Year 2
Sinterklaas
In October I was asked if I wanted to play Piet at my primary school during Sinterklaas. At first I was not so sure, because it is out of my comfort zone to ‘act’ but I did it anyway. I did it with a good friend so that was fun and it was fun to see al those happy (and scared) faces.
Car
In November of 2024 I got my drivers license and I made the application for a car. This was a very long process, but I got a call that I will get my car on December 18th. I just picked it up and it drives very nice. Now I can practice during the Christmas break and when you read this, I am driving to school myself.
Side job
In my free time I have a side job at Jumbo in the kitchen. I started here in November of 2022. We make many delicious things like chicken, pulled pork, snack trays, vegetables with dips and freshly made sandwiches. When I did HAVO I worked on Tuesday afternoon and Saturday, currently I only work on Saturday. Once I am a bit more settled at school and have more energy left, I may work one afternoon also. This side job really helped with my confidence. I always was scared to ask if I needed help. In terms of standing up for myself I still have a way to go, but that will work out eventually.
Calling supervisors, I find difficult but I do it so that is related to my goals of being more assertive and standing up for myself.
Sport
I play table tennis. I now do it for about 7 years and for the last 4 years I am training with a club in Dedemsvaart. The training is roughly once in 2 weeks on Sunday. If I have the possibility, I also train with a friend that lives in Stadskanaal.
Before table tennis I have also done horse riding and ballet. Ballet I have done from age 4 till 12. I really enjoyed dancing and it was really good for my posture. If I did not dance the scoliosis in my back would have been way worse.
Year 2
Unfortunately, my table tennis training has stopped in Dedemsvaart so I must look for some other activity. On holidays I still try to play table tennis with a friend, but that is not very often. Currently I am looking at what gym I want to go to in Stadskanaal. For the past 2/3 months I have been going to the gym and I like it. I can feel that it is good for my shoulders.
Year 1
Semester 2
Unfortunately, the training sessions that I had in Dedemsvaart have stopped. I am now looking at another club nearby or maybe another sport/activity to do. Something I thought about is going to the gym but have not had the time and energy to look for one yet.
Year 2
Interviews
At the end of last year, I got a mail from a project manager Innovation workplace and last year student about Innovation of the campus.
When I get the chance to do a interview on something related to inclusivity or accessibility I (almost) always do it. I think it’s important for those students to hear a story from someone that is in that field and not base it just on assumptions.
FADI
The introduction camp was fun and they helped me with all my question about the camp. I have not done any other activities from FADI yet, but I am going the their gala in March.
During the last semester they organized a congress with 3 speakers. The director of liberation festival Groningen talked about setting up such a big event. This was really interesting to listen to and I am also thinking about going to the event side of the study.
Development outside school
Besides my side job and table tennis I am also taking driving lessons. I started mu driving lessons on the 26th of September 2023. I passed my driving exam in only 2 tries, the first one was in July 2024 and the second one was on the 27th of November this time I passed. Hopefully I will have my own car at the beginning of next school year. Update from June 2025, the car will be here in September hopefully, they are working on it.
Semester 2
I volunteered at the EO youth day in Rotterdam Ahoy. It was so much fun to see the behind the scenes of a big event. There are so many people working there to set it all up and make things happen.
During this year I have done several interviews for medical magazines or other things mostly related to my disability and side job in combination with each other. I find this important, because there are many other people of my age who deal with a disability but feel down because of it. Someone said that I sound more confident then an few years ago, that was nice to hear. I also have the feeling that I i am getting more confident in my speaking.
At my church I joined a commission that is looking for a new pastor. With a few other people I presented our ideas I. Front of the church. Unlearned from this that it is not always a good idea to do everything out of your head, but a flashcard is fine.
Media and Articles
Interview for RTV1 (local broadcaster / news in Stadskanaal) on the 17th of December 2024. The Interview was about where we stand on UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities after 8 years. ‘Van betutteling tot bureaucratie de obstakels voor mensen met een beperking in de maatschappij’
Interview on RTV1 (local broadcaster) and article on RTV Noord (regional broadcaster) about not being able to find a part-time job as a young person in a wheelchair. Date 1st of July 2022. ‘Article: Bijbaantjes genoeg, maar Lisa (16) uit Musselkanaal komt door haar rolstoel moeilijk aan de bak’
Article in ZorgSpeciaal on 16th of March 2022: ‘Ik kan alles behalve lopen’
Guest apperance in Het Klokhuis (educational Youth program) aired on 6th of November 2019. This broadcast was about a cowboy who ended up in a wheelchair, I was allowed to show my wheelchair skills to this cowboy.
Interview with the Dutch Youth News on the 22nd of October 2017, this was a the Wheelchair Skills Event in Utrecht. More information on this event: wheelchairskillsteam.nl