On December 12, 2024, PRISM in collaboration with the Regional Centre for Design and Restoration in Palermo hosted the final conference of the European CARE project, an initiative that has opened new horizons for visually impaired youth across Europe.
Coordinated by I.E.R.P.O.F. and carried out in partnership with PRISM Impresa Sociale srl and other European partners, the CARE project has been running for three years, engaging blind and visually impaired young people from Italy, Poland, Cyprus, Ireland, and Greece in a journey of artistic exploration and social inclusion through ceramic arts.
Throughout the project, participants attended tactile ceramics workshops led by Sicilian ceramist Sonia Geraci, where they worked with clay as a tool for expression and creativity. The project aimed to enhance manual, relational, and communicative skills by allowing the participants to interact with materials through touch, transforming their hands into instruments of perception.
Their creations have been displayed for one month at Palazzo Montalbo and currently at the Union of Blind in Palermo, as exhibition of the artworks is a central part of the CARE project. The multiplier event celebrated the results of this inclusive and interdisciplinary initiative, which successfully combined art, accessibility, and personal development.
The conference featured contributions from key figures in the fields of education, disability advocacy, and cultural heritage, including:
- Alessandra De Caro, Director of the Regional Centre for Design and Restoration in Palermo
- Maria Concetta Cusimano, Head of the Regional Tiflological Education Support Center of the Italian National Federation for the Blind
- Alessandro Melillo, President of PRISM Impresa Sociale
- Tommaso Di Gesaro, President of the Italian Union of the Blind and Partially Sighted in Palermo and of the Florio-Salamone Institute for the Blind in Palermo
Laura La Scala, European project manager for PRISM, presented the project’s key stages, highlighting the benefits for participants in terms of improved tactile perception, motor skills, and social interaction.
The CARE project represented a successful model for inclusive education and artistic empowerment, offering a replicable format for promoting equal opportunities and creative expression among young people with visual impairments in Europe.
