A global video will be shared in which some Stellantis employees “speak up” to emphasize the importance and inviting everyone to join in the commitment to inclusion
Every year on December 3rd, the International Day of Persons with Disabilities is celebrated. This observance, established in 1992 by the United Nations, is also strongly felt at Stellantis, whose community is made up of 170 different nationalities, spread across six regions of the world.
The Stellantis Autonomy project
Firmly believing that the inclusion of diversity, of any kind, contributes to the company’s success, Stellantis created the Autonomy project over twenty years ago. This project aims to enable those with motor, sensory, or intellectual limitations to move with total autonomy and freedom in all vehicles of the Stellantis range. Therefore, in collaboration with Autonomy, a program of activities has been prepared at the European level to raise employee awareness about recognizing the contributions of person with a disability.
Starting today, a global video will be shared in which some Stellantis employees “speak up” to emphasize the importance, meaning, and value of this observance, inviting everyone to join in the commitment to inclusion and breaking down all kinds of barriers.
On the same day, another teaser video (link) will be released in Europe, centered on the seemingly contradictory concept of “make no differences,” which actually resolves into an invitation to act immediately in our daily lives to overcome prejudices against diversity.
This invitation will be accompanied by a powerful video focusing on the Autonomy program, featuring brand ambassadors engaged in extremely challenging physical and emotional activities.
The Stellantis temporary activity program for the employees
On December 6th, employees will be invited to play with a set of digital cards that will lead them to deepen their understanding of various types of disabilities (visible and invisible), to increase awareness on the topic.
From mid-December, D&I Talks (meetings organized in the format of TED Talks) dedicated to the observance will be published, in which three employees/speakers from various parts of Europe will share their stories about disability. These discussions aim to address the topic of disability by breaking the taboo surrounding it.
This temporary activity program complements the constant commitment and attention that Stellantis has always shown towards the disability sector, which is mainly embodied in the Autonomy project.
The Autonomy Mobility Centers
Autonomy is currently present in Italy with fifteen Mobility Centers, specialized facilities where disabled people can find, free of charge, the necessary medical and technical advice to obtain a special driving license. In each of the Centers, it is possible to:
- Precisely assess motor skills with the help of driving simulators and the assistance of physiotherapists, occupational therapists, or specialized technicians;
- Obtain a certificate to present to the Local Health Unit medical commission to simplify obtaining a special license;
- Test drive modified vehicles or try new adaptations with a specialized instructor.
Each Center is also equipped with a state-of-the-art Residual Capacity Evaluator (VCR 2023), capable of testing a person with a disability in both motor and sensory-cognitive aspects. In particular, the VCRs allow the evaluation of patients’ strength and speed of upper and lower limb movements, the ability to correctly modulate acceleration and braking, and reaction times to visual and auditory stimuli.
Over the years, Stellantis’ Autonomy program has become a reference point for disability assistance, promoting social action in support of this diverse and extraordinary world: furthermore, since 2022, the program has been extended to all Brands and European countries where Stellantis is present.