Erhun | Kijk

Erhun's Story

Erhun (27) studied Communication of Media Design as he wanted to be a game developer but later realised that it was more interesting to focus more on the creative side and seeing immediate results so started working as a web designer and strategy expert. He now runs his own company.

Erhun has cerebral palsy and his passion is judo in his free time. He started when he was 7 years old. When he was a young child, his mother was looking for sports clubs for him to join but all of them rejected him due to his disability. They did not want to accommodate for him and thought it would take extra effort to do so, but also they did not know what was needed and never asked what needed to be done. When his mother reached out to his current judo teacher, he was actually the first person saying he was really happy that Erhun wanted to join and there would not be any problem about his disability because they could sort this among them. She cried after hearing that.

Sadly, the rejections he experienced from the sports clubs are a common attitude from such institutions where they do simply not know what to do with children or young persons with differences/disabilities but they also do not even want to try.

Erhun’s biggest supporter in life has always been his mom. Ever since he was young, his mom had told him that his abilities lie with what he believes he can do. She sent him to an regular public school, rather than a school specialised for children with disabilities. The doctors had said when he was young that he would never walk with his legs and would need to use his wheelchair for the rest of his life. His mom believed otherwise. She pushed him to strengthen his legs and made him practice walking since young age.

Now, he is able to walk with the help of a walking aid and he can drive. His mother never saw his disability as a problem and that was ingrained in him as well. This not only impacted his self-confidence and self-esteem as he grew up but also how he sees and identifies himself today. When he was young, there used to be bullies at school but he was not fazed by them. He did and does not see his disability as a limitation but a difference and what other people say or think does not affect how he sees himself and all the things he can do and achieve.

In this society, there is a standard that everyone needs to reach, regardless of your background or disability and that can really impact people’s self-esteem and self-confidence. That’s why so many people with disabilities may feel they are inadequate because there is only one standard and if they cannot fit or reach it, it gives a certain message. The Netherlands is still quite progressive compared to many countries but there is still a long way to go to be a country which really takes people with disabilities seriously and into consideration.