The right words for dealing with disability

The "International Day of Persons with Disabilities" is celebrated on 3 December with the aim of raising awareness towards the understanding of the problems related to disability and the commitment to ensure their dignity, rights and well-being.
Among the many initiatives realised on this day, Intesa Sanpaolo publishes the EduBox "Una persona è una persona - Le parole giuste per parlare di disabilità" (A person is a person - the right words to talk about disability) realised in collaboration with Smemolab with the aim of contributing to raise awareness among secondary school students on the language of disability and to provide teachers with a useful manual to spread awareness in the classroom.

Words give body to our thoughts, they are capable of generating prejudices, but if used in the right way they can also extinguish them. When talking about disability, the choice of the right words is fundamental in order to have a correct and respectful language that underlines the value of the person regardless of his or her condition. Starting from these certainties, we think it is necessary to involve even the youngest in a reflection on the right vocabulary. Young people are in fact, in their daily lives, already accustomed to adapting words and new definitions to the context in which they move or to the interlocutor with whom they converse.
Providing cues for developing disability awareness can initiate an innovative and creative evolution of their language.  

The Glossary "Le parole giuste – Media e persone con disabilità - The right words - Media and persons with disabilities " was created by Intesa Sanpaolo's Media and Associations Relations unit in collaboration with Anffas  (Association of Families and People with Intellectual Disabilities and Neurodevelopmental Disorders) and the National Observatory on the Condition of People with Disabilities of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, which has given this project the authoritative governmental seal of approval. The Glossary "The right words - Media and persons with disabilities" - freely adapted from the Disability Language Style Guide prepared by the National Center on Disability and Journalism of Arizona State University (USA) - is a collection of guidelines and useful elements for finding more suitable terminology to refer to people with disabilities, generating awareness on the use of a correct, respectful and inclusive language.

SmemoLab, a social enterprise, with which we have been collaborating for some time, has accompanied us in the creation of an editorial format - called EduBox for its educational purpose - which intends to involve and intrigue young high school students on the theme of the language of disability. In fact, EduBox "A person is a person - The right words to talk about disability" offers the contents of the glossary from which it originates in a simple and interactive way. The notebook is part of the DentroTutti project, the positive thinking network created by SmemoLab.

The EduBox, after the introduction by Stefano Lucchini, Chief Institutional Affairs and External Communication Officer, Intesa Sanpaolo and Roberto Speziale, National President of Anffas, proposes in sequence: the basic rules; the international conventions that collect specific rights for people with disabilities; the international conventions that collect specific rights for people with disabilities; concepts and keywords; the library, filmography and music. In all sections, there are links to in-depth pages and allow you to download the complete glossary, or listen to the Intesa Sanpaolo podcast.

To promote the new EduBox "A person is a - The right words to talk about disability" a webinar was held on 15 December in which speakers included: 

• - Roberto Di Giovan Paolo, President of SmemoLab will present the DentroTutti Project and the EduBox
• - Elisa Ferrio, Media and Associations Relations of Intesa Sanpaolo will talk about the Glossary "The right words to deal with disability"
• - Roberto Speziale, National President of ANFFAS will offer food for thought on the theme "Disability, non-discrimination also passes through the right words"
• - Ilaria Galbusera, Captain of the Italian deaf volleyball team, Disability Management WG and Intesa Sanpaolo Social Initiatives will testify that "The right words are a team game" 
• - Giuliano Bianucci, Direttore DentroTutti will introduce l’EduBox “Una persona è una persona – Le parole giuste per confrontarsi con la disabilità

Replay the webinar