“An inclusive world is a better world,” Carmelo Comisi, the founder of the event, said. “Italian culture has to be changed.”According to a 2017 report by Istat, the national statistics agency, there are about 3.2 million disabled people in Italy, most over age 65. Of those under 65, about half do not receive public assistance, and rely entirely on family members, the report said. Vito D’Aloisio, the president of a Florence-based association for disabled people, was at the parade on an electric wheelchair that he was given through the Tuscan health services. Tuscany, he said, is far more responsive to the needs of people with mobility issues than many other regions.

Source: New York Times July 14, 2019 22:18 UTC