I am Moldovan Elisabeta, I have 35 and I am co-president at “Ceva de Spus” Association in Timisoara, Romania. I grew up 23 years in different institutions and from 2003 I’ve started living in protected houses, preparing myself for community. Now I live on my own in a rented apartment and I enjoy it allot. I can say that since I got out from institutions, I’ve learnt many new things which I had no idea how to do them before. I’ve learnt to pay my bills alone, to read my water gauce, to do shopping. In institutions no one taught us and let us do these things. I feel good now that I am on my own, I can invite my friends and I can take my own decisions. Living independent makes me feel good about myself.

In institution life is cruel, people are beated, forcely fed, physically and sexually agressed .When they saw you nervous you are sedated all the time. Instead of nicely asking you to do thinks, they force you, your personal things are stolen from you and your basic needs are neglected, you can take shower only once a week and wear good clothes only during inspections. Older colleagues steal your food  they lock you in the basement whenever you do something wrong and overall you . You can’t decide anything.

I also would like to say that every person with disabilities can live in support houses because they have great potential, can learn and do many things which people think they cannot do.Usually they think that persons with disabilities are are not capable to do something but they have no opportunity to show what they are capable of.

Many employees from orphanages and institutions told me that I can’t do  things but I’ve said to myself that I can do more than what they think.

I went, with a few collegues from our institutions, at Mihăilești where I worked as a volunteer to build a house for people with disabilities who got out from institutions.

I think that every person needs a house and a familly . I went unpatient to help with the construction and as soon as I arrived  I took the rollerstrip and I started working.

I worked good with volunteers  and I was proud to do this because I think we all need a house and a family. It was good to see how much soul people put for this big and beautiful  house.

I think that building houses for people coming from institutions is a priority as every person has the right to live in community. Romanian State should give money for houses or rents for persons with disabilities.

One of the two things which I enjoyed allot at PLAI was the presence of persons with disabilities. Since Friday and Saturday I was only at concerts, only on Sunday I haven’t had the chance to walk away through the trees, among stands, to go in court, to know anything else besides music.

I took our dog with us and we enjoyed the single sunny day of all festival.

Although I passed twice near the stand of persons with disabilities,  I didn’t stopped. I saw the benner on which who ever wanted to leave a message could do it with a colorful mark. I saw them in wheelchairs, I saw them moving hardly, speaking hard ,seeing hard. But I didn’t stopped or looked at them persistently. Anca volunteer PLAI, told me that the empty wheelchairs on the alley can be tried by those who want to feel how it feels to be in the skin of persons with disabilities. And the tinned are like some benchmarks through they need to pass, so that they could see how hard is for those who can’t walk. I went forward, but somehow I was with the regret that I didn’t wrote anything on the banner.

After I participated at a workshop of actory, before we go home we wanted to eat something. Food stands were near CevaDeSpus.ro stand. . I stopped at the panel, I was looking at what was written a boy. I’ve been studying what other people have written when one of representatives told me that I can leave a message if I want. I lost instantly. I told him I’d like to write something, but that I am  overwhelmed and that I want to think about some of what I am going to write. In the end, I took my courage and I wrote them with blue paint pen that I’m low ahead of them, that any disability would have to live their life beautiful. Or something, I don’t remember well. I had a little, and I was weeping. When Raluca thanked me and  she smiled,  my knees melt really. I leaned forward beside her tiny wheelchair, in the same way as her, and I asked her name and how old she is. I already joined the tears in my eyes and I was afraid not to say any stupid thing. With smile on her lips she invited me to a meeting in a place away from the people. So we could talk in peace. She gave me a cup of tea on a number of occasions and I have refused. I don’t know why, I think because of the node in my throat.
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With experience already from last year, our voices have joined again, this year also in the 8 edition at PLAI Festival.

We have prepared three workshops, designed to acknowledge the society on obstacles which persons with disabilities are encountered in day-to-day life. One of them, “ living library”, offered an opportunity to participants to be aware of our personal stories and for a few minutes to ask questions. Although at first they were moments when participants have been afraid to approach, once opened the discussion, the questions have not hesitated to appear, the dialog was made in a pleasant atmosphere and relaxing.

“Put yourself in my place” has brought a new challenge in the experience in a practical way a part of the difficulties that we are facing, such as it is for a blind person or seat user wheelchair, for people with intellectual disabilities when they receive information that is in a language easily understood.

Also, the last workshop entitled “Disability, what does it mean to you?” consisted in the fact that each person could leave a message. We was pleasantly surprised to see many of the messages of encouragement.

After two days of activities, in the evening we could enjoy great music. We even danced!
We can say that we had beautiful days in which we have met wonderful people, we’ve had “something to say” and our voice has been heard.

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8th of December was known until now as the day when John Lennon got killed. From 2012 it became an important day in our life too, because the group of self advocates “Ceva de Spus” (Something to Say) was turned into a legal NGO.

With the first serious snowfall this year, was born a serious Association made of self advocates, having on board persons with physical and intellectual disabilities.

We think we already proved several times that we don’t have only something to say, but we are in action: deleting the inscriptions “is prohibited from using the playground equipment for children with disabilities” in playgrounds of Timișoara, we started the accessibility campaign in the West University of Timisoara. We are promoting abilities of persons with disabilities and we are fighting discrimination. Read more …

A 22-year-old Timisoara student has been selected to participate in a high-level multilateral youth conference on inclusion in Budapest this month.

Raluca Popescu, who has a physical disability, is the only one from Romania who will join 19 participants from 13 countries on May 29 for the consultative meeting on the inclusion of young people with disabilities in the Council of Europe’s youth activities. Read more …

You meet Raluca Popescu on the occasion of the Festival for People with Disabilities(1218 votes received and thus finishing on the second place). You have seen her story in which she tell us about the beauty and difficulties of her life day by day, about College, her colleagues ,about her dreams

About Raluca you have to know that she can only use the left hand fingers, making her need for assistance to be dependent 24 hours per day on a person which is her mother at this moment. Read more …

Here, the day of 21 December has gone, the day on which we had a meeting with a double purpose. On the one hand we celebrated Christmas together in a festive dinner, on the other hand was the best moment to sign a banner that will reach the peak of Aconcagua in South America.

We ended a good year in which we had builded a beautiful team of self -advocates: Raluca , Eli, Nico, Maria, Lenuţa, Luminiţa and Dan . A team that decided to take fate in his own hands and to do something to change the situation for the better of all persons with disabilities. We have written letters to the central authorities, participated in the debate of laws, filmed testimonies, we had meetings where we were talking about rights, about the problems and joys of everyday, We made plans for the future and plans for action, we listened and we helped each other. So that the whole team has fully deserved a meeting where to entertain, to celebrate, to be glad for the year that we ended ,and to look with hope to the upcoming year. Read more …

The letter sent by us to Mrs. Minister Sulfina Barbu had a prompt and surprising effect: cevadespus.’s members were invited to the meeting of the public debate of the draft law on preventing and combating the risk of social marginalization, Law concerning the subsidizing of public funding of social services provided by associations, foundations and the cults recognized by the law and Law on quality assurance in the field of social services . Meeting organized by the Ministry of Labour, Family and Social Protection at the request of the Romanian Association Anti-AIDS (ARAS).

Of course we accepted the invitation, so that Raluca Popescu along with support persons participated in this debate, having her first contact with the debate of the laws with the representatives of the central authorities. The meeting had a fast rhythm, for the debate of the three legislative proposals having available only two hours and seemed to be a thing that needed to be checked rather to be a meeting that wishes to improve the legislative proposals in a real way. Read more …

Nikon D50, a pretentious camera, very good quality and very smart. With that camera you can make pictures of an exceptional quality. So not much has been owned by Cristian Peta, an entrepreneur from Timisoara who after he bought another camera, he wanted to make a pleasant surprise to someone.

I am this someone,passionate about the art of photography ,having photography accreditation at sport and musical events in the city. I made pictures with Regele Mihai, Fabio Capello, Buffon, Canavaro, Ibrahimovici, Hagi, Chivu, Gică Popescu, Doroftei, Shakira, Hi-Q, Compact, Holograf, Iris, Solid Harmonie, Spitalul de urgenţă, Pepe, Natalia Oreiro, Boney M, DJ Project, etc . I have whole albums and DVD packs with celebrities. The first pictures are made with a Smena and the most funny picture is with my happiest huge Ghiţă Mureşan. Read more …