ICT for accessibility

Recycling of computers for elderly people centres started in 2005 as an accompaniment to the digital literacy project Nonni su Internet (“Grandparents on the Internet”). The initiative was successfully launched during a public event with the participation of radical comedian Beppe Grillo and 1200 students from different schools of Rome. Beppe Grillo agreed to be the sponsor and supporter of the recycling campaign that received wide promotion in the press and radio as well as with a public poster campaign donated by the Municipality. The aim of the campaign was to equip with at least two/three computers each one of the 135 elderly people centres of Rome.

Street Poster for PC Recycling Campaign Supported by Beppe Grillo

The donation of computers has reached 550 with a potential 900 more to arrive soon from Poste Italiane. This comfortably allows the Foundation to fulfil the target number of computers per centre in the city of Rome. It also allows for an expansion of computer access to elderly people centres beyond the confines of Rome, to the Lazio Region where about 600 elderly people centres exist. The Foundation is promoting a project that will make possible this expansion.

The donated computers come from a variety of private and public sector organizations and also private citizens. The organizations include Poste Italiane (the largest donor so far), Engineering, Acea, Municipality of Rome, Consiglio Superiore della Magistratura, and private lawyer offices. The Table shows the number of computers donated per organization so far.

Prior to delivery to the elderly people centres, the computers need cleaning up and loading of new software. Roman schools perform this work and also provide the storage space for the computers. The schools involved so far are: I.T.I.S. “G. Armellini,” I.T.I.S. “B. Pascal,” I.T.I.S. “E. Fermi,” I.T.I.S. “A. Pacinotti,” I.T.C. “P. Calamandrei,” I.T.I.S. “H. Hertz,” L.S.S. “B. Russell,” S.M.S “P. Stefanelli.” These schools have regenerated over170 computers that have been distributed to 68 elderly people centres already. It is worth stressing that to facilitate the work of schools the donated computers must be fully working and have all cables with it. In fact, from now onwards, all computers also have to be equipped with CD reader. 

The donors of the computers also take care of the transport costs to the schools and elderly people centres. Microsoft has agreed the use of its operating system software and Word for a reduced fee since the Foundation is a certified MAR Center – Microsoft Authorised Refurbisher. The use of Open Source Software at no cost is also available.