“Good morning Sardinia” in braille. The author, the publisher of L'Unione Sarda Sergio Zuncheddu, receives the first copy made with tactile writing. It is a gift from students and teachers of the "Maurizio Falqui" Institute for the Blind, the Cagliari school, founded in the early twentieth century, which has improved and continues to improve the living conditions of generations of visually impaired people. The unscheduled event opened the meeting with the writer-entrepreneur, moderated by Ambra Pintore, in the “Maria Lai” room, an integral part of the building that hosts the educational activities of the training center and which welcomed a very large audience.

«Now all visually impaired people», underlined the host Maurizio Porcelli, commissioner of the Institute for the Blind, «will be able to read the volume that will be available in our library. In this case there is also the audiobook, which offers our students the opportunity to learn about the contents of the work." The braille book is the result of the work of a close-knit team of teachers, educators, psychologists and computer scientists at the school. It includes Eleonora Meloni, Maria Grazia Agus, Elisabetta Sannia, Giovanna Corraine, Edoardo Pirisi. Energy in motion for this and other noble causes. All this is useful for breaking down barriers and allowing those who are blind to study and achieve the goals of diploma and degree. The Institute, whose headquarters are in via Nicolodi, in front of the Roman Amphitheatre, is a facility, open from Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm, which ensures free services for the visually impaired.

The team

«The transformation of books into Braille», explained Eleonora Meloni, representing the team, «is a service that we have always guaranteed. We pay particular attention to the works of Sardinian publishing. It took us a month to convert “Buongiorno SarDegna” into Braille. We scanned the book page by page and then, through our software, it was adapted to the needs of the blind. We also took care of the printing and binding. It is now available to anyone who is interested in reading it. So far we have printed six copies but we are ready to move forward. With the transformation into Braille the work is more voluminous. Each page of the original corresponds to six pages of braille." Mariangela Argiolas, a student at the institute for the blind for 14 years, delivered the gift to Sergio Zuncheddu. «I owe everything to this school. Here", said Argiolas, "I had the opportunity to give a well-defined direction to my life thanks to education and culture". The young Nicolas Porcu instead showed him how the tactile reading and writing system in relief for the blind and partially sighted, developed by the Frenchman Louis Braille, works. The publisher of Unione Sarda, in presenting his book in a place dedicated to education, underlined, in the dialogue with Ambra Pintore, the value of training. «Study and knowledge», said Sergio Zuncheddu, «allow all young Sardinians to indulge their desires and vocations, realize dreams and projects and contribute to the development of their land. The Island needs fresh forces to make concrete the idea of a different development less conditioned by dependence on the Continent. There is extraordinary potential to be exploited."

The Island of the future

According to Maurizio Porcelli, «in the work there is the Sardinia that we imagine, stronger and more aware of its possibilities. There is the Island that we would like without forgetting the past, but aware of the fact that we need to change course." There was also a musical prologue with Angelica Nioi, a blind singer-songwriter who presents her repertoire with great intensity. Graduated from the Conservatory, she teaches at the Institute for the Blind. She likes jazz. He says with a smile: «Thanks to music I have broken down all barriers».

Massimiliano Rais

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