03 December 2019
Today is a special date.
On 3 December, we celebrate the International Day of People with Disabilities, established by the General Assembly of the UN, in order to promote awareness and the search for solutions to all those problems related to inclusion in society. This year, the theme chosen by the UN is linked to the promotion of participation and empowerment of people with disabilities. It’s a theme to which Juventus is close to and sensitive about, and we reaffirm this, year after year, with a path taken on concrete projects.
Disability is not a limit, but only one of the characteristics of the human condition. The whole Juventus for Special project, based on Juventus Goals' programs, is based on this fundamental principle to encourage the inclusion of people with cognitive relational disabilities through sports. It’s an activity, that has seen Juventus involved in the "Fourth Category" tournament for two seasons already, and it is one which brings great satisfaction, inside and outside the playing field.
Juventus For Special is also in schools, thanks to the educational project Juventus For Special @ School, which, in the 2018/2019 school year, involved more than 2 000 students of any order and grade - elementary, middle and high school - in participatory lessons divided into two phases. The first phase was experiential, through the reproduction and simulation of three different types of disabilities in the gym. This activity was created and coordinated by the athletes of the Special teams, who had the objective of making the kids feel the sensations of football that an athlete with a disability tries playing with.
The second phase, on the other hand, was a comparison through a path made up of testimonies and stories by the athletes and staff of Juventus for Special and aims to share and normalize their experience by breaking up the prejudices related to disability.
It isn’t over yet: last summer saw the end of the first phase of a long but ambitious course for the Club. "Hackability @ Juventus" is the initiative that has involved various co-design teams with the aim of bringing together designers, makers and people with disabilities to make the Allianz Stadium and the Juventus experience, in general, an even more inclusive experience, by developing original and effective solutions with particular reference to ticketing, mobility, accessibility and fan experience.
