True friendship, like love itself, cannot be forced or faked. It grows from genuine affinity, shared interests, and often from proximity. Those who lack regular chances to spend time with others and keep pace with their peers often struggle to find friends.
The particular gift of Faith and Light is precisely its ability to foster friendships among people of different ages, backgrounds, life experiences, cultures, and intellectual abilities.
We can now say that the social integration of disabled people has largely been achieved. Everyone can attend public school, many work, perform in theater. They no longer have to swim in their own "aquarium"—they can swim freely in the open sea. Yet when it comes to social bonds and friendship, how many young people with disabilities manage to sustain the friendships they made at school or work over time? How many go out with friends in the evening, into town? In our society, are disabled people truly included, or merely integrated? Do they belong with us, or just exist among us? We risk taking things for granted. And truthfully, there's no single answer. Everything depends on individual circumstances and contexts. A big city can offer more opportunities for education, employment, and social gathering—but it tends to scatter people, making spontaneous friendships harder to forge.
To gather testimonies from people with various disabilities about their social lives, we created a simple framework focusing on common ground: who their friends are, how they spend free time, and so on. We make no claim to have conducted a rigorous survey. The responses and texts we received offer only a snapshot—a glimpse into the lives of a small group of people, almost all connected to Faith and Light and Friends of Simon.
Reading these brief testimonies, each person will draw their own conclusions. What strikes us in this small sample is how often disabled people struggle to keep pace with their peers—whether from lack of real work or lack of independence. One thing surprised me: hardly anyone mentioned neighbors as friends. I'm not sure if that was oversight. But what emerges clearly is that access to an association, a movement, or a workshop is often the only effective way to build friendships, sometimes even the only reason to leave home and have a satisfying social life.
True friendship, like love itself, cannot be forced or faked. It grows from genuine affinity, shared interests, and often from proximity.
Why some disabled people still cannot be woven into "normal" social networks cannot rest on disability alone—though disability itself certainly creates real barriers: difficulty moving independently, strong ties of family dependence. Different life experience matters too. It shapes whether youthful friendships or work friendships endure. True, there is greater openness toward disabled people today. Yet a good meeting, even a pleasant connection, rarely blossoms into real friendship. The relentless pace of daily life often pushes human relationships to the margins. It is equally true that we rarely slow down, even when we want to.
True friendship, like love itself, cannot be forced or faked. It grows from genuine affinity, shared interests, and often from proximity.
Looking at the snapshot this article offers, three things stand out. First: we must strengthen the life of associations—the beating heart of meaningful and often profound human relationships. Second: we must look around more carefully and pay attention to our neighbors, our coworkers, our classmates. Don't let your mind wander when you offer the sign of peace; in every person nearby lives a possible friend. Third—and this matters most—people with disabilities still need their rights respected, their true social inclusion honored. Perhaps each of us can do little (yet little is not nothing). But we must not assume certain goals are already won. We must understand that we have far to go before we regard all people—not as the same, but as equal in dignity and rights.
Difference need not be a handicap. We are all different from someone else.
Alessandra
Age: 39
I live in Corsico (MI) with my mom (my dad is gone), my cat Mary Lu (she's a cuddle bug)
My family: Mom, 2 sisters, 2 brothers-in-law, 4 nieces and nephews, aunts and uncles
In my life I go to the day center every day and to Guphi three times a week
In my free time I watch TV, I like music, dancing, sending videos to friends on WhatsApp with my phone
The friends I see most are my friends from Faith and Light
I rarely go to parish
My favorite friends: Antonio, and with Andrea I watch Juve games
I attend a ceramics and craft workshop and workshops at the Day Center
I would like to dance and sing, but I have trouble making myself understood
Chiara
Age: 27
I live in Rome with my sister, my brother-in-law, and two nieces
My family: My parents live in Pescara with my grandmother
In my life I'm looking for work
In my free time I go to the gym and swimming
I go to parish for Mass
My favorite friends: I don't have a girlfriend here in Rome like I did in Pescara
I would like to take a computer course but I can't find a school
Tiziano
Age: 13
I live in Rome with my family (parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins)
In my life I stay home
In my free time I go out with my caregiver, I go to the movies
I see most often the neighbors
My favorite friends: A friend is Lorenzo, we go to the movies
I attend a theater workshop
Andrea
Age: 15
I live in Rome with my family
In my life I study and stay home
In my free time I watch TV, play video games
The friends I see most are my schoolmates
I attend parish and a theater workshop
I haven't decided yet what I'd like to do
Marco
Age: 49
I live in Rome with my mother
In my life I work as an usher in a Rome municipal office
In my free time I do physical therapy and then go have fun at the Ninth article center, I do gymnastics, gardening. Sometimes I go to the Faith and Light houses and then shopping with Mom
Friends: Now and then I go out with my friend Danilo and we take a walk down Via del Corso
I would like to go out more
Lorenza
Age: 51
I live in Milan Gratosoglio with my parents
My family: I have an older sister who is married, aunts, uncles, and cousins
In my life I'm an office worker, I work eight hours a day
In my free time the first Saturday of the month I go to a prayer group, Saturday mornings I go swimming
The friends I see most: My coworkers because I see them many hours a day, but in my free time my friends from Faith and Light
At parish I only go for Mass
My favorite friends: I don't have one, I often see Flora from Faith and Light
I don't attend a workshop
I would like to travel, but with work, costs, and the difficulty of finding someone to go with, it's hard to arrange. I've traveled with Faith and Light on pilgrimages, even to France, and with my mother I've been to Medjugorje 9 times and to Loreto 8 times
Livia
Age: 20
I live in a big city with my family
In my life I work and do an internship
In my free time I swim and use my tablet
I go to parish
I have two favorite friends but we don't go out together
I attend a music and theater workshop
I would like to go out alone with friends
Efrem
Age: 40
I live in Monopoli (BA)
My family: Many aunts, uncles, and cousins
In my life I'm unemployed
In my free time I take walks, go to the cathedral, pray. In the past I attended a social cooperative that later closed
I see most often my friends from Faith and Light. Faith and Light is a second family to me because we do plays and workshops
At parish I go every day and serve as an altar boy. I don't have a favorite friend
Right now I don't attend workshops. In the past I attended a music workshop in Fasano led by Marcella Potenza. I love music very much, and when we're together as a community I often direct the choir
I would like to help the people with disabilities in Faith and Light, give them comfort and joy. For my future I hope to be with the woman I've fallen in love with and marry her
Gabriele
Age: 27
I live in Rome with my mother, her partner, and my brother
In my life I work as an actor with the small theater company "Piero Gabrielli," a theater association that brings together disabled and non-disabled young people and shows audiences that there is no difference when you're on stage
In my free time I spend a lot of time at the computer having fun with Photoshop, creating graphics for images
The people I see most besides my family are my theater colleagues, whom I often see outside of work too
At parish I don't go, also because I don't believe
I have a friend outside the theater world whom I sometimes go out with and we talk about all kinds of things
There's nothing I want to do but can't, since theater is already what I want to do
Lorenzo
Age: 16
I live in Rome with my parents. I'm an only child, I have 3 cousins, aunts, uncles, and a grandmother
In my life I study
In my free time I swim, do puzzles, play Wii, go to the movies
I see most often the young people from the Friends of Simon association
I attend parish, the teen group Friends of Simon
I don't have a favorite friend. Sometimes we organize movie and pizza outings with kids we've met through the association
I attend a music therapy workshop and the Factory of Joy
I would like to have a friend to play games with and do homework. And have a desk partner
Veronica
Age: 44
I live in Rome with my husband
In my life I work in a clinic. My parents and my sister live in England
In my free time in the afternoon when I leave work I rest at home
Favorite friends I sometimes go out with Chiara or with my husband's coworkers
At parish I go for Mass
I attend a theater workshop
I would like to go to the gym, but not alone—with my husband to keep me company
Paola
Age: 50
I live in Cesano Boscone (MI) with my mom (my dad is gone, sadly), my little dog Briciola who keeps me great company—she's very playful
My family: My mom, my brother, my sister-in-law, two nieces, my niece's husband
In my life I'm unemployed and stay home
In my free time I watch TV, use the computer, do crosswords, listen to music
I see most often my friends from Faith and Light and from Guphi, another association in Corsico that I attend three times a week
I attend parish and am part of the choir, and sometimes I go and read
I don't have a favorite friend and don't attend workshops. I would like to go out more during the day. I want to be more independent, but since I walk with a walker I need someone to accompany me, support me, or help me along
Laura
Age: 47
I live in Rome with my parents and siblings
In my life I work at City Hall
In my free time sometimes I go out with friends
I see most often my friends from Faith and Light
I attend parish at both Santa Silvia and Saints Patrons
I don't have a favorite friend. I often see Flora from Faith and Light
I attend workshops run by the Crescere Insieme association
I would like to have more freedom to go out with friends
Angelo
Age: 26
I live in Rome with my family
My family: I have two brothers
In my life I'm doing an internship at a school doing caretaker work
In my free time I listen to music and work out (boxing)
Favorite friends: The "Friends of Simon"
I go regularly to parish
I would like to work and have lots of friends to do lots of things with
Francesco
Age: 17
I live in Rome with my dad
In my life I study
In my free time I go out, listen to music, read
The friends I see most often are the neighbors
I attend parish
Favorite friend: Stefano, we take walks together
I attend the Factory of Joy workshop
I would like to explore the world
Riccardo
Age: 49
I live in Corsico (MI) with my parents and my brother
My family: I have a brother who is unfortunately separated, and a niece
In my life I work at a company in Corsico in abrasive products and grinding wheels
In my free time I train—I'm part of the sports club at my parish, San Giustino in Cesano Boscone
The friends I see most are my friends from Faith and Light, from the parish, from the sports club, and my coworkers
I attend the parish of San Giustino Martire in Cesano
Favorite friend: I have many friends
I don't attend a workshop
I like my work and I'd like to have more time to finish what I do well because I care about it
Tiziana
Age: 48
I live in a small town at Marina di Carrara with my parents
My family: Parents, siblings, nieces and nephews
In my life I stay home, I'm a housewife
In my free time I attend the university of leisure time: theater, painting
The friends I see most are those from Faith and Light
At parish I go regularly
Favorite friend: Yes, I see a friend regularly and we go out together
Workshop: Yes, I attend an association called "Precious Gem"—an art workshop
Piercosimo
Age: 40
I live in Fasano with Mom and Dad
My family: Mom, Dad, seven aunts, uncles, and cousins scattered around the world
In my life I'm unemployed
The friends I see most often Caterina and Grazia, we go out for pizza. My other friends are Isa, Sante, Marilena, etc.
At parish I go Saturday at 3 p.m. for the altar servers group
Favorite friend: Stefano, we take walks together
I attend the Ottavio Savoia workshop at Semibiscroma School and I'm learning to sing
I would like to publish the poems I write every day