In bar and restaurant

I choose!Malta, 21 October 2016

Dear colleagues,

I’m very excited to know that my project has come up to you.I work in a local association of Fipe in Bergamo and I am the mom of a child with a rare disease, called Angelman Syndrome. Because of this disease, my daughter Emma cannot speak.

Emma and the other children with autism and these kind of cognitive problems use to communicate a language in symbols called “Augmentative and Alternative Communication”. They can communicate with those who don’t know only through their parents or carers and with the support of a book or a digital communicator.Once I thought it would be nice to find our symbols in bars and restaurants.

In this way the children could make their orders to the waiters without any help, indicating the symbol of what they want.I explained my idea to my family association, Associazione Angelman, and to the Ceo of Fipe-Bergamo and in two months we created a placemat in symbols that was spread in 50 bars and restaurants of Bergamo!Now, thanks to Fipe and to all of you, the project could reach several places and many children.

As a Mom I would convey to you our emotion when we find our placemat in symbols in a café. Propose the paper placemat to a customer who needs it is a simple gesture but it has a great impact. It means attention, acceptance and welcome in the full sense of the term. Unfortunately, autism spectrum disorders are constantly growing.

Please, help us to spread this placemat in symbols as much as possible.

Thank you!

Roberta Martinelli

Disability overview: worldwide and Italy

One billion people, or 15% of the world’s population, experience some form of disability, and disability prevalence is higher for developing countries (World Report on Disability)

About 8 milion people in Italy experience some form of disability (European Network for Accessible Tourism)

Angelman syndrome is a rare genetic disorder that manifests itself in Children a few months after birth (onset usually < 3 years of age) and that involves various kinds of disabilities:

Developmental delaySpeech impairment, no or minimal use of wordsMovement or balance disorder

The sick, about one child out of 12 thousand, do not speak, they suffer from frequent epileptic crises and suffer from severe motor problems and cognitive.

Angelman syndrome

Placemat

Next steps at national levelFIPE appreciated this local initiative of great social value and decided to implement it, making it accessible even to those who do not know the Italian language, such as worldwide tourists, and to proceed to its spread throughout the national territory

Placemat for tourists It contains, in addition to the images, the English translation of the dishes and drinks

Next steps at national levelThe project consists of the spreading of these placemats to all local association of Fipe and to involve local bars and restaurants, with the aim to present this initiative to the Italian Ministry of Health.

Many local associations from the north to the south of Italy appreciated this initiative and they are spreading the placemats to their members (Lombardia, Sicilia, Lazio (Roma), Puglia, Emilia-Romagna, etc.). Also canteens, local health boards and other regional Institutions appreciated the initiative.

We are working to spread more and more this project.

Thank you for your attention