|  "Respect is essential. On the other hand does not pretend to love the people, but to be respected in its human dignity. Respect means knowing how to listen. It means having respect and consideration. "
are the words of the writer and journalist Moroccan Tahar Ben Jelloun, referring to the problems of society, downed by racism in its many forms. We want to tell this quote from the story of Alex Crowell, a 42 year old disabled woman terminally ill, who 11 years ago founded the Right to Life Association, of which she is currently the President. On the phone decides to tell us la sua storia:
“questa associazione nasce da me ed è composta da 8 persone, anche se in realtà siamo soprattutto io e mio marito a portarla avanti senza chiedere soldi, ad esempio, alla Regione come fanno molte altre associazioni. Lo scopo principale è tutelare i diritti delle persone disabili e degli anziani: una necessità che ho iniziato ad avvertire molti anni fa quando, alle prese con la mia malattia, cominciai contemporaneamente a girare per le case di persone disabili, consapevole della difficoltà delle loro realtà quotidiane. Lo faccio ancora oggi, ma all’epoca ero accompagnata da un assistente sociale che mi aiutava a controllare le varie situazioni per poi indicare, a chi di dovere, cosa andava done and where to take action. During the years I've always felt again by the city, where they came to my records, only a perpetual 'no money'. "
Tired of receiving institutions only indifference and felt frustrated by the lack of awareness about life of disabled people, Alessandra 2 years ago began a hunger strike (now reduced to a semi-strike) with whom he was able to obtain the right to home in Santa Marinella, near Rome, the town where he lives, "home care was nonexistent here before. What makes me continue my battle are haunting things that I seen in recent years. I found disabled in inhuman conditions: in the midst of the mice, dirt, left to themselves. I am terminally ill, but compared to so many people are lucky. "
Today the main purpose of his protest to the increase of the social pension for the disabled, which currently amounts to 250 € per month by law. "A disabled person does not make us anything with a similar figure, which is really ridiculous. To be able to use decent institutions, for example, this money is not enough. The reality of such institutions, which in my opinion is still appalling in most cases, the only recourse open to a disabled person live without home care or who has no one to assist him. The other day in Civitavecchia is a dead girl who was found with lungs full of food: she died suffocated because she had no one to badasse her. This death, and many others, could be avoided if there was more consideration towards people with disabilities: In many cases, instead there is only one real racism. "
Alessandra tells us in this regard have denounced the government for wrongful death and multiple murder and obtained an answer to his repeated complaints only by the President of the Republic. In their letter, Napolitano said sorry and worried (copy of same letter can be found in the original blog of Alexandria, where the woman tells her story in detail with all the initiatives undertaken to assist the disabled). "President Napolitano can not do anything, but I would like at least he was talking about these issues, both at institutional and civil. Because no one is mobilized to the cuts to severely disabled people that the government continues to pursue? "One of the main problems, according to Alessandra and its association, concerning in any case the poor social pension received by people with disabilities: EUR 250 per month it is objectively impossible to survive. "People are dying from neglect and hunger: this is a truth that passes in silence. Do not give a damn to anyone that people with disabilities is constantly violated human rights. They die slowly, alone, and it is shameful that newspapers and television stations do not give us space, just as it is outrageous that these politicians are paid a salary of € 30,000 per month against our social pension of € 250. They do not realize that a disabled person in this way does not even care. For dogs in this country, it does more. I love animals, I want to emphasize, but we? No one takes action to improve the living conditions of disadvantaged people, treated as a breed apart. "
Alessandra is going to continue the strike seeds hunger, which began two years ago: "Unfortunately I can no longer recover. Everyone tells me that I must preserve my health and it is true, they are right, but this way I got to get something and I can not nor do I want to give up. Do not do it for me, but for others, for what I hear and see: I knew a lady last week decided to sell the house to find the money to buy medicine. " When he brought his protest in the House, in the summer, Alex was able to talk to various politicians, "Furio Colombo is the only one who is interested in my story, which seems to have taken to heart my complaints. The secretary declined to Fini said they would do something, but nothing was done. I was told that Fini had submitted a bill to increase the social pension, but no one had wanted to hear: I do not know if she did really, but it is regrettable that the institutions that ignore our problems, our concern everyday life. Turkish Livia told me that instead would carry with me the seeds of hunger strike: all teasing, I repeat, no one has done anything really concrete and lasting for the disabled. I often feel alone even compared to other groups, who sometimes struggle to claim the card or the like, while the only thing that matters is to unite, unite us all. "
Many stories that we told the our paper, where players are people with disabilities, often have this common denominator: the dire need to make the community aware of the injustices suffered by other lives, for which the torment is more unbearable to live in silence. Martina Torn
 |
