We first learned of an association in the Canavese region near Turin through an article in Famiglia Cristiana. The group, called "Volare Alto" (Fly High), and its housing initiative "Never Alone" struck us as something worth sharing with everyone in the Ombre e Luci community.
Never Alone supports people with disabilities in creating appropriate housing—whether with their family of origin, independently, or in shared living arrangements—with the goal of achieving maximum possible autonomy.
But how exactly do they work toward this goal? What methods have they chosen? Do they have completed projects or ones underway? Can they offer useful guidance to others? These questions took me to Rocca Canavese, where I met Marisa Bettassa and Giancarlo Ferrari.
Rocca is a small village nestled in the hills north of Turin, at the foot of the mountains. In this season, the landscape overflows with greenery and bursts of color from countless flowers.
The town square, presided over by the church, has the orderly, functional air of a well-kept Italian piazza. A handsome stone paving, clearly marked parking spaces, and nearly all the shops you might need—pharmacy, bakery, and more—complete the picture. Around a corner, a narrow, quiet lane opens through a gate into a small courtyard, where several two-story homes face one another.
Daniela greets me with warm courtesy. For twelve years, seven days a week except Sundays, she has assisted the Ferraris, thanks to a grant from the Piedmont regional government.
Inside, Marisa and Giancarlo sit on either side of a table in the living room/kitchen. Nearby are a good television, a speakerphone that activates mysteriously when calls arrive, and a remote button controlling the glass entry door—allowing them to see who approaches through the courtyard.
The entire home has been restructured to support the needs of people with severe mobility limitations. Both my hosts live with spastic tetraplegia.
Marisa can speak with some clarity and move one leg, which she uses to type at a computer. Giancarlo has greater freedom of movement and speaks more easily. Both hold degrees in psychology and work in that field—he as a psychotherapist, she as a journalist and author. They have published numerous books and are deeply involved with the Volare Alto association.
I am welcomed warmly, and within minutes feel as though I have known them forever. Despite a severe bronchitis that has weakened her, Marisa radiates enormous positive energy. With her golden hair, she truly resembles a small sun. Teo, a friend who arrives in the afternoon, helps me communicate easily with her. Giancarlo and I talk at length, moving from one topic to another. A single theme runs through all our conversation: both feel called to witness that even with profound physical difficulty, one can fly very high and cultivate and reach wonderful dreams. It requires only a clear awareness of one's limits and strengths, great determination in asserting one's rights, and—a magnificent, solid network of trusted friends, found and held together by Marisa's calm strength and Giancarlo's quiet professional authority.
In 1997, to give force to this conviction, they founded Volare Alto with other friends. The association has grown through word of mouth and now boasts roughly ninety members. Each contributes whatever skills they possess, in an exchange that enriches everyone and makes them feel useful.
These friends organize diverse activities: film screenings, mountain outings, travel, wheelchair dance. They hold conferences and courses to raise awareness of disability issues and social policy.
Their latest initiative is the project that gives this article its title—modeled on Marisa and Giancarlo's own way of life. They are now renovating a house: the upper floor will be a family residence, while the ground floor will house a therapeutic and rehabilitation center.
Currently they are gathering all necessary permits and carefully reviewing the plans so that once construction begins—expected very soon—work can proceed without bureaucratic delays. Giancarlo explains that the paperwork is extensive and drives costs significantly higher.
Funds are being raised through various self-financing activities, but with the full scope of the project, they will also need to approach banks. Let's wish them well.
The Project
The goal is to give disabled people the ability to choose where they live.
No distinction is made between people with physical or psychological disabilities. What varies is the individual degree of autonomy each person can achieve—and with proper support, all can achieve it.
The housing can come from various sources: owned by the resident, owned by others, or rented for at least ten years. The person living there will manage the logistical arrangements.
An advisory committee of three to five members will promote and sustain the project and intervene as needed.
Funds, gathered through various means, will be managed separately by the committee, which will report to the membership.
All current funds are dedicated to the housing and therapeutic project described above, which will soon enter the implementation phase.
The project's success depends on a strong network of solidarity and friendship. Several factors are in their favor: Piedmont applies Italy's law 162, which provides some funding for disabled people; the CRT Foundation, active in the region, is particularly sensitive to disability issues; and Marisa and Giancarlo's personal history and professional standing give them significant credibility.
Elisabetta De Rino, 2010
Bibliography
Una vita tra le dita - Giancarlo Ferrari Ed. Nuovi Autori
E la luna mi guardò - Giancarlo Ferrari Ed. Elena Morea
Storia di un filo d'erba - Marisa Bettassa Ed. Vento Sociale
Come...volare alto - Roberta Bertellino, Marisa Bettassa, Giancarlo Ferrari
