ITALIAN ASSOCIATION for the BLIND and VISUALLY IMPAIRED
The Regional Committee has also, obviously, engaged in all necessary battles to solve as many issues as possible on behalf of the blind on a regional level. The Committee was established in 1974 and headed by the very valuable Dr. Tullia Bresin until November 1989. Currently it is headed by prof. Silvano Pagura.
However, the Italian Association for the Blind has begun working in Friuli Venezia Giulia already in 1921 in Udine. In fact, Trieste, at the beginning, depended on Udine, until April 11th 1926 when the Trieste branch was established as an Association’s subsection thanks to prof. De Giampaolis. He summoned some twenty members of the Association, living in Trieste, to a meeting, during which they implemented the new branch’s program and carried on with officers’ election. The architect Luigi Ronzato was appointed Trustee. This way, the blind and visually impaired living in Trieste officially joined the Association’s big family.
The new branch had its offices in an elementary school room on via Rismondo. The Municipality provided the offices at no charge and they became gathering place as well. The membership fee was 5 Lire. After several changes in management, in 1934, the National Board’s President, Dr. Aurelio Nicolodi, declared/proclaimed the subsection and official branch which began its work in January 1935 named “of Venezia Giulia Orientale” and had jurisdiction over Trieste, Pola, Zara and Fiume.
It was headed by commissioner knight Alberto Gobbi who stayed in charge until August 1945, when the first provincial Assembly elected the architect Luigi Ronzato as president who ran the branch, named “Venezia Giulia”, until 1968, when he was replaced by attorney Roberto Kervin, who later became President of the National Board. In the early Thirties, the provincial branch moved its offices to Galleria Tergesteo and later Piazza della Borsa. The first owned headquarters were on Via Canal Piccolo and it was only when attorney Roberto Kervin became president that the branch moved its premises into the current location on via Battisti 2.
The following wealthy families from Trieste helped the provincial branch to operate thanks to their generous donations: Princess di Torre e Tasso, the Schmidt Veneziani family, the Stock family, the Castel Bolognesi Tedeschi family and gentlemen Giorgio Pitacco, Guglielmino Economo, Ugo Cappelletti, prof. Dr. Escher Carlo, Monsignor Don Alfredo Bottizer of the American Caritas. However, we must not forget public support, even donations from lower classes.
Furthermore, on the Day of the Blind People, Association’s supporters used to arrange a fundraiser. The money raised represented 50% of resources. The support provided by the Regional Committee consisted mainly in the distribution of core supplies and a 2.000 Lire allowance which was doubled later on. Members’ financial situation was sometimes so poor that they would have to wait for the allowance in order to pay the social fee. We mention this only to point out that the associative spirit was very strong during those harsh years.
Italian Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired – Regional Committee of Friuli Venezia Giulia
Address: Via V. Bellini n. 2/B.a., 34170, Gorizia
Phone: +39 0481 535494
Fax: +39 0481 535494
E-mail: uicgo@uiciechi.it