Moving to Rome for people with disabilities is a daily struggle
Over the past seven years, moving around Rome in a wheelchair has been a daily struggle for Dario Dongo. From the moment he leaves the house, he faces a series of challenges: potholes in the sidewalks, steps that are too high, a lack of access ramps. Situations that most people would not notice become insurmountable obstacles, often forcing him to travel in the middle of the road.
“I feel very frustrated not on a personal level but as a member of a community, if I think of the people who are less fortunate than me – says Dario above all, founder of the Égalité association -. People who are more fragile or with more severe forms of disability than mine or with fewer resources. In recent years they have been forced to surrender as if it were an ineluctable fate, when instead they have been deprived of their fundamental rights “.
Dario’s frustration is visible as we travel with him on public transport to reach the historic center of Rome. Arriving at his destination, he finds himself blocked because the stairlift does not work. After waiting for over 30 minutes we are told to change stations. But once you get to the Colosseum things get complicated again: Dario has problems getting around on the cobblestones of Rome. Years of neglect are one of the reasons the system doesn’t work as it should.
“In the last 14 years our systems and infrastructures have not been maintained and have not been revised – says Eugenio Patanè, councilor for mobility of the Municipality of Rome -. So today we have inherited a rather heavy situation which means that for the next three years we will have to work tirelessly to bring everything back to normal. This means working on new investments and that we have new investments available at the Pnrr plan and at the Jubilee. Now we just have to make them fully operational. We have to organize tenders and do adequate maintenance work, but above all we need planning “.
Despite the difficulties Dario has no intention of giving up: his hope is the battle he carries on can change things. “Only by mainly doing things can they change, putting pressure from below – says Dario -. We all have to expect things to work as they should, otherwise they will never be fixed”.
Recently Atac, the Rome mobility company, changed management to improve its efficiency. The funds from Italy’s relaunch and resilience plan and those that will be used for the 2025 Jubilee are a unique opportunity for the capital of Italy in a city for everyone and in a much easier place to live.