Angelo Catanzaro, head of the disability office of the Uil of Ivrea suffering from spastic paralysis, will travel almost 600 kilometers on three wheels to give visibility to the UN Convention to protect people with disabilities, non-self-sufficient elderly people and caregivers. "The limits can be faced, but above all we must break down the barriers that still prevent many people from living their lives fully," he told Sky TG24
Almost 600 kilometers in eight days, pedaling with a tricycle, from Ivrea to the European Parliament in Strasbourg. This is the new challenge of Angelo Catanzaro, activist of Uil Pensionati Piemonte and head of the Uil disability office in Ivrea, suffering from spastic paralysis, leaving for the second edition of "Oltre i Limiti". The goal? "I want to bring the voice of people with disabilities, non-self-sufficient elderly people and caregivers directly to the European institutions," Catanzaro told Sky TG24. In fact, European parliamentarians will be given a document containing the priorities developed by the Disability Office of the Uil of Ivrea to ensure that the rights enshrined in the UN Convention on people with disabilities do not remain just on paper.
The goal of the tricycle trip to Strasbourg
The initiative, promoted by Uil Pensionati Piemonte and the Uil Chamber of Trade Unions of Ivrea and Canavese, with the support of Ada Piemonte, was born with the aim of transforming a sporting and personal trip into a concrete opportunity for listening, raising awareness and making proposals. "The tricycle is also a symbol: it shows that limits can be faced - explained Angelo Catanzaro - but above all that we must break down the barriers that still prevent many people from living their lives fully. After the 800 kilometers traveled in 2025 from Turin to Rome, I decided to go even further and get to Strasbourg, to the European Parliament". "The UN Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities and the principle of self-determination must become reality", is the request of the activist, who highlights how "today those principles too often remain on paper". "With this journey we want to help transform them into concretely enforceable rights and real opportunities for participation", he added.
The "limits" to overcome and work inclusion
For Angelo Catanzaro the challenge also has a strong personal dimension. After the first edition of "Oltre i Limiti", in 2025, the physical consequences of the trip forced him to spend two months in a wheelchair. But when asked what the limits to overcome are today, the activist specified that they are not just physical obstacles. "There are still many cultural, social, work and organizational barriers. We must overcome - he clarified - the idea that a person with a disability should have less possibility to choose, work, move or live independently. For me, accessibility means above all freedom: being able to go where you want, work, have relationships, participate in the life of your community without constantly depending on others". Catanzaro then specified that, regarding for example the employment sector, the problem "is not just finding a job, but being able to keep it and have the same opportunities as others". "Too often, workplace inclusion is limited to the formal compliance with an obligation. Instead - is the recipe of the head of the disability office of the Uil of Ivrea - we need truly inclusive environments, adequate tools and above all a cultural change. Work means economic autonomy, dignity and independence. It must be considered a right, not simply a fulfillment".
The document to be delivered to the European Parliament
Speaking about the document that will be delivered to the European Parliament, Angelo Catanzaro explained that it was "built starting from the experiences of people with disabilities and their families". The text asks for: greater attention to self-determination, the right to choose one's own life plan, personal autonomy, assistance, mobility, accessibility and work inclusion. This is precisely the meaning of the initiative also underlined by Luca Cortese, general secretary of the UIL Chamber of Trade Unions of Ivrea and Canavese: starting from the territory, from the experiences and concrete needs of people, to transform them into proposals to be brought to the European institutions. "And above all we ask that the UN Convention be applied concretely, because too often there is still a great distance between the recognition of a right and the real possibility of exercising it", repeated the activist. The initiative also involves non-self-sufficient elderly people and caregivers because "for them too the key words are autonomy, assistance and dignity". "Non-self-sufficient elderly people must be able to count on adequate services and assistance that allows them to live as independently as possible. And caregivers cannot be left alone: anyone who takes care of a fragile person on a daily basis needs concrete support, services and protection", are the words of Catanzaro. A concept also reiterated by Franco Lo Grasso, secretary of Uil Pensionati Piemonte, who underlines how "autonomy, assistance, dignity and social participation" must "be guaranteed at every age", for this reason "bringing these issues to a European level means giving a voice to thousands of people and their families", because "rights must be recognized and concretely guaranteed, without differences and without barriers".
Angelo Catanzaro's tricycle journey
Angelo Catanzaro's journey begins on September 8th at 10:00, in Piazza Vittorio Emanuele I, in front of the town hall of Ivrea. Also present at the start was the general secretary of Uil Pensioners Carmelo Barbagallo. The activist is expected to arrive in Strasbourg on Wednesday 16 September around 3.30pm. Supporting Catanzaro in the ride is a small delegation made up of Davide Pistarino, a young man with Asperger's syndrome, Livio Tesio, former director of the Welfare Directorate of the Piedmont Region, and Adolfo Granito, spokesperson for Ada Piemonte and UilP manager of Turin. The objective of the tricycle mission is to meet some representatives of the European Parliament and give them a document containing the priorities developed by the Disability Office of the Uil of Ivrea, together with the requests collected from people with disabilities and their families. Meetings with MEPs Stefano Bonaccini, Alessandra Moretti and Brando Benifei are also planned, as well as a final conference with representatives of the European institutions and civil society.
