In Italy it is estimated that over 2 million people They convinced with a visual disability, and it is a fact that seems destined to increase in the coming years.
The phenomenon is strictly connected to the ongoing demographic changes: the increase in life expectancy, combined with the aging of the population, led to the growth of pathologies related to sightlike senile macular degeneration, glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy.
According to the World Health Organization, more than 80% of cases of hypovision or blindness It affects people over 50and over 18% of Italians over 15 years of age reports more or less serious visual difficulties.
Visual disability represents not only a health condition, but also a question social, employment and economic: those who do not see or see little have in fact greater probability of living in conditions of exclusion, with less participation in the world of work, difficulty in accessing services and strongly limited daily mobility.
Statistics indicate that only 32.5% of people with disabilities It is occupied, and the percentage goes further among those who have sensory disabilities such as blindness.
To all this is added a structural difficulty of the Italian system in offering visual rehabilitation paths capillaries and efficient. The network of public centers and affiliated is limited, often concentrated in large urban centers, and the timing to obtain diagnoses and supports can be long.
In the absence of a homogeneous and accessible infrastructure, they are the low impact and high -effective technological solutions to play an increasingly relevant role. Advanced assistance technologies, if made available and sustainable, can represent a turning point for the quality of life of blind or visually impaired people.
Tools and bonuses for those who face visual disability
In the Italian context, the Support policies for people with visual disabilities They concretize, in part, through a series of tax breaks, deductions and contributions designed to reduce the gap in accessing assistance technologies, home and working life.
These are tools made available by consolidated rules (such as Law 104/1992) and by measures introduced or enhanced with the Budget Law 2025, designed for accompany autonomy and active participation in society.
Among the main measures, the possibility of obtaining an Irpef deduction of 19% stands out for the purchase of technical and IT subsidies: a category that includes, in addition to software and digital devices, also tools for mobilitylike electronic aids.
To benefit from the deduction, the aid must be functional to improve the autonomy of the disabled subject and that is accompanied by medical certification that attests to its need.
Another relevant measure is 4%subsidized VAT, applicable on purchases of aids intended for people with disabilities, including mobile devices, tools for reading, communication and locomotion. It is an important imprisonment that makes these tools more accessible even in the absence of direct contributions.
To these are added the architectural barriers bonus, which allows a tax deduction of up to 75% for structural interventions aimed at make the housing spaces more accessibleand the concessions provided for by law 104, including working permits, extraordinary leave for caregivercontributions for personal assistance and facilities for the purchase of adapted vehicles.
In many cases, these incentives can be combined, allowing final families and users of reduce the costs related to the purchase of devices such as ultracanethe electronic stick for the blind distributed in Italy by a broker specialized in the pharmaceutical and health sector.
When innovation meets the need
Ultracane is the result of a European project born in the United Kingdom and today also distributed in Italywhere he is progressively winning attention to his unique characteristics.
It is an advanced technological aid designed for return autonomy, security and trust To blind and visually impaired people, integrating an intelligent obstacle detection system based on ultrasound with narrow beam.
This type of technology, used for the first time in an electronic stick, allows a three -dimensional reading of the environmentnoting obstacles not only along the way but also at the height of the chest and face, usually more exposed areas during walking.
Its effectiveness arises from the integration between a sophisticated hardware e An extremely intuitive tactile interface: Two small vibrant actuators in contact with the palm of the user’s hand, which transmit immediate feedback on the direction (right or left) and on the distance of the obstacle.
The greater the frequency of the vibration, the closer the object. This system, totally silent and non -invasiveallows the user to move while maintaining full use of hearing, one of the main senses for the orientation of blind people.
One of the most interesting functions of ultracane is its ability to Promote the formation of a dynamic mental map. At each signal received, the user updates his own space scheme, developing a precise representation of the surrounding environment.
This translates into one Greater promptness in decisionsin a lower cognitive load and in a general sensation of safety. In many cases, those who started using Ultracane have reported a significant increase in their autonomy, not only in the usual journeys, but also in the exploration of new environments.
From a technical point of view, Ultracane is designed to be resistant, ergonomic and lasting. The light fiber structure makes it easy to handle and comfortable to transport.
The device is powered by Two AA batterieswhich guarantee autonomy up to three months in case of regular daily use. A design choice that eliminates the need for frequent recharges and makes the stick immediately operationaleven in the absence of power outlets or connections. In addition, the ease of availability of batteries allows the user to replace them independently, without difficulty.
Unlike other aids, ultracane does not propose itself as an experimental or hyper -technological tool reserved for a few: it is A concrete device, validated by years of field testsdesigned to adapt to the daily reality of blind and partial people. This is also why Ultracane has been distributed in over 28 countries And he has received numerous international awards as a virtuous example of inclusive technology.
The support of Lions and sport as an inclusion tool
To make the spread of ultracane in Italy possible was not only the intervention of the private sector or the availability of tax breaks. One of the decisive factors was the direct, continuous and structured support of Lions Clubs Internationalone of the largest humanitarian organizations in the world, has been active for over a century in promoting social inclusion and access to educational tools for blind or visually impaired people through Leotheir youth structure.
The project took shape in Italy in 2010, when the Lions Club Verona Cangrande organized the First national course on the use of the electronic stickinvolving a French trainer and two blind users. On that occasion, the first two Italian instructors were also formed for the use of the device.
The initiative marked the beginning of a territorial network that in the following years involved other clubs throughout the country, including Udine Agorà, Trento, Brescia and Lugano, leading to Free distribution of numerous devices to people with visual disabilities.
The contribution of the Lions did not stop at the purchase and donation of ultracane: each delivery was in fact supported by an individualized learning pathin which the user is formed to use the device, helped by expert volunteers and supported in the construction of their autonomy.
An approach that has allowed many blind or visually impaired people of overcome the initial distrust of technologyexperimenting in a short time concrete benefits in everyday life.
In parallel, the Lions have always recognized in sport an essential vehicle for the inclusion and enhancement of differences. For years the organization supports Sports associations and athletes with visual disabilitiespromoting Paralympic disciplines such as showdown, TorballJudo, athletics, swimming and 5 -a -side football for blind.
These projects have not only a competitive purpose: they aim to Building relational and motivational environments in which personal autonomy can be developed and strengthened. Sport, in this sense, becomes an extension of mobility and self -determination.
Many Lions clubs have started collaborations with schools, youth centers, universities and territorial sections of the Italian and partially sighted Italian Union, promoting school integration, digital training and access to educational subsidies. Initiatives as “to see beyond” or “all by the sea” have shown how inclusion also passes from small gestures and from the shared daily experiences.
The message that Lions carry on, also through support for projects like ultracane, is simple but profound: technology alone is not enough, if it is not inserted in a social fabric capable of welcoming it, promoting and accompanying it.
And thanks to this vision – concrete, participatory, rooted in the territory – thousands of people have been able to improve one’s quality of life and regain spaces of autonomy, relationship and movement.
Technology for autonomy: a possible choice
The integration between technology, social vision and virtuous territorial networks is today one of the most effective models to face the challenges related to disability. Ultracan, the stick for the blind, shows that it is possible to design an advanced technological aid and, at the same time, accessible, human, effective. So let’s not talk about a simple gadget, but about a street companion who really improves the quality of life.
In a country where urban mobility is complex also for those who see, and access to personalized solutions is still difficult, have intelligent tools can make a difference.
