PERSONAL INFORMATION
Citizenship: Argentina, Italia
Birth place: Buenos Aires
Home address: Roma (Italy)
Birth date: 17-05-1975
CURRENT POSITION
EUROPEAN DISABILITY FORUM (EDF)
BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE (2017-PRESENT)
Key roles & responsibilities: Chair of Information and Communication Technologies Email Expert Group, responsible for ICTs policies; Human Rights and Non-Discrimination Committee member; Transport and International Cooperation Email Expert Groups member; Youth Committee, Political Participation, High Level Group on Disability, and Council of Europe substitute participating in various events and meetings with EU institutions, United Nations (UN) Agencies, Disabled Persons Organizations (DPOs), Member States, Organisations, and the private sector.
MAIN PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES
EUROPEAN UNION OF THE DEAF (EUD)
VICE PRESIDENT (2013-2017)
BOARD MEMBER (2009-2013)
Key roles & responsibilities: Chair of Accessibility Working Group; Participant in various European Institution Conferences, such as European Parliament Committee Sessions, the European Commission Conference on the European Day of Persons with Disabilities. Lead advocate with EUD to the Council of Europe (COE) to include sign languages for the first time on the European Day of Languages (2011). Represented on the Committee of Experts on the participation of people with disabilities in political and public life - COE (2009-2011), ensuring that sign languages and other forms of accessibility be explicitly mentioned in the recommendations. Lobbyist focusing on the Written Declaration on the need for accessible 112 emergency services for deaf, hard of hearing, deafblind and others which became the most supported Written Declaration of the 7th European Parliament (2009-2014). Lead Presenter at the EUD General Assembly, Seminars and Workshops in several EU countries in the fields of Human Rights, Sign Language Legislation and UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). Supporter of EUD publications on Sign Language Legislations in the EU (2010, 2012), the UNCRPD Good Practice series (Articles 27, 29, 33), and EUD Position Papers.
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF THE DEAF IN ITALY (ENS)
FOREIGN AFFAIRS EXPERT / CONSULTANT - (2006-2012)
Key roles & responsibilities: Independent consultant researching implementation of several legislative domains on an international level, representative at various events and meetings with Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO’s), DPOs in Italy and abroad, and other initiatives. Expert consultant, coordinator and lobbyist for various topics (accessibility, higher education, sign languages and European and International law, including CRPD). Coordinator of Italian Deaf Academic Conferences (2009 and 2016); These historic and fully accessible events included deaf, deaf blind, and hard of hearing students and graduates.
EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND
INTERNATIONAL POLITICS (Human Rights)
UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DI PADOVA
(PADOVA, ITALY) - 2007
ADMINISTRATION & DEAF STUDIES
GALLAUDET UNIVERSITY [FULBRIGHT - MPDF SCHOLARSHIP]
(WASHINGTON DC, USA) - 2006
INTERNATIONAL PUBLIC POLICY
TOURO UNIVERSITY INTERNATIONAL
(GENEVA, SWITZERLAND) - 2002
ECONOMICS & SOCIAL SCIENCE
UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST OF ENGLAND [ERASMUS]
(BRISTOL, UK) - 2001
ADDITIONAL SELECT ACTIVITIES IN THE FIELD
Participated in the UN CRPD Ad Hoc Committee meetings in New York and was involved in implementation and monitoring processes of the UN CRPD both in Italy and at European level with EUD.
Member of the WFD Expert Working Group on Human Rights (2013-2015), has participated in various high level international events, and has represented the WFD at numerous UN body events.
Professor of Deaf studies, guest university lecturer, speaker and consultant on the rights of deaf people and people with disabilities for over ten years. Currently also a consultant and expert for various NADs, NGO, DPOs, UN Agencies, Governments, and Universities worldwide. Individual member of the WFD.
LANGUAGES
American Sign Language (ASL), British Sign Language (BSL),
Lingua dei Segni Italiana (LIS), Lengua de Señas Argentina (LSA),
English, Español, Française, Italiano,
and International Sign (IS)