Linda Halter - activist
RESC: Linda, how do you usually introduce yourself when you meet someone new?
Linda Halter (LH): My name is Linda Halter. I am on the board of Selbstvertretung Kanton Solothurn (Self-Representation, Canton of Solothurn) and on the Operational Committee of Vereinigung Cerebral Schweiz (Cerebral Association Switzerland), where I work in the areas of accessibility, sexuality and impairment, animal-assisted education (with dogs) and studying with impairment, as well as combating sexualised violence.
RESC: What is your “superpower”?
LH: I’m a fighter by nature and I’m very strong-willed. I was born prematurely in the 30th week of pregnancy and I weighed just 1.07 kg. The medical prognosis gave me no chance of survival, and if I did survive, I would never be able to walk. Today, I can walk. I always knew what I wanted. After a commercial apprenticeship, I completed the vocational baccalaureate and today I’m about to graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in social work from FHNW in Olten. Growing up with two brothers, I learned early on to assert myself. Nothing can really deter me from my goals.
RESC: What are people without physical limitations most amazed by when they meet you?
LH: It’s all about my fighting spirit and my independence. I manage my everyday life independently, together with my dog, a golden retriever. I am very self-reliant, but I also actively approach people and ask for help when necessary.
RESC: In which situations do you feel “dis-abled”?
LH: If a place is not barrier-free, for instance. FHNW University of Applied Sciences, where I study, and my work environment are largely accessible. Privately, however, I encounter many obstacles. For example, I love open-air events. The ground is often covered with gravel or wood chips, which can be an insurmountable hurdle for wheelchair users. Unfortunately, an open-air event that I have been attending for years steadfastly refuses to make the grounds wheelchair-accessible, despite the support I have offered with implementation. I find that kind of an attitude a pity.
RESC: What is your greatest wish for the future?
LH: It should go without saying that we’re included in society. If society doesn’t want to include us for our sake, then it should do so for everyone. Because it’s not only people in wheelchairs who depend on accessibility, but also parents with prams, older people, and anyone with restricted mobility after an accident. Accessibility concerns everyone.
Bio
Linda Halter, aged 26, is completing a Bachelor of Arts in Social Work at FHNW in Olten. She is currently in her final semester. In addition to her studies and Bachelor’s thesis, Linda works in an office. She has had cerebral palsy since she suffered a stroke in the womb, she uses a hand wheelchair and she can walk, and she is independent. In her free time, she is often out and about with her golden retriever, plays Guggenmusik (Carnival marching band music), is active in animal communication and shamanism, and works with two different organisations in the areas of accessibility, sexuality and impairment, animal-assisted education and studying with impairment, and combating sexualised violence. Linda loves to acquire new knowledge.
external pageVereinigung Cerebral
external pageSelbstvertretung Solothurn
Miriam Daepp of the Competence Centre for Rehabilitation Engineering and Science (RESC) spoke with Linda Halter in October 2022.
