Alongside my work, which gives me many opportunities to contribute more widely, I am active in several areas that are more than occasional hobbies. Everything I do reflects my character, my wish to remain as active and fit as possible, and my hope that I can share good ideas with others so that together we can improve our community.
LAW
Work Opens Broad Possibilities...
As a lawyer, I am employed by one of the law firms in Slovenia. At work I prepare various legal materials for attorneys. I deal with civil, constitutional and commercial law. I research case law and legal sources and draft different submissions so that, together with my colleagues, we can advise clients well and help them in many difficult life situations.
I enjoy this work because it does not depend on my mobility impairment and, above all, gives me the breadth I need to see and direct my own life toward several different possibilities. This also helps me overcome many challenges in private life. It gives me values and sets boundaries, which also suits my character; even when seeing people in distress through legal cases, I can often confirm that I am on the right path.
My employment is extremely important to me because it gives me independence and active participation in society. People with different impairments unfortunately still face prejudice, ignorance and the assumption that we are incapable of an active life and work. Through regular employment I also gained better opportunities to gradually arrange a life that is not different from others only because of my impairment. Work gives me a framework in which I can understand what I can achieve or expect, and therefore help others more soberly as well.
Professional work has partly enabled me to become even more aware of the position of people with mobility impairments in society, and of my own duty to help, through a small measure of activity and personal example, not only toward change, but toward a state in which our society may no longer have reasons for such difficulties, even when they are unintended.
HELPING PEOPLE
I like to help...
Because of my impairment I encounter many challenges, misunderstandings and barriers in life. Through many experiences I searched for a path by which we could more easily overcome obstacles together, look for solutions and help others too. I took part in several organizations and initiatives in different fields. But I wanted an organization that would not be absorbed only in its own large machinery and where members’ interests would not disappear in long, complicated procedures. An effective organization can be one that works simply and can quickly help a fellow human being in many different kinds of distress. That is why I did not want only an organization for helping disabled people, but an initiative that brings together different experts and fields, where small actions can do good, even slowly and on our own, and still brighten someone’s life and say that not everything is bad and dark. In this way we strengthen human relationships.
In 2013, together with like-minded people in Ljubljana, I founded the At the White Hawk Society for Personal Support and I am also its vice-president. The association tries to help people in distress in a way that adapts help to the person receiving it. The individual problem is not placed in the foreground; instead, while providing different kinds of help, we try to emphasize the goals and possibilities the person can gain with our support. At the White Hawk Society for Personal Support we encourage volunteering and solidarity among people. Even if our contribution is small, it can mean a great deal to someone.
As vice-president of the association, I also overcome many challenges of my own impairment and fulfil a wish for personal but as unobtrusive as possible activism, helping someone else along the way.
AMONG THE CHIPS
Almost a space centre...
Working with computers is an extremely important part of my life. Computers matter so much because, already in early childhood, they enabled one of the most basic skills: writing. Computers and related technology have therefore become an essential part of my everyday life, because they allow me to live and work fully.
In my free time I follow new developments and explore open-source software and modern cloud services. I have built a modest home laboratory where I help friends with software and smart devices on Windows and Linux. I also develop small solutions that make everyday life easier and share them with the people around me.
MY EVERYDAY LIFE
More Than Just Support...
A key part of my everyday activities, enabling me to live and work fully, is personal assistance and regular physiotherapy. A large part of my activity therefore also involves coordinating personal assistance so that everything else can run as smoothly as possible.
It is therefore essential that, despite my physical impairment, I remain in good physical condition. Because I move less, regular specialized physiotherapy helps me with this. I include regular exercise in all my activities, with the help of my personal assistants under the professional guidance of experienced physiotherapists. Personal assistance and physiotherapy are no longer merely services; we have all become a team, and for me this has grown into a way of life.
So I exercise a lot and, with a dedicated team, successfully overcome many everyday challenges. Together we try to find new ways toward the greatest possible independence and the preservation of health, which is a key element of every form of independence. I want to draw attention to these challenges and actively look for simple solutions to improve access to this kind of holistic treatment.
SOME NEW DAY
Culinary Experiments...
I enjoy good food and the opportunities that come with it. I really dislike the feeling that food is there only because something has to be on the plate. That is why I often struggle to come up with meal ideas; as an omnivore, choosing or creating ideas is quite a challenge for me.
Occasionally I set myself the challenge of cooking entirely by myself with assistance, exploring new possibilities and flavours. I discovered that this gives me a special challenge and satisfaction when I realize that a dish is my own creation, and the process confirms that I can direct another person from the idea to the plate.
Cooking shows clearly that personal assistance is more than simply having an assistant present. The assistant and user need trust and good communication so that they can complete each step safely and successfully.
In the end, what truly matters is that I enjoy the food. Cooking is a challenge precisely because few people understand how it works for me.
MY ADVENTURES
New Experiences...
From time to time I also try things that may seem illogical or unusual for a person with a mobility impairment, regardless of how well I manage them. Together we discover the beauty of Slovenia and sometimes the world, I attend concerts, sports events and other things that increasingly fulfil me. It is not so much about pushing boundaries; first of all, it is about my feeling that I am still interested in things.
I also play computer games occasionally, mostly simulations, where solutions can be reached with a bit more thought and knowledge. I play and relax in my own way and as much as my motor abilities allow. Recently I have been fascinated by flying in a flight simulator and by truck simulators, where at least a certain amount of knowledge is needed. It may be virtual and, in my case, simplified, but it still gives me at least a little sense of realism, the feeling that I can do something others might not believe.
So I keep planning new undertakings and enjoy life with friends, a life that can make me happy, make me sad, but always surprises me.
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