Reggiana-Cosenza, audio track of the match for those with visual disabilities: first time in Serie B

It is with the official note that we report in full below, that the Reggiana makes it known that it is committed “in a concrete way to making its activities increasingly accessible to its fans, always seeking new solutions and possible developments. Following up on what was implemented on the occasion of Reggiana-Ternana, played last February 17th wearing shirts game with the names of the Granata players written in Braille alphabet, the Club has chosen to allocate Friday’s match against Cosenza as the test event for a new audio description service for blind or visually impaired spectators.

Everything will happen thanks to the support of the partner company GIS Air Compressors, which has always been sensitive to social issues even outside the Granata world, and of CMT Translations, a company specialized in making the communication process between different codes usable and for this reason the creator of “Connect Me Too” (⠉⠕⠝⠝⠑⠉⠞⠀⠍⠑⠀⠞⠕⠕). This is the audio description system that allows blind, partially sighted and visually impaired fans to enjoy the sporting experience and make them feel an integral part of the event. The service is based on a completely digital platform connected to the 4G network and can be easily used by users using their smartphone. “Connect Me Too” allows the dissemination of a hyper-descriptive radio commentary created by a professional in the sector, capable of telling not only the key event but describing details and nuances, for example what happens off the pitch or in the stands, and transmitting the atmosphere that you can breathe making the experience exciting and unique.

Friday’s event will be the initial chapter of a new social project that Reggiana (⠗⠑⠛⠛⠊⠁⠝) will implement next season, with the aim of making it accessible to visually impaired people – to date in Italy there are around 360 thousand blind people and over 1.5 million visually impaired people – a special opportunity to experience home games. An opportunity to exploit the technologies of the “Mapei Stadium – Città del Tricolore” which, also thanks to this new communicative dimension, becomes increasingly accessible and open to the community and people. Reggiana’s initiative is a trailblazer for the Italian Serie B and follows the examples of Milan, Inter, Genoa and Lecce and even the Italian national team, as well as Varese in the world of basketball.

“We are continuing the path that began in February with the Braille shirts and dedicated to people with visual disabilities, a topic that we treat with care and attention as Reggiana aims to do with respect to the various social issues – he said the vice president and general manager of Reggiana, Vittorio Cattani – This is an activity that will find further support next season, making our matches an event to be enjoyed to the fullest by everyone. I thank GIS, CMT and Mapei for providing support with support, technologies and structures to our project”.

“We are witnessing a growing attention towards disability from the world of football, which is increasingly doing its utmost to promote initiatives related to inclusion, accessibility and participation – he said Tony D’Angelo, commercial director of CMT Translations – With Friday’s match, “Connect Me Too”, already used in important matches of club teams and also of the Italian national team, debuts for the first time in Serie B. We are proud of this extraordinary result and I sincerely thank Reggiana and the club Mapei, owner of the Mapei Stadium, for the sensitivity shown towards Granata fans and disabilities”.

“The audio description system for blind fans, which is within UEFA policy 4 – Football for all abilities, was launched by some Serie A clubs and is currently used on a permanent basis by our senior men’s national team – has declared Edoardo Gargiullo, UEFA Licensing Manager of the FIGC – It is truly a pleasure that even a Serie B club can offer this service and demonstrates once again how such virtuous activities can be implemented with low costs, representing an important added value for the entire neighboring territory. From my point of view it is right to congratulate Reggiana, hoping that this initiative can then be replicated on numerous further occasions”.