Silvana Pérez Abujder is 28 years old and has bilateral hearing loss. She is an aeronautical engineer and also co-founder of and chairman of the hearing organization ASHICO.
Before joining ASHICO, Silvana was very shy and socially isolated. But that changed when she met others in the same situation as herself. The community and understanding she encountered from the others in ASHICO made her start to dare to take on and believe in herself.
-Today I feel strengthened and eager to learn more. The change I went through with the help of ASCHICO has not only affected me but also my family and has given me the opportunity to go further than I ever thought I could, she says.
Before ASCHICO, Silvana had low expectations for herself and for life in general. She is well aware of how
it is difficult to be a woman with a disability. She had therefore never imagined that she would be able to get a good education, let alone that she would become the chairman of an organization.
Silvana hopes that more people with disabilities will do like her and join an organization that fits
them. Silvana believes that by organizing ourselves we get a more inclusive society.
- I think it can lead to more opportunities for people with disabilities, a better quality of life and that we ourselves can be involved in deciding. It makes a big difference when we work together for equality and equality, says Silvana.
