Catarina Oliveira is a serious case of charisma, talent for communicating and the ability to approach with intelligence, humor and lightness the many forms of ableism in society and the daily challenges that people with disabilities face on a daily basis.
She is “a rare species on wheels” on her Instagram page, a notable digital project followed by half the world. His videos are very appealing, effective, and interesting and both provide good information and teach us in multiple ways to be more inclusive and attentive to differences. Your life maxim is “Diversity is a fact. Inclusion is a practice.”
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And for about ten years he has dedicated himself to speaking of accessibility, ableism, real life and everything that, for too long, has been pushed to the margins, to the shadow, to invisibility
Her personal story was marked by an episode that occurred at the age of 26 when, on a trip to Rio de Janeiro, to reflect on the future, she suffered an inflammation of the spinal cord, medically called “transverse myelitis” and, from one moment to the next, she was unable to walk, which led to her being hospitalized and then returning to Portugal in a wheelchair.
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Catarina then underwent almost six months of hospitalization and rehabilitation, until she returned to active life, now on wheels.
And despite the radical change, having suddenly stopped walking, and feeling her body below her injury, Catarina states in this podcast conversation that she did not go through any grief or revolt and that she adapted well to the new phase, to the new body.
And he reveals that what cost him most in this process was confronting the various forms of prejudice and architectural barriers in society. A reality that had never crossed his mind before. After all, most of us are ableist without knowing it…
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Catarina even shares that her disability, instead of marking an end to her life, ended up being just a change of chapter.
He decides to major in Nutrition, an area he still pursues, but he quickly realizes that the impact he wanted to have on the world was different…
And alongside the digital project, he specialized in a Postgraduate Degree in Disability Studies and Human Rights, at ISCTE.
Catarina Oliveira is currently a consultant, speaker, creator, and responsible for Academia Access Lab – a social impact start-up dedicated to the inclusion of people with disabilities in culture, sport, entertainment and the job market.
In addition, she is also an Ambassador for the Salvador Association.
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In other words, Catarina began to dedicate her professional life to deconstructing prejudices, breaking bubbles and (also) placing disability in the “mainstream”, because people with some type of disability should not be considered the exception (or special ones), nor a footnote in society.
Because, according to the latest Census data More than one million people in Portugal have a disability. Which represents more than 10% of the population. Although Catarina believes that this is an underrepresented reality and the number is much higher.
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Catarina makes it clear that she deeply believes that people with disabilities do not want to be “fixed”. And he states that, above all, “they want to have dignified, banal, autonomous, capable lives. Like any other person. But with the adaptations that are due to them.”
And about this he says more: “Error is not existing in a wheelchair. Error is a post in the middle of the sidewalk. Error is a ramp that looks like a wall. Error is attitudes that infantilize, diminish and take away autonomy. People with disabilities are people. And society has to start talking to us and not just about us.” Words by Catarina Oliveira.
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But life is not just work. And there are many other sides and issues that are important to you.
Perhaps the one that Catarina is currently most dedicated to is motherhood. As she is the mother of Kai, a five-month-old baby, and is now discovering this adventure and this new role with love, humor, short nights and a lot of learning. And she has revealed in several videos what her days are like, between a schedule full of professional commitments and the demanding demands of motherhood, always on wheels. A mother on wheels.
But, in the last video she published, Catarina Oliveira revealed one of the downsides of her intense life, when she reported that after a bad night’s sleep, in which Kai didn’t rest, she felt unwell in the morning and had difficulty clearing her work schedule. And he tried until the last to fulfill everything.
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Then he reflected on the importance of listening to the body and the excessive demands it takes on himself to avoid failing anything. An evil of the times and of this fast-paced society? A topic discussed in this first part.
And what else? Catarina says about herself that she is a “shy extrovert”. Who is super demanding of himself and has difficulty accepting compliments.
And, most important of all, he believes that “we can all be agents of change, whatever the area, and we must all complain, raise awareness, educate or, simply, not whistle to the side” on these issues.
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Catarina does her part and every day, in her own way, she tries to use her voice to open doors, straighten ramps and make disability no longer the elephant in the room. And start to be seen more naturally.
To what extent does the motto “all different, all equal” feel in law and apply in everyday life?
Are we an increasingly inclusive society or is it still quite ableist and discriminatory, with many stereotypes and clichés about disability?
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How does Catarina reflect on these times of greater extremism, polarization and less empathy with others and with difference, which by certain extremist forces is treated as an insult and a throwing weapon?
Are we experiencing a setback in society and inclusion policies? What measures in your opinion would be urgent to take politically for a fairer society, accessible to everyone?
All these questions are posed to you. Who is Catarina Oliveira in the bread line, with Kai, on her lap? The episode starts with this question.
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As you know, the generic is signed by Marcia and has the collaboration of He had taken. The portraits are by Tomás Almeida. And the sound design of this podcast is João Ribeiro.
The second part of this conversation will be available this Saturday morning.