On a catamaran to break down the barriers
Andrea Stella lives in a wheelchair but has returned to sailing
A catamaran to break down barriers with a “special” helmsman at the controls: Andrea Stella, confined to a wheelchair after an accident 21 years ago in the United States. In August 2000 Andrea Stella, twenty-four years old from Thiene (VI) on vacation in Miami, is involved in an inexplicable shooting that causes him irreversible damage. Lover of boating, Andrea dreams of going back to sailing and so he builds a catamaran that can also be used by a disabled person.
The results obtained show that, in the design of objects and places, attention to the needs of people with mobility difficulties represents a strength and not a weakness.
- Andrea, with your “Spirito di Stella” you made the “Giro d'Italia solidarity” which also involved Cagliari.
“We were guests of the Navy in the dock of the Cagliari port. From Cagliari comes a new strong message of my WoW project - Wheels On Waves protagonist along the Italian coasts, standard-bearer of the sea and inclusion ".
- What does the initiative consist of?
“The WoW project, conceived and promoted by the“ Lo Spirito di Stella ”Association, since 2017 allows people of different cultures and abilities to live the unique and unforgettable experience of going out to sea on a sailing boat. The mission: to demonstrate that architectural barriers can be broken down. The goal: to launch the appeal to respect the values enshrined in the UN Convention for the rights of people with disabilities. For those who participated in the first four editions, "WoW" represented a large "inclusive family" with which each member of the crew learned to value their diversity. And this is the spirit in which the new edition is also taking place ”.
- The target?
“WoW aims to explain, (in) train and disseminate the 7 principles of #UniversalDesign, associating them with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The term, introduced in 1985 by the American architect Ronald M. Mace of North Carolina State University, indicates an ideal design methodology for artificial products and environments, such that they are pleasant and usable by all, regardless of their age, ability and / or social status. The seven points (fairness, flexibility, simplicity, perceptibility, tolerance for error, containment of physical effort, sufficient measures and spaces) will be reinterpreted, in the WoW routine, in ethical rules to be observed during life on board, in compliance with the needs. collective ".
- What is the route of the catamaran?
“Nine ports have already been touched or will be visited for 34 days of outings reserved for associations and families. After Cagliari the catamaran headed for Gaeta. The final appointment is scheduled in Brindisi from 15 to 17 October. The departure of Lo Spirito di Stella took place from Venice, an evocative place for the catamaran, 18 meters long, which set sail from inside the Navy Arsenal for its first Atlantic adventure on 14 July 2003. A combination that in the occasion, in conjunction with the Boat Show, was reinforced by the visit on board the Chief of Staff of the Navy, the team admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone ”.
- Disability must not limit freedom.
“The goal of WoW 2021 is precisely to demonstrate, concretely, how disability should not be related to the idea of imprisonment, but that it can instead be a life opportunity. The activities on board are completely free: a special crew will be on board at each trip, made up of people with disabilities and their companions able to cooperate in running the boat and to "tell" the adventure by highlighting their personal characteristics. The crew is welcomed aboard Lo Spirito di Stella and briefed on the rules on board, then roles are assigned, navigation fundamentals are illustrated ”.
