Great news!

Hey! 

I'm sorry I have been neglecting this blog for a while, my Master's classes keep me busy.

I have been taking a few tests and I passed them all, so I'm pretty happy. 

I will be applying for another semester in Germany because I really want to go back to Bochum, so fingers crossed! I hope I can spend the next winter term at RUB.

Here's the best news ever: I will be attending the WCMX World Championship in April! (you can read David's guest post about last year's event here).

I think I have said it before, but I will say it again: I have the best friends. I feel very lucky to have so many great people that support me. 

When my friends heard about the WCMX Championship in Dallas, they all came together to make my dream come true. One day they asked me to meet them at the MX track and they surprised me there. I was speechless. I wasn't expecting that and I think I was the happiest girl on the planet. I can't even explain how much this means to me, it truly is a dream come true and every time I think about it it reminds me how much my friends love me. These guys became a part of my life a few months ago, and in the beginning I couldn't have imagined how important they would become, but now I know I can always count on them and I'm so glad I get to be a part of their lives.

I am very excited about the trip, it will be my first time flying overseas on my own (and yes, my mom is a bit worried!). I pushed to be able to live this experience on my own because I think it will make me grow as a person, and once I get to Dallas the whole WCMX family will be waiting for me, so I really don't think I'll be lonely! 

Another good thing happened in the last month: I rocked the interview to volunteer at the first summer camp for kids with special needs in Italy! I will be taking part in the training weekend next month and I hope to be volunteering in August. I am looking forward to visiting the camp and starting this new experience! I will update as soon as I can so stay tuned.

More than awesome part 2

My trip to Germany was great. I had to wake up at 4am to go to the airport and, when the plane landed in Weeze, it took me more than two hours to get to Dortmund, but it was definitely worth it! On that day I even managed to watch the end of Anna's Bachelor presentation at the skatepark.

I was so happy to be able to spend some time with Lisa and David and go to the Rehacare, the biggest exposition of disability-related products in Europe. I had been to the Expo last year and I had so much fun, but this year was even better: they built a small skatepark with drops, roll-ins and even rails.

The first day of the Expo was the best day of my life: I got to see Mike Box again (I hadn't seen him in a year) and he brought a WCMX chair for me! He made me the happiest girl in the world. I love him so much and he makes me feel so loved when he's there for me. I also love my new chair and I spent the next few days skating with the guys, I even took part in a couple shows. I have learned so much with this chair, it really took my skating and my confidence to the next level. I am so thankful to Mike for giving me this opportunity. In the last few weeks I've been thinking about how many people love and support me and my passion, and I feel so lucky because I know I wouldn't be where I am without them. I have decided I want to make a difference in my country, so I will work as hard as I can to improve my skating. Once I'm good enough, I want to start workshops just like David does, so that kids and adults on chairs can try WCMX in Italy, and hopefully fall in love with it.

During my week in Germany I even managed to go to dinner with my friend Megan. I loved spending some time with her and talking about our crazy lives and my love for my new chair. We went to an Indian restaurant (my first time!) and the food was very spicy, but it tasted good! After dinner I realized if I went home I'd get there at about 2am, so I decided to sleep over at Megan's, even though her apartment is not accessible and I had to climb the stairs (we did have some fun in the process anyway). 

My last day in Dortmund did not start in the best way: I was home alone packing my bags and suddenly there was no power in the whole apartment. When Lisa and David came home, they spent an hour on the phone trying to figure out why. In the end, they had to go to the office, that meant I had to get to the railway station on my own (with two wheelchairs). We said goodbye and I started rolling towards the subway, pushing myself with one hand and the other chair with the other arm, my big backpack on the old chair. It was not easy because there were hills and curbs, which wouldn't be a problem without the extra chair, but can get tricky when you have to push something besides yourself. With the help of a couple people, I managed to take the train. When I got to the railway station, things got easy: I even had fun rolling with my two chairs on the flat ground!

During my train ride to the airport, everyone was looking at me because I was sitting between two wheelchairs; one was weird (the WCMX chair has shocks like a bike and a grind bar, so it looks different) and upside down (it has no brakes, so I sit on the train seat and tip it over to prevent it from rolling away), the other chair had a huge backpack on it. 

The flight back was good and I was able to take both chairs on board without extra costs (and without arguments!). I am now taking my Masters' classes, so I probably won't be blogging much, but stay tuned because I might have rad news coming soon!

Update on feelings and travel

Hey! I am sorry I have been neglecting this blog for a while, but now I am done with all my exams and ready for an update.

As you know, I went to my friends' wedding last month. It was amazing. I was so happy for them, and it really made me feel like I am growing up. This was the first time I went to a went to a wedding of a friend of mine that was not a family friend or a relative. We had so much fun, ate tons of food, danced and laughed. In case anyone is wondering, I did wear a dress.

Those who know me will know I never wear dresses, but before my friends decided to get married I had told them I'd wear a dress on that day, and that I would buy it with the bride. 

A few weeks before the wedding, my friend and I went on a mission to find the perfect dress for me. After checking about three shops, we found a green dress that we both liked and I bought the first dress of my life. It felt weird to be wearing a dress because I never do, but then I got used to it and many people liked it. I've had a few people compliment my shoes (green Chucks) as well, even though some people had told me I shouldn't wear them at a wedding (I didn't care).

A couple weeks ago I passed my last exam (yay!) and packed my bag. I couldn't wait to go back to Germany, the place I call home (you know, home is where the heart is).

I woke up at 4am and left for Milan, where the airport is. We drove for about two hours and when I got there I checked in, had my chair tagged and the assistance guy started questioning my ability to walk up the stairs. After a quick discussion, I told them to do whatever they wanted, they could carry me up the stairs with their chair (which would require two more people and about 30 more minutes) or let me walk. They let me walk.

When I said goodbye to my dad, they couldn't believe I was traveling alone. This happens every single time, and I wonder why they think it's so weird that a wheelchair user wants to fly alone. However, I'm not going to get into this now, because I have other things to write about.

While I was waiting to board the plane, the assistance guy asked me why I had my helmet with me. I told him about WCMX and he asked to watch a video because he couldn't believe me. I showed him a video and he was impressed.

I boarded the plane and I was very happy when I started recognizing the landscape around the airport in Germany. I had a huge smile on my face when I rolled through the doors to find Lisa waiting for me. She was holding a paper with my surname on it, then she flipped it over and I could read "Welcome home". We hugged and got ready to take the train home. She had brought cool Spezi (my favorite german drink, it's cola mixed with orange soda), because she knows we don't have it in Italy and I missed it so much. This girl knows how to make me happy.

When we got to the railway station in Dortmund, I really felt like I was home. I know that place so well: I would travel to Dortmund almost everyday during my semester in Bochum. We rolled to the 4ma to give a hug to David and the guys and I was so happy to see everyone again. Then, we took the car and went to Bochum, so that I could see my university and my room again. I said hello to a friend there and chatted with Vici for a while. That evening we had pesto for dinner and went to sleep, I was exhausted.

On Thursday, the weather was pretty bad, so we decided to sleep in. I got my brother a birthday present, then we went out to get lunch and we watched a movie on the couch with ice cream (I know, we are lazy). I had to pack my bag for the following day: we were going to spend the weekend at Lisa's parents' house, which I will tell you about in my next post. Stay tuned!

Posing with the groom on his special day

Update on planes, books and gowns

Hello!

I haven't been posting for about a month because I was really busy studying for 4 of my exams. I have 3 more coming up in July, so I probably won't be writing much, but I have some news for you:

I am going to Germany at the end of July.

I finally booked my flights and I will be spending a week with my friends in Dortmund. I really feel like I need to spend some time with them. I can't wait to go skating, I miss WCMX because there is not much I can do here with my chair and I am not learning anything new. We are going to visit Lisa's parents in Leer, which means good food, good people and good times!
Now I just need to focus on passing all my tests, then I will think about how to fit all my stuff into my backpack.

Another day I am looking forward to is next Saturday: one of my best friends is getting married and I'm sure we will have so much fun! It will be the first time I go to a friend's wedding and maybe the first time I will be wearing a dress (if you know me, you know I never wear dresses), except for New Year's.

I will try to keep you updated so stay tuned!

Update on zombies, trains and books

Hi everyone, I am sorry I haven't been posting much lately. I am very busy with University: my exams have started and I will have to study day in and day out until the end of July. I will try to post as much as I can, but you will have to be patient.

Here is a quick update on what I have been up to in the past few weeks:

ZOMBIELAND: I volunteer for the Red Cross and we organised a zombie-themed weekend. We played games with and taught basic first aid skills to people stopping by. We told the kids about the importance of a healthy diet and we all had so much fun. I turned into a zombie and scared a few kids ("Look, a zombie on a wheelchair!!!!").

BOOK FAIR: 

Two of our professors are interpreters, they were working at the International Book Fair in Turin. A few of my friends were going and I decided to join them. We thought it would be interesting to see them at work.

That means I had to take the train, which can be a pretty long process when you live in Italy and use a wheelchair. Here is what I had to do once we had picked our trains:

1. Check on the website to make sure both trains were accessible (many of our trains are not!). I was lucky, they were both ok!

2. Email the office to tell them I wanted to take those trains and I needed a ramp because I was on a wheelchair. You have to contact them at least two days in advance (no, you can't just decide to take the train without booking, unless you are willing to walk and carry your chair up and down the stairs).

3. Wait for them to let me know if assistance was available. It was!

4. Get one of my friends' documents so that we could get a cheaper ticket (she was my caregiver xD).

5. Go to the ticket office with our documents and my card and buy the tickets.

6. Go to Genova (it takes about 40 minutes by car) because the railway station in my town is not accessible.

7. Show up at least half an hour before scheduled departure time (note: in Italy, trains are always delayed by at least 15 minutes)

8. Follow the assistance guys on the service elevator and through the basement, which is full of cables and other stuff (passengers aren't supposed to visit that part of the station, but there is no other way to get to the platform on a wheelchair).

9. Wait for the train

10. Get on the ramp and wait for them to connect it to the train so that I could finally take the train with my friends.

When we got there, our professors were already interpreting. It was nice to see them at work and think that maybe someday that will be our job. 

FIRST EXAM: Yesterday I passed the first exam of the semester! I have 4 more coming up in June.

I think that's all, I hope I can find the time to write new posts soon: I have a few topics waiting. ;)

My essay about inclusion

I had to write this essay for my English writing class and I decided to share it with you before I hand it in. As you know, English is not my native language, please excuse any mistakes. Feel free to contact me with any kind of advice! A big thank you to Philip for giving me a couple ideas.

April 2 is World Autism Awareness Day, which highlights the frequent exclusion of autistic people from school and work opportunities. To what extent do you agree or disagree with integrating disabled people into our everyday life?

Many people think people with disabilities should be separated because they are a “burden” to society. Every single person, with or without a disability, is unique, but that doesn't mean someone should be discriminated against because he doesn't fit in society's idea of normal. It is very important to include every person in everyday life and everyone can contribute to society if they are given the chance to. For example, autistic people are often considered “stupid” or “worthless” because of their unusual behavior, but this is just a prejudice caused by ignorance.

Autistic brains work differently from neurotypical brains. Because of the way their brains work, autistic people may need to move their body or avoid eye contact to be able to think and avoid sensory overload, but that doesn't mean they are mentally challenged. Many autistic people can't talk or communicate in a reliable way, so they are often put in special education. Teachers think they can't learn just because they can't demonstrate understanding in a “standard” way. This is not a solution. Society needs to give these kids accommodations to be heard and teach them in a way that they feel accepted and valued. Just because they can't speak, it doesn't mean they can't think or feel just like anyone else. There are methods such as RPM (Rapid Prompting Method) that allow non-verbal kids to communicate through typing, which allows them to be considered smart and reach their full potential. Such methods could allow inclusion of autistic kids in mainstream schools.

The problem of inclusion does not only apply to autistic people but to people with disabilities in general. The main obstacle to inclusion is society's perception of disability. Disabled people are seen as unable to achieve, they are considered a burden instead of a resource. This mindset leads to one of the biggest problems that we have to overcome in order to achieve full inclusion, that is pity. Pity is an obstacle to inclusion because able-bodied see disabled people as an opportunity to be nice and they feel good because they helped the unlucky ones. People who care about and love someone with special needs are often considered heroes, in the same way as people on wheelchairs, for example, are considered heroes just for getting out of bed and remembering their names.

This is a very dangerous way of thinking because it implies someone doesn't deserve to be loved and accepted as much as anyone else just because of their disability and that disabled people are expected to spend their lives at home doing nothing, so it is surprising to see people on wheelchairs living a normal life.

Many people with disabilities, especially if they are mentally challenged, are given jobs “just to give them something to do”. In many cases, people with special needs work very hard and are often underpaid. The people hiring them take advantage of the fact that in some cases they can't advocate for themselves and they don't have a strong support system to “exploit” them.

In many countries, the school system doesn't do much to include kids with special needs in mainstream education. Let's try to figure out what the obstacles are and what we could do to remove them: different kinds of disabilities mean different kinds of obstacles.

Kids with developmental disorders may find it hard to attend a mainstream school because of their lack of social interaction (as in the case of autism), but they could be gradually included if the school makes an effort to help them overcome their challenges, for example by testing them in a way that they can demonstrate understanding, which may not be the typical way. Some kids, for example those with Down Syndrome, have intellectual disabilities that may prevent them from keeping up with the other kids' schoolwork, these kids will have different tasks if necessary, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't be able to do their best and be around their non-disabled peers.

Kids with physical disabilities may have trouble attending school because of physical obstacles, such as stairs or lack of equipment (computers, special desks and so on). These problems are really easy to solve and public schools should make an effort to make the school buildings accessible to kids of all abilities. Inclusion does not only benefit kids with special needs, it also teaches other kids respect for all people and increases their understanding and acceptance of diversity.

People are only disabled when the environment around them doesn't enable them to reach their full potential. By eliminating the obstacles to inclusion, we turn the disability into a distinctive feature, which is not something bad, it is just part of a person and it has to be embraced. If we make an effort to fully include people with special needs in society we will learn to see the world from a different perspective and free our mind from prejudice. Inclusion is something we could all benefit from.

WCMX World Championship: Guest post by David!

Here is a guest post from my friend David from Germany. He flew to the US to take part in the competition and did very well! In this blog post, he tells us about his experience with Team Germany (my friends Lisa, Philipp and Anna are with him together with a couple other guys). If you understand German, you can follow their adventures on "The wheel rocking world of Lisa and David". Thanks David for sharing your post with me!

Team Germany
Ph. Anna Spindelndreier

The World Championship in Dallas is over and it was such a great weekend. I really can't thank the organizers from Rise Adaptive sports enough. After winning an international contest last year in Venice Beach, I was already being called a world champion. But in fact this was the first official world championship: a hard-earned name, with 18 riders from 8 countries.

On Saturday, during the qualifiers, I was very nervous, but apparently my run was very satisfying not only for me, but also for the jury, that rewarded it with the 2^nd place. The first 12 qualified for the final: alongside me there were Aaron Fotheringham, Blake Simpson, Katherine Beattie, Rico Reyes, Toni Quinoero Martin, Jake Harvey, Shaun Doss, Quinn Waitley, Pedro Henrique, Christiaan Bailey and Philipp Cierpka.

We have made a little edit of the runs of team Germany (Lisa, Philipp, Paul and I): https://www.dropbox.com/s/ucqmrdwab71fhh6/wcmx-wm_fb.avi

The kids of Team Box with Aaron Wheelz

On Sunday it was make-or-break. The scores from the qualifiers were invalid, only the two runs from Sunday determined the final ranking. Still, I was clearly not as nervous as I was on Saturday. It was different for Philipp. He was very nervous and worried he could break his wheel, which he had bent on Saturday, during his good qualification run. Even in his final runs, his excitement was noticeable, but he handled it very well and can now consider himself one of the 12 best WCMX riders in the world.

Though for Paul and Lisa the competition was over after the qualifiers, Lisa barely missed the finals with a 13^th place and Paul, after a long mandatory break and with an unfamiliar wheelchair (he got my old TNS with last-minute emergency adjustments) has done well and gained the 15^th place.

David can fly.

Ph. Anna Spindelndreier

So it was Philipp and I in the finals. Philipp was the first one to ride on Sunday, unfortunately he was so nervous he crashed several times: nothing bad, but points are taken away after each fall.

Besides crashes, creativity, style, use of skatepark (that is if you are using everything or just rolling in circles), tricks and lines or combos (the way you connect the different tricks and gaps in the skatepark) are evaluated. Once again, I decided to use my safe repertoire and preferably try not to fall and to make my tricks look as easy as possible, which I did. I was very happy with my runs and I managed to use everything, without crashing in the valid runs and with everything I could do at Alliance skatepark. Without crashing? Well, not really: during the very last trick of the very last run, I still managed to lay on the ground. I have tried to come down the handrail with a 50-50 and fell on my back. Anyway, I only did that because the first run was perfect and I thought: “If I make it, then it's good, but it's not a problem if I don't.” Only the best run was valid.

Aaron's handi-plant

Aaron crashed a few times, but compensated for them with his powerful tricks and managed to take home the title. Blake Simpson, the one I was betting on, who also was 1^st in the qualifiers, unfortunately didn't have luck on Sunday and placed 6^th . The 2^nd place, that went to Pedro Henrique from Brasil, was not surprising but well deserved. Until then, I only knew his breathtaking backflips out of the quarter, which he also showed his ability at during the weekend. He landed all of them except one, putting pressure on everyone. Even Aaron wasn't able to land backflips at such rate. However, in such a contest, a single backflip is not enough to obtain a good place. Pedro proved that he can do other things besides using the jumpramp. His grinds, together with his fakie firecracker down the stairs, were crucial for the ranking.

I followed in the 3^rd place: thereby the jury rewarded my clean runs and my use of the entire skatepark, as well as the fact that I always used each and every second of my 2 minutes. 

A video of Philipp's run, as well as mine, will follow; here are the general highlights: 

With 750 $ prize money and a bunch of new impressions and friends, the adventure continues. Because, as I am writing this text, I am already in Austin, very comfy at the breakfast table. What we experience here, you will find out soon. 

Greetings from Austin, Texas from Lisa, Anna and David

The winners: 1. Aaron Fotheringham 2. Pedro Henrique 3. David Lebuser 4. Rico Reyes 5. Jake Harvey
Ph. Anna Spindelndreier

#WCMXlove

Zac, Mike and I in 2010

As I am sitting here writing my essay for my English class, I can't help but think about my friends from the WCMX family. The WCMX World Championship is taking place this weekend in Dallas, Texas.

I am so happy for them because they get to spend some time all together and have fun shredding. A few days ago, when my WCMX friends from Germany left for Dallas I was so excited for them I even followed their plane on a website called flightradar24. I had a big smile on my face when the plane hit the ground. They were there, ready live their dream, that is my dream as well, and I felt like a little piece of me was there with them. I know they are having so much fun and I can't wait to see all the pictures and videos.

At the same time, I am very sad I have to be sitting at my computer getting schoolwork done while almost everyone from the WCMX family is having a blast in Texas. I can't wait to be done with my Bachelors this fall because I know I will most likely be able to travel to the US in summer 2016 and spend some time with the WCMX family before I start focusing on my Master's.

Now let me tell you what WCMX is and what it means to me:

Can you tell I love Philipp's Box chair?

WCMX is an awesome sport, it's similar to skateboarding or BMX, but instead of using boards or bikes we ride on our wheelchairs. The pioneer of this sport is Aaron Fotheringham, but we call him Wheelz. I have told you about the time I first met him here.

To me, WCMX means hope, it means happiness, love and fun. WCMX means dreams do come true. 

I love the WCMX family so much. As you know Aaron was the first one to make me feel good about my chair. After him, I have met other members of this awesome community: Linda and Zac, who is like a little brother to me; Mike Box, an awesome man who puts his heart and soul into building the best chairs for athletes to shred with and most importantly wants to make people happy; David and Lisa, the best friends and WCMX trainers I could ever ask for, who can always make me feel loved and accepted, even when I fall out of a train because I suck at wheelies; Philipp, who is so patient with me and lets me ride his WCMX chair just because it makes me very happy =P

I love this sport because it is full of love and fun, and we can all have fun together, no matter who we are or where we come from. Sometimes there are misunderstandings and different ideas, but I think we should all stick together and focus on our passion, on what we all love to do. It doesn't matter how you call the sport or who made the chair you ride on, the only thing that really matters is that we can shred together and learn from each other. What is important is that we can show the kids that they can have fun on their chairs and that their disability doesn't have to be a curse, it can be a blessing.

Many people don't understand my love for skating and WCMX, because they think it's stupid and dangerous, but I don't care. It is a passion I have always had and it won't go away. I am proud of it and I think the greatest risk in life is not taking any risk. Even though I am not a very good athlete, I love WCMX and I always will. No matter how many times I'll fall, I will try again.

Philipp, Wheelz and I

World Down Syndrome Day!

Today is World Down Syndrome Day! This post is dedicated to my friends with Down Syndrome.

A lot of people think having a kid with Down Syndrome is a tragedy, but I know that is not true.
I am not an expert, and I know having a kid with a disability (of any kind) can be hard sometimes, but I also know that it is definitely worth it!
I have met quite a few people with Down Syndrome, and they were all extremely joyful and kind. I wish people understood that they sometimes see the world in a different way, but they are not so different from others, because in the end we are all different. I think we should be thankful for this diversity, because it makes us all richer!
My wish for all the people with DS is that society understands their value and abilities and enables them to live a full and normal life and that this prejudice towards them stops.

To my friends with Down Syndrome: you are awesome!