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Information relayed by Forum Italiano sulla Disabilità (FID) / the Italian Disability Forum

Action

• Online support helpdesk for Italian families with people on the Autism spectrum – Fondazione Oltre II Labirinto Onlus

Information

• National email service for deaf people: 1500coronavirus@sanita.it
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on persons with disabilities – Health Department

• Italian sign language videos – Civil Protection Department

Requests to the government

• Support for families to enable to them to give care at home throughout lockdown
• Issue a specific Decree on disability
• Financial support for residential services to sustain this emergency including overtime hours, suspension of holidays and leave, mass purchase of tools and aids to prevent contagion
• Support activities for service user who do not understand the e,ergency and are unable to cope with the new restrictions

Statement

• “Massacre of the Innocents” on the lack of testing and treatment of persons with disabilities and older people – Italian organisations)

​Information relayed by Fundamental Rights Agency (May 2020):

• School directors are requested to ensure remote teaching and to carefully consider the needs of students with disabilities.
• The Law-Decree No. 22 of 8 April 2020 on “Urgent measures to ensure the conclusion of the school year, the beginning of the new school year and on final exams”21 was passed. The Law-Decree allowed the adoption of specific Ordinances of the Ministry of Education ruling the following crucial issues: guidelines for the evaluation of the performance of the students; the conclusion of the schoolyear; the final exams and how to perform them using digital devices; the measures to start the next school-year in September and the possibility to fill any education gap caused by the emergency. Art. 1.5 specifically stresses that these Ordinances must carefully consider the needs of students with disabilities or any other specific education necessities. Art. 2.3 recalled the necessity for all teachers to ensure the continuity of teaching using remote on-line platforms and any other available technological devices. The Law-Decree is immediately effective, but it needs to be converted by the Italian Parliament within 60 days.