The headquarters of the Italian Union of the Blind and Visually Impaired, located on Via del Platano in Cagliari, stands on land donated by a private benefactor for the construction of a building that was originally used as a “Workshop for the Adult Blind.” Thanks to the resourcefulness of then Cagliari UIC Provincial President Giuseppe Scano, a number of building contractors, the then Cagliari municipal administration and other benefactors contributed free of charge to the construction of the building. Originally, the three-story building consisted of the basement floor where there were large pots used for soaking wicker, rush and other materials for making various objects; bookbinding activities were also carried out here. On the ground floor, soaked materials were processed, and the second floor housed the kitchen, mess hall and living quarters, some of which were also accommodated on the second floor, considering that the building housed the blind craftsmen engaged in the activities described above. Today, the building houses: the Antonino di Dino Multimedia Library, which includes about two thousand volumes in braille and works in black on audio devices; the Paolo Bentivoglio Conference Hall, which includes about 160 seats and hosts conferences, temporary exhibitions, and other similar events; and the Typhlodidactic Counseling Center, which includes a permanent exhibition of typhlodidactic materials, an indispensable aid for blind and visually impaired students, their families, and curricular and support teachers. Also housed in the building are: the headquarters of the Italian National Union of Volunteers for the Blind provincial section of Cagliari; a gymnasium open to the sighted and the blind; the offices of the Association of both the Regional Council and the provincial section of the UICI; a computer room; and rooms that house qualification, retraining courses for the blind and for sighted and blind tifloinformatics operators.
Menu
