33 years old | Manager in the energy sector

My name is Catarina, I am 33 years old, and I have a degree in Languages and Humanities. I was born with spina bifida and hydrocephalus, so I use a wheelchair to get around.

I was not born in Foz, but almost my entire maternal family is from here. Since I was a child, I have spent long periods at my grandmother Celeste’s house.

Recently, I moved from Sintra to live here with my family.

I wish I could say that I love Foz completely. But that wouldn’t be entirely true.

I say this because I would like:

• Foz to be a village that is more accessible for people like me, people with reduced mobility;
• People to see us as capable of having independence — going out with friends, working, and living autonomous lives.

It is with this purpose that I accepted to join this list: I want to show that we can do everything anyone else can do, and that the limitations are not ours but those of communities that are not attentive to accessibility issues.

I believe that my personal experience can be a valuable asset in making Foz a more inclusive place, where everyone has the opportunity to live happily and with dignity.

Accessibility is not a favor. It is a right.