Renata Sorba 
Neither Different, nor Identical, but Free 

Renata Sorba was born in Asti and got her high school diploma at the Art School of the city. She spent a period of her life in London, where she refined her knowledge of the English language. She worked as an interpreter, a librarian and a bookseller.During her adolescence she was diagnosed with a bilateral hearing impairment that was a real trauma both for her and her family. With the help of hearing prosthesis she regularly went to school and participated to voluntary works. Even though her hearing, despite the help of the prosthesis, wasn’t perfect, she tried to adopt some strategies and she didn’t think it was appropriate to tell everyone about her situation.She practiced, in spite of her disease, every kind of sport, and in particular she loved swimming. However, during her period abroad she started having problems seeing at night, in fact she found it difficult to return home or to find her seat at the theatre.When she came back to Italy she went to see a specialist who told her she had retinitis pigmentosa. For a couple of years she ignored her disease, but when she was almost thirty her sight field started to narrow and she was having more and more problems going out at night.Renata Sorba is a member of the Equal Opportunities Commission of the city. During these years she has organized events, public performances and campaigns to raise awareness for people with sensorial disabilities. Recently Renata was nominated to be a honorary member of the Lions Guide Dogs Service Center in Limbiate and she will be given a prize on May 10th.