Italians from around the country paraded through Rome’s ruins and its most prominent shopping street on Sunday in a loud and lively celebration of people with disabilities, a group that remains largely unseen in the country. “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.