I was standing in a mall when I suddenly met someone who was close to me and closer to the point that he touched me, so I took a back, surprisingly enough, he was also shocked: “I’m sorry. I thought you were a toy” It is true that I am only one hundred and twenty centimetres, but not to the extent that I am invisible.
One of the situations that bothered me the most was when I was asked in a job interview, “Will you be able to work with your health conditions?” I didn’t understand my health conditions? Am I running on a marathon? These questions are what made me insist that I prove to myself and to anybody that I can! Indeed, I worked hard and accepted this work and was able to prove myself in it. I am 35 years old now and I have been working as the Regional Coordinator of the BA Knowledge Embassies Department for 7 years, dealing with it based on my abilities, not my disability. No one could frustrate me. I believe that our Lord created us perfect. Even if we lack something, we are compensated by another thing. What in my life would make me stop? How many centimetres am I missing? Those few centimetres made me do the thing I love most, which is that I inspire others with my story.
People are very surprised if I have the ability to talk about the details of my life and what I went through, thinking that I might be afraid to do this, but on the contrary, I have a passion to share my story and talk about my disability with everyone around me. I love very much when I tell my story and see the one in front of me whose eyes shine from the words he hears. This shine is what makes this person abandon “surprise” when he sees someone like me again in the street or doubts the abilities of the person before him because his body’s shape is different from him as what used to happen with me.
Every one of us can make a difference, and I myself make a difference with children. If I look strong, it is because of my family’s upbringing me, which made me appreciate my difference and see how beautiful I am because of it! This is what gave me confidence in myself and made me feel that I can face any limitation and frustration. Parents with children with disabilities bring them up confident in themselves, know their rights and teach them how to take them. Society has to change its perception of people with disabilities and teach our children that difference is a natural part of life that we must know how to deal with and accept.
I want business owners to view people with disabilities as working and see them as workable.
