Giovanna Spantigati

I have a child who is disabled. He was born in 1991. Premature, neuromotor delay, deafness and difficulty with his eyesight. I have always struggled to have his rights respected. When disability will not be feared and seen as a threat, our society will move ahead forward civilization.

This is why I became journalist. I have a child who is disabled. He was born in 1991. Premature, neuromotor delay, deafness and difficulty with his eyesight. I have always struggled to have his rights respected. When disability will not be feared and seen as a threat, our society will move ahead forward civilization.
This is why I became journalist. Disability is not a "minus habens", but another aspect of life. Like Alice in wonderland, I have opened a small door in a mysterious tree, the tree of life, and I understood the meaning of life itself. A different perspective helped me to understand that nothing happens by chance and that life can be much more simple and wonderful if we learn to see its wonder. My son has been my strength. Yet sometimes my strength waves and life can be very difficult. I know that a support, a right word, a smile by someone who can understand, are the best medicine. I am here to share my experiences, hoping this can be of help.
What I missed, especially the first moments I started facing disability, has been right information. A reference point. Through my continuous involvement as a journalist I always search for information and updates and thanks to a network of friends and acquaintances I manage to have as much information as possible.