NEWS & MOVIES ARCHIVE

15th International "Day witouth wheelchair"

A day without a wheelchair is getting more and more mature. This time, socializing stepped forward and moved from the swimming pool into nature. The meeting was held on the coast of the lake in Kocevje. It is the bottom of the opencast mining, in which brown coal was exploited. The lake, which measures approximately 1.5 km², offers many recreational opportunities, such as swimming, boating, sailing, using a sup and diving.

On 14^th July 2018, physically disabled persons and their companions and assistants from Slovenia and Croatia gathered near the shore of the lake. At 11 am in the premises of the Ponirek Diving Club, a colorful company of underwater world enthusiasts gathered, as well as a number of journalists who came to see what people with disabilities know and can do.

The most active were Gasper Glusic and Katarina Peterlin, who attended a Day without a wheelchair for the first time. Gasper was driving along with specially adapted sup and sailing, and Katarina rode along in a canoe. Due to poor conditions, their first dive was postponed, so Katarina and Gasper would have to wait for another opportunity. Despite the bad conditions, Ales Povse Yoda went to explore the world and home of Crayfish (Astacus astacus). Crustaceans, which feel good in the lake because of clean and well-ventilated water and unregulated beaches of the lake. Tatjana Varga boarded the sailboat successfully and began to sail, but unfortunately, she had to finish the adventure early because of the storm.

The spring storm made sure that the participants´ attention was also focused on more serious issues. There was more time to exchange experiences and secrets of people with disabilities, which people, employed in state institutions should be dealing with but they can not, they do not want to, they do not know how, since such socializing is foreign to them, despite the fact that such meetings have been taking place for fifteen years.

Special thanks go to:

members of the Ponirek Diving Society, who welcomed us kindly and helped us with the organization,
Slovenian Army for the car and grill, which was virtuously used by master Zeljko Sreckovic,
Sailing club Kocevje and Bozidar Peteh for sailing training and tasty beans,
Andrej Vlahov, who allowed us to ride with wooden soups and canoes,
innovator Goran Leban for hand-operated sups,
Zavod Kocevsko for a pleasant sleep in new glamping houses,
Doavto d.o.o. and Mercator,
to all journalists who came and
Masa Zivec and Bogo Gruden for photos and video.