Disability identifies, in addition to a personal condition, an environmental and social barrier that makes inclusion more difficult. This is even more true in the case of minors, especially those in fragile conditions, socio-economic poverty and social marginalisation. It’s precisely children and young people with complex disabilities that the project we support, “Growing Together”, focuses on. Thanks to our contribution the Centro Benedetta D’Intino Onlus (CBDI) Association will be able to use the Augmentative Alternative Communication tools and techniques to help remove or reduce both physical and cultural barriers. Services will focus mainly on verbal and physical communication such as facial expressions, voice or writing, to cultivate these important communicative interactions that, if neglected, will lead to deterioration of the child's cognitive and communicative development. The Growing Together project also pays attention to siblings of children with disabilities. This is because their role in the family isn’t always easy to sustain: less attention, many doubts, questions about the future, the perceived distance between themselves and peers who don’t have a sibling with a disability. A complexity of emotions and thoughts that can be dealt with more serenely together with experts and in contact with other siblings going through the same experiences. This is also one of the key points of Centro Benedetta D'Intino Onlus's (CBDI) mission, the association founded in Milan in 1994 that welcomes around 400 children a year into its centre and residence to respond to their different psychological problems and disabilities, either more or less severe, while also hosting families free of charge on request. CBDI has been the first centre in Italy to host a Training School in Alternative Augmentative Communication, to inaugurate a Special Library for children with disabilities in Milan and, since 2003, is the Territorial Pole of Child Neuropsychiatry and is composed of a team of professionals with specific training and long experience in the treatment of children with psychological problems and disabilities. Details City: Milan Association: Centro Benedetta D'Intino Onlus Beneficiaries: 24 children, 55 parents, 30 educators, 15 siblings Contribution: up to €90.000,00 Duration: January 2023 - December 2023
