Mihaela learned to put on her own shoes, Ștefan – to go down stairs in a wheelchair, and Romică – to put his wheelchair into the car. For Adina, the novelty was discovering a device that allows her to hold the pen and write, even if she has her hand mobility affected. Thus, she can help her daughter with her homework. Horatiu peeled an apple using assistive devices that can compensate his mobility impairments caused by spinal cord injury, after a dive in water.

These are just fragments of the 62 stories about lives changed for the better at the active rehabilitation sessions organized this year by Motivation Romania Foundation. In total, 10 active rehabilitation programs took place: four sessions in Bragadiru, one camp in Constanța, one in Bran and four other camps were hosted in Văratec. The 62 people with spinal cord injuries and related conditions who participated as well as their families learned more about how they can live active and healthy lives while using a wheelchair. In addition to physical therapy and discussions on topics relevant for the prevention of medical complications, participants learned how to handle their wheelchairs, how to dress and put on their shoes, they practiced self-management in a wheelchair accessible environment and learned more about their rights.

The role of the active rehabilitation for independent living sessions is to prepare people who have recently become wheelchair users or who have not yet had the opportunity to learn how to live independently to lead active roles in their community, at work, at home. The multidisciplinary Motivation team participating in these programs includes both physical therapists and social workers, wheelchair technicians and independent living instructors – who are wheelchair users themselves. The independent living trainers at Motivation share personal experience and use their example to guide others to an active lives.

Find out more about how you can support us to change even more lives for the better, through active rehabilitation sessions for people with spinal cord injuries and similar conditions, by following this link: https://motivation.ro/en/support-motivation/.