There are many myths that a woman with a disability cannot give birth to a healthy child who will not have a disability. For example, we hear myths such as: "A woman with cerebral palsy and epileptic seizures will give birth to severely disabled children."
I am the opposite of these previously mentioned myths. I am a woman, wife, and mother with a physical disability, and I gave birth to two beautiful, healthy children.
Let's start with the beginning of my story.
I come from Slovakia (from the heart of Central Europe). I was born to my parents in the 1990s. In those years, Slovakia did not yet belong to the European Union. In this small but beautiful country, many children with disabilities were already being born then, but life was much harder for these children in villages, where access to healthcare, rehabilitation, and similar support was more complicated. At that time, conditions for support for children and people with disabilities were also worse from the Labour, Social Affairs and Family Offices, or from disability assessment doctors.
My parents and I went to rehabilitation exercises across the border in the Czech Republic. There, children with disabilities were supported much more, much sooner, compared to places like Slovakia.
As the years passed, I completed not only primary and secondary school, but I decided to leave my home village in the Orava region and move to the capital, Bratislava. There I studied social work at university, specifically in the Missionary and Charitable Work program.
Five years of study taught us not only theoretical knowledge, but our university professors also encouraged us toward volunteer work from the beginning. Since I have always felt close to the social group of people with disabilities, I devoted my volunteer work to social service homes with people with disabilities. It gave me a great deal, mainly because I could see for myself how theoretical knowledge works—or does not work—in practice. That is why it is very good when young people acquire practical skills during their studies. It does not matter which social group of people you choose; at least you will know and be able to discover what you want to dedicate yourself to after your studies.
Over the course of five years of study, our university professors taught us not only theoretical knowledge, but they also motivated us from the start to engage in volunteer work. Since I have always had a close connection to people with disabilities, I dedicated my volunteer work to social service homes. This experience gave me a lot, especially the opportunity to see how theory works (or does not work) in practice.
This personal blog is my contribution to debunking myths. I show that a woman with a disability can become independent, complete a university degree, find a partner without a disability, and give birth to healthy children. It requires a lot of determination—from the first independent steps to everyday decisions.
Author: Mgr. Michaela Lorková Contact the author: michaela.herdova05@gmail.com