What if your life changed overnight? We talk about inclusion with Angela Fabre.

Do you know anyone who is completely perfect?

Ángela Fabre is Spanish, and from a young age she became interested in integration, accessibility , and the rights of people with disabilities, as her best friends had disabilities when she was a child.

Angela witnessed firsthand all the care and needs her friends experienced , and how society wasn't yet adapted to these demands. When she moved to another city, she lost contact with them for several years, yet this friendship would forever shape her ideals.

This conviction became even stronger when a decade later he met one of his friends again and experienced discrimination firsthand , when they were not allowed into a nightclub because of their scoliosis.

What is Angela Fabre's mission?

After experiencing all these situations from a very young age, Angela discovered she wanted to be a spokesperson for integration and inclusion. She was very clear that this should be her way of contributing and trying to improve the quality of life of thousands of people.

She trained professionally as a Pediatric Nurse and Early Childhood Educator. Although she is no longer practicing as such, she uses all this knowledge and experience to collaborate and promote full and universal accessibility.

From her Facebook page , "My Name is Angela," she strives to raise awareness about issues that people without disabilities might not notice, topics and testimonies that help us understand how important it is for society to include everyone.

Learn about the important donation Angela Fabre made to the ADIMO Foundation #COUNTWITHTHERAMART

What would happen if your life changed from one moment to the next?

Angela conducts an empathy exercise, based on the following question: What would happen if your life changed and you lost your functionality?

The reflection focuses on the rights you would like to retain even if you have a disability . Would you like to continue working and studying? Would you like to be able to go out comfortably? Would you like to continue having friends and/or a partner?

"You wouldn't want to feel like a freak , would you? You'd probably like to have a normal life and feel part of society," Angela says in her exercise.

Being part of society means being able to do whatever you want without being hindered by where you live . Places should be adapted for everyone; one's home shouldn't be a prison, nor should the city and surroundings.

Paula Miranda's life suddenly changed after a traffic accident. Years after the tragedy that left her quadriplegic, she became Miss Wheelchair. Learn about her impressive life story here.

Accessibility and diversity as a goal

Angela isn't naive or simply idealistic; she's perfectly aware of the obstacles that make full integration difficult. She knows that sharing messages on social media isn't enough.

But the only way to change reality is by taking action, by getting down to work . By confronting prejudices, establishing a point of view, and trying to break them down.

Angela's goal is universal accessibility , which is a fundamental and basic need that will make life easier and simpler for everyone.

And while the changes may be small at first, in the long run each step adds up and there will be remarkably significant results.

Accessibility in Latin America vs. Spain

The state of public roads, access to transportation, and the ability to move freely around the city, whether in public or private settings , are recurring themes in several countries, even in European cities considered to be in the first world.

Fabre has participated in reports and interviews with people with disabilities in Latin America and Spain and has been able to make comparisons regarding experiences and testimonies , and in all cases there are complaints about these three pillars of inclusion as pending matters.

In Angela's words, "In Spain, universal accessibility is currently being taken into account, but it is never enough, as it is difficult to adapt to all needs; in fact, some businesses, products, or services do not comply with accessibility regulations."

Putting yourself in someone else's shoes to understand the magnitude of this problem: Training, information, and empathy.

The first step to understanding the scope of universal accessibility is to educate yourself and understand the regulations. Establishments, products, and services must be monitored and required to comply with the law.

For example , no restaurant should be open if it does not have adapted bathrooms or a door wide enough for a wheelchair to pass through or an access ramp.

What is Full Inclusion?

According to Ángela Fabre, full inclusion is respect and acceptance , regardless of the type of disability, personal tastes, gender, ethnicity, sexual preference, skin color, or nationality. It is the acceptance of diversity.

She is certain that, through the exercise of empathy and outreach, it will eventually be possible to enjoy an ever-increasing degree of accessibility and integration.

Society, institutions, and individuals, whether we are communicators or not, have an important task to raise awareness. We must educate future generations to naturalize diversity . There is no such thing as weird, there is diversity.

“ We are all part of the world around us in one way or another . And we all, to some degree, have some degree of disability. In the sense that we all have flaws and virtues, but we have the world and society as a common thread,” asserts the creator of My Name Is Angela.

Angela is very important to Theramart. Through her knowledge, values, and philosophy of life, she gives visibility to a group that needs to strengthen its rights.

It's a source of inspiration and motivates us to continue researching and developing products and accessories to improve people's comfort and quality of life.

What did you think of Ángela Fabre's struggle? Do you support her cause? Follow her on social media and don't miss any of her updates.