About myself

You'll find here biographical information about my childhood and youth, about my studies and professional work, about my involvement in politics and about my life in Ecuador

Childhood and youth

I arrived in the world in 1953 as a "spirit of nature" and was born with arm and leg stumps. At the age of three I was fitted with the first leg prostheses which began the attempts,-which I never wanted-, at normalisation.
I attended kindergarten and primary school in catholic Triengen. After the sixth class I went to the grammar school (Gymnasium) in Beromunster where a small home for female students had just opened. Continual bullying from the Latin teacher made a change of school unavoidable. Five years later I passed 'A levels' (Matura). On the evening after the celebration party for this, I removed my prostheses. They were later burnt. (Download PDF-Data: "werft die Prothesen weg!").

University studies

After 'A' levels I began to study Education at the University of Fribourg, with Journalism as a subsidiary subject. Because of the almost exclusively behavioural therapeutic emphasis of the educational studies, I concentrated entirely on journalism, and in 1978, graduated with the Diploma. I dreamed of working as a media educationalist, but had to realise that I could not practise this profession without assistance, because I was physically unable to handle the video equipment, monitors, cameras, and so on. In Zurich I studied Psychology, Education and Remedial Education and graduated in 1983 as Licentiate. I financed this second degree with free-lance journalism(political satire, social topics) for the Swiss radio (DRS). Parallel to the Psychology degree, I underwent a six year educational analysis according to C.G. Jung, and studied Astrology.

Political involvement

A friend who refused to do military service for political reasons was sentenced to nine months in prison. His trial, -a farce-, was an important point in my political development. I soon realised that I myself suffered from double discrimination: as a disabled person, and as a woman. I was active in the self-help movement of disabled persons. From 1976-1980 I was President of the Swiss self-help organisation CeBeef (Club for the Disabled and their Friends). In Fribourg we founded the cantonal section of FBB (Women's Liberation Movement). As well as feminist theory and practice I worked intensively with the Frankfurt school.
Since 1990, because I was personally affected, I have been active against eugenics and against gene and reproduction technology. For four years I was on the committee of Nogerete (The National Feminist Organisation against Gene and Reproduction Technology). For six years I worked intensively with FraP! (Women make Policy), Zurich, and was twice one of their candidates for government.

Profession

Before taking my Licentiate exams, I began giving astrological advice. This showed that people wanted treatment from me regularly and on a long-term basis. I opened a practice as a psychotherapist and was soon supervising therapists who worked with people with learning difficulties (mentally handicapped).
Because many of my clients had been sexually abused as children, I became, over the years, a specialist on this subject. In 1991 I spoke publicly for the first time on the subject of the sexual abuse of disabled women. Because of this paper, the then Austrian Minister for Women, Johanna Dohnal, proposed the first international symposium. The horrifying extent of sexual violence towards women and girls with disabilities was made known. Together with Erika Pircher (www.genderlimk.com) and commissioned by Dohnal, I carried out a problem and treatment oriented research project, the first in the world, on this subject. With this research study I attained a doctorate from the University of Zurich in 1997.

For some years I have offered further education on this subject to professionals in institutions and given lectures at different European universities and colleges. One of the most important preventive measures is a happy active sexual life for adults in institutions. For this reason I also give training courses on the sex education of people with learning difficulties.
This training and that on supervising against structural violence in institutions, I have continued to offer since closing my psycho-therapeutic practice in 1997.

Art

Foto In 1977, I was portrayed (together with my then husband) in the documentary film "Disabled Love" by Marlies Graf. I worked too with the script-writing team for this film. In 1981 I played three different roles in the film "Freak Orlando" by Ulrike Ottinger in Berlin.

Through several workshops and a training by Alito Alessi lasting several weeks I was introduced to the World of Danceability (www.streamcommunication.com/danceability). This dance form, further developed by Alessi and based on contact improvisation, excludes no-one whatever their limitations. At the performance festival "Im Puls Tanz" in Vienna, I appeared with Daniel Aschwanden (www.thing.at/bilderwerfer) and Steve Paxton in "Crash Landing".
In the dance play "Spirit of Nature" from "Theatre marie" I acted and danced with Stine Durrer, Salome Schneebeli, Alito Alessi and Erich Hufschmied. The directors were Christine Rinderknecht and Heinz Gubler.

In Paris, I attended and partly led Alain Valade's courses on "Voice and Psyche".
Hadwig Guggenbühl taught me classical singing for three years. With Tamia Fayre (Paris) I trained in voice improvisation, and with Franziska Gohl in rhythm.

Emigration and life in Ecuador

Foto I had prepared for this step for two years and finally in September 1997, it was ready. On a site in San Pablo (ca. 80 km north of Quito) I had a ruined building renovated and an adobe house built. Adobe are tiles made from clay mixed with finely chopped Paramo grass and water, and dried in the sun.

Foto Here I was able to make real what had never been possible for me in Europe. With the support of the able architect, Jorge Echeverria, a wonderful building has been created, designed down to the last detail for my special needs. This gives me the greatest possible independence such as I have never in my life enjoyed.
Three employees and their children live on my property. Two dogs, ducks, a pair of geese, chickens, bees, fish, frogs, toads, wonderful birds, many dragonflies, and at night, fireflies, enliven the surroundings. The organic vegetable and flower garden is laid out as a labyrinth. Rainwater is collected in four ponds from which the productive garden can be watered in periods of drought.

Outlook for the future

As a Swiss national living abroad I am affected by various developments. On the one hand, Ecuador is in an extremely difficult political and economic position, afflicted by inflation running at over 300%, strongly driven by the change to a Dollar economy.

On the other hand, at the end of 2002, Switzerland plans to replace the disability allowance for disabled people by assistance support. This is laudable but it does not apply to everyone. It appears that for us disabled Swiss nationals living abroad the disability allowance will simply be taken away and nothing will be put in its place.

If this should be the case, I shall certainly be forced to return to live in Switzerland.
An irony of fate: I emigrated years ago because, among other reasons, a self-determined life with financial assistance support was not possible in Switzerland; now, for good or ill, I must go back because I can no longer afford to live in Ecuador without a disability allowance and without assistance support.
My life is that of a nomad and will not become less so in future.

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