DELL'HANDYCAPP
Bruno and Angela Carati: Disabled
with smile, courage and initiative
visit Don Bruno made with Christmas Carats, internationally renowned painter, and his wife Angela
in their beautiful chalet of Castelseprio, surrounded by green forests of Varese,
is certainly one of those affecting and lasting impressions long in the memory.
Bruno is quadriplegic from birth as a result of forceps used by doctors at birth, so he
limbs almost completely immobilized. Angela hemiparesis on the right arm, which does not
can use, as a result of polio had early in life, but usually moves
the left arm and walk independently.
The welcome is warm, even for me that I had seen only once forty Bruno
of years ago, during one of the first exhibitions of his paintings with other artists who paint
by mouth or with one foot. It affects primarily the ease with which you define
"handicapped" by rejecting the conditions now so fashionable alternatives such as "
differently abled", which do not alter the substance of the facts at all. Bruno adds that he believes "the true
handicapped and who has not had the courage to tackle the problems."
He explains the difficulties faced along with Angela in their lives, especially when they had
son Manuel, who took care of just being able to make use of one hand
good, that next to Angela. The story flows shipped with frequent jokes, amused and
the self-deprecating, despite some difficulties due to the break of spasms of his illness. The wife's
is close and attends lovingly, remembering from time to time or suggesting some other
anecdote. Which leads
trascinati slowly in their world, because of difficulties of all things trivial
days (which we carry out easily), but resolved with the use of tools, invented by Bruno, who
greenhouse in the mouth and between the teeth, moving them with great skill and effectiveness.
First of all, his "magic wand", a wooden rod about 25 cm with the ends in
rubber for a grip and the other to move the objects or the keys of the computer or console.
latter, even if hand-crafted, is a marvel as the
can control and check the entire area of the villa, with as many buttons and a bright pattern
control. Then we point the phone to phone-holder, the regiment
-electric razor for a shave and clean the heads, the tricicletta (three wheels for stability reasons) for local travel
you brake by pushing his head back.
When asked if you never lose heart when faced with the difficulty of solving a problem, there
says no. At most, aside for a while 'everything we reflect calmly (so little sleep we
says) and finally found it. Important is the analysis that he does, at first look carefully at how it performs
for normal people and then divides the assets in the various movements necessary, then the
rationalized taking into account what he can do and then studies the possible solution and
realized.
sometimes need just a bit 'of technical and operating, as in the apple peel with a knife
held tight in his mouth, sometimes you just need aids such as an iron or a hair clip,
for holding the workpiece weld and the welding wire, while operating the welder with his mouth, then at other times
special tools are needed as a kind of fork with which prepares its
sculptures or objects for the home, such as vases, lamps, fruit bowls, in plastic. He stops
satisfied only when the result is perfect. For stained glass, whose technique is rather difficult
, accurately corrects even the tiniest smear using a cotton swab.
Remember as a child already in school to solve the industry difficulties. He wrote with a pen
held in the mouth and he could do his homework like all his companions in the wording was a bit 'more
slow but the teacher and friends waiting for him willingly. The only real problem was with spreadsheets
protocol, which, being larger, did not allow him to write up the entire facade.
found the solution, writing paper in half the normal way, and then turning it upside down writing
on the other half in order to complete the writing in standard form for the teacher.
Tell a smile that also plays billiards, to "bottle", using a wooden spoon from the kitchen
taken by mouth, but this was cut at the bottom to avoid raising the
ball at launch. Ingenious for the rare moments of leisure.
Angela shows us his last paintings, beautiful and attractive, scattered throughout the house. Landscapes, flowers,
trains, trees, made on different media and different techniques, including modern. Bruno paints
only in the morning not to work too hard and not because of the heat of summer. Still unable to
News from Atlantis 1.31 October 2010 Page 2 / 2
(A copy of this article, and all others, can be found in www.parrocchiaredentore.it / oratorio / Atlantis / atlantide.htm)
keep in such a way that always himself and his family, without using the disability pension of
State, although he would be entitled in law. Make it part of an association based in Luxembourg
, which promotes Worldwide sales of paintings by artists with disabilities, either directly or using the image
for Christmas cards (SPAM) or other gadgets. Faced with a production of 15-20 paintings a year
good level receives a fixed salary, which is sufficient for their needs
.
Asked if faith helps them to face life and its difficulties
Angela responds with a prompt and concise "Of course," but then slips away talk about other topics. Fifteen minutes later, however, Bruno takes
individual's speech and adds: "It's not that we
so frequently in the Church, but our relationship with" our friend up there " is really special. To Him we trust and
He always helps us. Since time does not please me more to heal, there must be a reason for being so
! I ask him instead of being able to do well whatever they do. Moreover
already heard me that time in the pilgrimage to Loreto, when I expressed my desire to
become a good painter. " Angela adds: "Every time we go by car from the gate house
I tell him:" Now you no longer have time for other things, think of us! '. It was a lot
km over the years since 1997, when Bruno took his license without fines and without
accidents. It turns out that there has seen its good. " Bruno
action to explain the history of the license, which could not have in Italy, why not
have even considered considering it a bit 'crazy. In Switzerland, however
has done it and now can drive safely on the streets of Europe without a hitch. But sometimes there are
amusing incidents, such as when police officers or police officers facing the passenger
are forbidden to ask questions and seeing a car that has no steering wheel, but only a
guide bar, no levers or knobs but only by a roadside air mail over the place instead of driving
panel sunroof. After Angela was explaining Bruno something
gesticulating animatedly with his good hand, and were stopped by an agent, which has
said: "Dear lady followed by ten minutes, remember that you should not gesticulate when
guide!" but her back, "And 'he who leads", causing an even greater surprise.
is not easy to accept that Bruno can drive with one hand tied to the bar with your feet securely attached to the pedals
and above all other controls operated by mouth the magic wand. The car, an Opel Astra
has been amended by a specialized company in Biella designed by Bruno, while
all of the connections of the roadside Aviation (a Soviet Mig) with the mechanisms operating
was carried out by his son Manuel, expert in electrical engineering.
With it have made numerous trips by themselves, so that their friends are complaining because they are always around
; can also do 400 km in one day! They say that it is necessary to follow the
many humanitarian efforts, both in terms of presentations, which are
in schools or at other institutions (with a CD titled "A Life in my own way" prepared and assembled by Bruno) for
raise awareness and to motivate others in difficulty, is to help other artists with disabilities to integrate into their
Association. A tireless and highly meritorious
if you consider the effort that costs them, also taking into account the fact that they are now close to 70 years.
For some time there is a play inspired by their life, which leads in a touring company
around Italy, from the title clearly alludes to their situation at the time of birth
Manuel: "Three one-handed" . As reported by the journalist Stefano Lorenzetto on "Il Giornale"
of July 18, 2010 just down the dark hall in the narrator explains: "From time immemorial the
theater tells stories that seem invented true. We tell a true story tonight
that seems invented. " Our parish plans to organize in the next few months
This projection show with a DVD and a meeting at our Oratorio with our characters. A family Carati
soon! We need those seeds of hope, beyond all
discomfort and illness, and Charity, always ready to serve others, which you have flowering
so wonderfully, and that Faith probably simple, but intimate and conversational, with the biblical God, who bends down from heaven
lovingly as a father on his creatures. There will
to find and restore confidence in ourselves and this world from the future so vague and uncertain. For
More information: visit "www.bcarati.it"
