Silvia Stoyanova has launched a petition on change.org, signed by more than 33,000 people in less than three weeks, to get organisers to set up a further ramp to enable wheelchair access for the July 13 and 14, 2024 event.
She said she was “hopeful” because of “the precedent of a girl who fought to get a second ramp for the disabled at the arena in Verona”.
“... unfortunately many people don’t know how it works for the disabled here in Italy,” Stoyanova says on her change.org page.
“In America, Japan and other European countries, this is not the same and there is more organisation.
“For example, in America, disabled people have the right to buy a ticket in wheelchair-accessible areas that they choose and be able to enjoy the show together with their friends and families.”
Stoyanova says up until the 2000s, seats reserved for the disabled were those in the front row, right in front of the stage, which was also considered one of the safest areas because of the presence of security guards, volunteers, and safety exits provided for the artists and musicians.
From the 2000s onwards, however, disabled people have been placed at the back of halls and stadiums, further and further away from the stages, “and in some cases (mainly at open-air concerts) positioned right next to the portable toilets, which under the scorching sun make the air unbreathable”.
In other cases, she says, people in wheelchairs are placed on stages where the barriers are right at eye level, preventing them from having a reasonable view.
She says “this is happening because the front row seats that used to be ours are now being sold as VIP packages at exorbitant prices.”
To sign the petition, click here.
ANSA
