His appeal to the readers of UnioneSarda.it did not go unnoticed and some proposals arrived for Anna Maria, the blind and wheelchair-bound lady from Dolianova who asked for help to find an apartment for rent "not free, I can pay and I don't look for charity ”, Because what he lives in has to be renovated. The owner has allowed her to stay until she finds another accommodation, but Anna Maria, 70-year-old originally from Samassi, does not want to abuse her availability further.
In reality so far it has nothing concrete to evaluate. "The mayor - he thus integrated his appeal published with a letter published a few days ago - made me contact the assistance offices, they spoke of renewal for law 162 (Personalized plans for people with severe disabilities, ed ) and others things, they set two appointments but they both missed ”.
Meanwhile, what about you?
“I keep looking, but I find accommodations with only one room, I would need at least two, and a storage room on the ground floor. Many are afraid of renting out their properties. There are also for sale, mind you, but at my age ... I'm making them all up, for example if I could sell my crochet works I could scrape together a little more ".
How do you manage to crochet garments?
“With the touch, with the points that I invent. I make sweaters, clothing. I can make a cardigan without a seam and made to measure. I started as a child and I never stopped, a passion that I cultivate with much appreciated results ".
Did they perhaps offer you to go to a facility?
“Put me in a center? With all the diseases and allergies I have? There are no suitable places, I would just be a nuisance. My problem is not only that I can't see or that I'm in a wheelchair, it's also what you put on my plate: I'm intolerant to many spices, I would risk a lot ".
Is it still taboo to talk about disability?
On the contrary, it is very important. Few people know it and those who find it on the road often have no one, neither a shoulder to rely on nor a foothold. An able-bodied person is caught in the frenzy of work, speed, novelties and innovations, does not perceive many things. It is like when a child with Down syndrome arrives in a family: you put all your good will into it but you need to lean on someone for a moment to free yourself from discouragement. And if no one is found, one wonders: am I doing well like this? Am I hurting? No one answers. One thing I want to say: we must not be ashamed, there is nothing we must be ashamed of ”.
The institutions?
“What do they give? Economic help? A maintenance? An accompaniment? In many cases it can also be done without, what is needed is something else. Support is priceless. You know how many people in these 24 years of being blind have told me 'how beautiful you are' or 'health outbursts'. Here, in that moment I felt made fun of. Or even 'how much courage do you have'. But what courage? I have always considered myself totally unaware of my situation, otherwise I would not wake up tomorrow. And I go ahead, in spite of those who do not consider me ".
She defines herself as "blind", she does not use "blind".
“Yes, and not because I think it is an offense or a disability. For example, I happened to say 'my name is Anna Maria and I'm blind', and they thought I was from the Czech Republic! In short, misunderstandings are just around the corner ".
When did you lose your sight?
“I was 46, with two children, and it happened after taking the drugs they gave me without taking into account that I was allergic to 80 percent of NSAIDs, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. I have had a thyroid problem from birth, then everything got worse with the second pregnancy. I ran to the hospital but they did not have an exact perception of the situation. Now my eyes are totally closed, I attempted a mucosal transplant which was perfectly successful, then there was rejection ".
What were the most difficult moments?
“Families, when they have a blind person at home, tend to protect him and in doing so exclude him from everyday life. I was lucky enough to meet a person, an educator, who made me understand that I should not be served and revered, so we started a new approach. When, after six months in hospital, I returned home in a wheelchair, facing the steps to go to the various rooms was a problem, so we organized ourselves with platforms. But my daughter 'shook' me a bit and step by step I started moving again, even if the obstacles are many ".
Eg?
“If you don't find a foothold you feel lost, panic attacks develop, I fought with that too. You have to find your bearings. When I got up they were all ready with 'what do you need me to bring you?', It's humiliating. And there was so much fear of leaving me alone. Then, as time passed, they began to treat me as before. Today I do many things, I am no longer able to do the cleaning but I can cook and for the shopping I call the shopkeepers in the house who will deliver it to me ".
Is it true that you use social media a lot?
“I am equipped, with the iPhone I have a voice system that allows me to interact on Facebook, it also describes the photos; then there are sites for listening to audio books, an audio library with films in which a voice tells the silent scenes. But all this is not free, nobody gives it to us ”.
Meaning what?
"For example, to crochet I have a tool that reads me the colors and costs around 300 euros, the easy speak over a thousand, a mobile phone at least 700 euros, then there is the reader for films, all the updates, the thermometer that speak, at least 40 euros, etc. The problem is that these objects often have serious problems: for one thing, the hands of the tactile clock most of the time move. In short, obviously they are created not by those who have to use them, without knowing what the real needs are ".
What is missing, in practice, for a higher quality of life?
“Laws with suitable contents. The rules concerning the disabled are studied at the table for the convenience of those who propose them. It is said that we must be assisted, cared for and made able to live a regular life, similar to that of the able-bodied. But: do you need a wheelchair? You have to wait six months. Do you have to travel for a visit? They even send an ambulance when a specially prepared car would be enough to avoid the trauma of skidding and many inconveniences. It would be useful to review the rules at least together with a group of people with various disabilities who know, because they have experienced it firsthand, what needs to be changed. I will not be there anymore, I hope that at least my nephew's children can get to see these innovations ”.
What for now?
“For now we go to the Moon, to Mars to get water as if ours were not drinkable, and in the meantime we down here are committed to widening the hole in the ozone layer. A not very comforting panorama ".
