to 23, the Paralympic Culture Festival will take place at the Rome Tiburtina station, a railway hub used by about 50 million people yearly: four days of discussions, exhibitions, films, books, storytelling, and exhibits, all dedicated to Paralympic sports and their ability to virtuously affect Italian customs and society. In addition, RAI will present a documentary on the history of the Italian Paralympic movement with unpublished images and interviews on the inaugural day, November 20.