countries - Italy

Contact:
Dr. Ing. Andrea Micangeli
CIRPS (Centro Interuniversitario di Ricerca per lo Sviluppo Sostenibile) sezione TpAA (Tecnologie per l'Autonomia e l'Ambiente) - SAPIENZA Università di Roma

Email: andrea.micangeli@uniroma1.it
Web:www.cirps.it and www.tpaa.it

The full text can be downloaded here.

The key national bodies with responsibility for disability law and policy implementation include:

Ministry of Labour, Health and Social Policies ensures implementation of legislation regulating employment, promotes equal opportunities and positive action at work.

Italy has ratified the United Nations Convention and the Optional Protocol.

Important national laws, policies and strategies concerning disabled people include:
Law 104/92 ‘Law for the assistance, the social inclusion and the rights of disabled people‘ sets out ‘principles of human rights, social integration and care'. It deals with diagnosis and prevention, treatment and rehabilitation, services and support, and social exclusion.

Key features of the national system include (including adapted items from the MISSOC database December 2008):

Disability benefits
Invalidity benefits are funded as part of the general financing system, including compulsory social insurance contributions from employers and employees and partly funded by the state.

Data on population indicate that:

The number of disabled people in Italy (people that during the interview declared themselves unable to perform independently an essential task of everyday life), is 2,609,000 corresponding to about 4.8 % of the population over the age of 6 and living with their family (ISTAT data 2004/2005).

The Disability Italian Network (DIN) is a non-profit scientific organisation involving a network of centres for the development of the ICF in Italy (supported by the Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia as a WHO Collaborating Centre). Its projects include training those involved in the work integration of persons with disabilities and making systematic use of ICF in related evaluation processes.

The national organisation representing disabled people at the European level (European Disability Forum) is:
Consiglio Nazionale sulla Disabilità (CND) is the independent national council representing disabled people and their families, founded in 1995, currently with 36 member organisations covering a wide range of interests. It promotes knowledge and application of national and international instruments concerning disability, and seeks to influence various institutions and bodies.

Useful sources of more detailed information about the situation of disabled people, and the policies and support available, include:
Provider of statistical data on people with disability being part of the project ‘information system of statistics on disability' promoted by the Ministry of social solidarity and carried out by ISTAT.