An article written by YHD – Association for Disability Theory
“If we had disagreements, we quickly and amicably resolved them in the pub.” Aleksander Praprotnik –
Due to his disability, Aleksander Praprotnik lived for a long time in an institution – a senior citizens’ home, where he also met his current partner, Viktorija, who worked there. The spark had ignited and after eight years, Sašo and Viki (as they are called by their friends) wanted to move in together somewhere on their own. That’s when YHD – Association for Disability Theory and Culture stepped in and helped Aleksander to move in one of their transitional flats.
Sašo quickly warmed up to independent living and personal assistance, and became extremely active – he trained as a peer counsellor (an activity in which a professionally trained person with a disability talks to another person with a disability who is experiencing some kind of hardship), he has run Bontonček (Etiquette) workshops aimed at raising awareness of disability among primary school pupils, and now he is also one of the volunteers in the Inter-neighbourly – Inter-generational Help project. “I never imagined I would ever be a volunteer. It can be quite demanding, but it is also a pleasure, because I get to know different aspects of people living independent lives and how they live them. I was encouraged by an email I received from the YHD association, saying that they are looking for volunteers who are willing to help other people selflessly. You could say that I am a do-gooder and a pacifist at heart. My motto has always been: ‘Make love, not war!’ Well, in this case it is: ‘Make friendship, not war!'” explained Praprotnik, who has felt some changes in himself since he started volunteering: “Of course, on the other hand, I feel that my life is much fuller and my soul is also becoming more and more refined. And yes, I definitely feel that you have to help your fellow human being, not throw them away like a pile of rubbish just because they are a little different.”
Given that Aleksander can only move using his mouth (this is how he operates his electric wheelchair), he knows what he’s talking about, as he has often been prejudiced himself. His user is David, and they met at the Kamnik Training Centre for Disabled Youth, where they were boarders together. Now that they live in the same neighbourhood, both are personal assistance users, and Sašo is also a peer counsellor, they spend a lot of time together: “David is a very interesting and friendly guy. You could say we’ve known each other forever and generally like to hang out. We share a passion for computers. I’m an amateur IT guy, but David and I help each other a lot with various programs, share experiences … If a component needs to be replaced, it’s never a problem. When time permits, we sometimes go on trips together, we like to play chess and cook. Cooking in general is a great pleasure for me, because I am also a very big gourmet and I know what great food is.”
Despite the many common interests that he shares with David, there are still occasional conflicts, which 43-year-old Aleksander, who wanted to become a police officer in his youth, does not hide. “Misunderstandings arise in every relationship, but if a person is honest enough and trusts the other person, then you can talk it out. Even if David and I have a disagreement, we always discuss it. However, these situations do not happen very often. There have been instances where we disagreed about computers, but we quickly and amicably resolved it in the pub,'” concluded a great lover of music and the accordion and added: “New experiences are always welcome for me. I wouldn’t say that I am a better person because I am a volunteer, as I don’t need that validation. But it brings David joy as he becomes more active, and it is also an honor for me to work with people.”
