Maartje (34) owns her own circus company. She is the artistic director at Tall Tales.

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After she finished her studies in performance art, she performed a lot until she injured her leg. Due to an autoimmune disease, it affected her recovery and since then she has been using crutches and a wheelchair. She is able to walk for short moments but experiences a lot of pain so she needs to use a wheelchair.

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Her disability has not stopped her from doing what she loves most. She still works in the circus performance industry directing performances. She also enjoys spending time with her friends when she is free. She has not allowed her disability to limit what she can do and what she loves to do.

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As a theatre director, Maartje sometimes encounter situations where she is unable to demonstrate or portray what she means, but also where she cannot quickly approach the actors to convey something to them, for example in the theatre. This is sometimes due to the accessibility of the location, and she must request them to come to her or send someone else, which is not always feasible. Travelling for work, to see friends or simply to attend an appointment can sometimes be very difficult. This is often because lifts do not work in public transport, she cannot drive herself or it is not easy to take her wheelchair with me. This really limits her independence.

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People also often think that once you are in a wheelchair, you cannot get out of it. In Maartje’s case, she can only get out to walk short distances. She often gets strange looks or always has to justify why she can. She hopes that people can let go of that prejudice a little more and accept that a large proportion of people can get out of their wheelchairs, even if they need them for daily life.

 

Public buildings – schools, theatres, restaurants, museums, etc. – should be accessible to wheelchair users as a standard. This benefits everyone, including those with prams, walking frames, or suppliers.

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If we focus more on individuals and what would best help them to increase their independence, these people would be able to be themselves even more and participate more fully in society. All that paperwork and bureaucracy is now a jungle of rules that is almost impossible for individuals to navigate.

In Rotterdam, 20% of the elevators in public transport are broken at any time. Whenever she travels she needs to take at least 4 elevators on a return trip. That means there is an 80% chance that she needs to wait for the next metro to go to the next station and back.

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When using wheelchair taxi’s, she needs to plan a 3 hour window each way because they might be an hour early, late or take a huge detour. The drivers are overworked and sometimes almost fall asleep. Maartje started avoiding them at all costs.

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Through her experience and from her perspective, Maartje has learned to think in terms of solutions and possibilities, even when faced with