In Case of Emergency
Ambulance operators have reported a recurring problem: when accidents happen on the road, injured people often carry a cell phone, but operators face a daunting task—finding the right contact among dozens of saved numbers. So ambulance services came up with a simple solution: save your emergency contact under a single, standardized label. The international standard is ICE (In Case of Emergency). Emergency responders—paramedics, police, firefighters—know to look for this name first. If you need multiple contacts listed, use ICE, ICE2, ICE3, and so on. It costs nothing, takes a minute, and could save a life. Emergency authorities endorse the idea. Help spread the word and make it a habit.
Protezione Civile Roma
Down Syndrome Life Online
A new website aims to show the many dimensions of life with Down syndrome through video. www.downtv.org was created by Fundación "Invest for Children," based in Barcelona with an office in Milan.
Down TV is an interactive platform featuring a wide range of videos about Trisomy 21—Down syndrome. The site covers social issues, medicine, work, education, sports, leisure, and much more. Anyone can upload videos, whether professionally produced or not. "Invest for Children" is a Spanish nonprofit with a clear mission: to help people with intellectual disabilities, especially those with Down syndrome, achieve a better quality of life. As they put it, "We want a society that embraces diversity." They champion what they call "venture philanthropy"—helping other foundations secure ongoing resources and supporting organizations dedicated to integrating people with intellectual disabilities.
Europe's First Web TV Run by People with Disabilities
Italy is home to the first European web television entirely managed by people with disabilities. Sipario TV (www.sipariotv.tv) is based in Florence at the Sipario association, which since 2003 has designed and run educational and recreational programs for young people with intellectual and sensory disabilities. It functions as a full-fledged television station, made possible by technical support from the company 2 - Aida Comunicazione. The lineup is rich and varied—newscasts, weather reports, music programs, celebrity interviews, and live coverage of major events. The newsroom is staffed by fifteen people with disabilities, ages twenty to thirty-five.