Smart cities and disability: digital accessibility as a precondition

The Public administrations are increasingly fostering the “Smart City” model and favouring investments in ICT with the aim of improving both citizens’ well-being and environmental standards, in general. People with disabilities should be considered direct recipients of regulatory and administrative policies that provide access and exercise of their rights, as well as their effective inclusion into society with equal opportunities. With this aim, universal accessibility, in digital perspective, becomes a means for the exercise of the rights of persons with disabilities. The analysis focus, in particular, on the local level and the governance of cities, which are the interlocutors closest to the needs of citizens with disabilities and who administer the resources and provide the necessary assistance services. Specific consideration will be granted to the Spanish and Italian systems.