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Hello!
I’m Isidora Lyristi, founder of “UniqAbilities”, Strategy & Communication Lead at “Sport 4 Development Greece” and… A super proud and grateful participant of the “Crip, Cut, Rewrite!” International Summer School on Disability Representation, which took place in Sarajevo, organised by the ENIL Youth Network with the support of the European Youth Foundation of the Council of Europe.
I’m writing here to share my experience at the Summer School, some key learnings and reflections that stayed with me after I returned home.
For me, it was an experience that shaped me with emotions, insights, challenges…
An experience that opened a different kind of window in my mind. A window that helps me understand the world differently and, more importantly, imagine and create the kind of life that each of us truly deserves.
But first, let me introduce myself a bit more!
Even though I don’t really enjoy being “defined” by my studies/job, I’ll say it briefly for the practical part: I’m a biologist, specializing in human immuno-oncology.
What I do love to identify myself with, though, are my values, actions and even inactions and my life vision. I deeply believe in the multipotentiality of human beings, our ability to carry different passions, stories and dreams. I believe in the silent daily actions people take to build the world they imagine. I believe in the power we all have, each in our own unique rhythm and way, to contribute to a more honest and inclusive society. I love tapping into my curiosity, cultivating blue-sky thinking, exploring people’s uniqueness, and limitless creativity!
And… no, I don’t live in a bubble or in my own pink cloud!!
I’ve met many people around the world who stand for exactly what I described above and, more importantly, who live it through actions.
The Summer School was one of those places filled with people like that.
So, stay with me… and in the next lines, you’ll see exactly what I mean!
What UniqAbilities stands For
While introducing myself, I cannot omit one of my passions: “UniqAbilities”, the community I created to advocate for disability and human rights, social justice, independent living, tangible activism.
“UniqAbilities” was born from a personal need to give back to society what I have experienced in my own life, growing up alongside a person with a disability, Panagiotis.
For me, sharing personal experiences, learnings, un-learnings and challenging both my own beliefs and the wider social status quo was always part of my purpose.
I truly believe that by opening our minds and giving space to our stories, we can create real change, collectively and collaboratively.
Thus, as a strong believer in the power of authentic stories, lived experiences, human interactions and the messages they carry;
I wanted to combine this with my scientific background to highlight the uniqueness of every person, as a whole human being, with or without a disability.
What I love doing through UniqAbilities is connecting seemingly unrelated concepts, exploring how the human brain and body works, how it has changed through evolution, how stereotypes and different realities co-shape them today.
I love using science, storytelling, values, social narratives, case studies; as tools to spark thought, challenge perceptions and open meaningful conversations that can ultimately turn into actions. In general, my “jam” is connecting the dots to create something new at the intersection of different fields to foster a different way of thinking and doing, when it comes to social inclusion, diversity, equity, and acceptance.
My work with Sport 4 Development Greece
Moving from UniqAbilities to my other passion, my partnership with Sport 4 Development Greece, where I serve as Strategy & Communication Lead.
Sport4Dev Greece is an NGO that uses sport and education to promote Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. We believe in the transformative power of sport and education to drive positive social change and create communities where everyone can thrive regardless of gender, age, ability or background.
Supported by the International Olympic Committee, our programs focus on life skills, gender equality, disability inclusion, the inclusion of refugees and migrants, sustainability through sports, peace, and human rights.
From grassroots workshops to international projects, we turn fields into classrooms and players into leaders. Every initiative, every project, and every partnership reflects our deep commitment to empowering individuals and creating a more just and inclusive society. Because inclusion for us isn’t just a goal; it’s a team sport!
Now… let’s move to the heart of this text: the Summer School!
The Summer School experience
Every time I reflect on it, I feel a bit of “mind chaos”, in the best way possible.
There were so many moments, thoughts, mindset’s shifts … and it’s almost impossible to capture them all in words. What I experienced there stayed with me in a way I didn’t expect, louder and more transformative than I can fully describe.
But let’s give it a try, and I hope you can feel at least a little of the energy of the Summer School and enjoy it through my eyes!!
Firstly, I felt like an active part of a truly diverse and inclusive team of people who I had never met before; people with multiple identities, experiences, cultures, mindsets and beliefs. Things I once considered “barriers” or challenges in communication or coexistence, suddenly became “bridges”. Everything worked with respect, openness and tangible acceptance. No matter what or whom.
Secondly, the focus was on people, as human beings, beyond “labels” that others or society try to place on us. The aim was to create a living, safe space for peer-learning, open enough to hold and embrace each of our stories, ideas, needs, doubts, dreams and fears; without “squeezing” us into any predefined “type,” “model” or “system.”
One of the first questions that came to me was:“Why do I not experience such human communities in my everyday life?”
But by the end of the Summer School, this question changed into something much more powerful:
“What am I actually doing to experience such communities in my everyday life?”
From “Why don’t I?” to “What am I doing?’
Through that change, I realized what an ideal (and not impossible) looks like to me…
A society that includes, supports, listens, and relies on each of us. But also, a society where we can rely both on ourselves and on each other. A society that truly nourishes true inclusion.
Most importantly, I realized that I cannot talk about that “ideal society” unless I practice it. Unless I act. Unless I familiarize myself and my community with the world I want to help create.
Because social change can start from each of us, with daily actions. Now!
The Summer School represented that ideal society for me.
It was filled with 14 co-participants, 4 trainers and 4 personal assistants; people who didn’t just have time but made time.
People who left behind other obligations to dedicate themselves to social impact, life-long learning and action. People who want to challenge and “unload” the conformities, stereotypes, narratives and limits they grew up with. People who want to open their minds and make active citizenship a way of living. People who don’t wait for change, but they create it.
Therefore, the Summer School was not just a project. It was a commitment. An attitude towards the world, towards others, and towards ourselves.
Dive into the details we explored!
We explored how stories shape realities and how the media often misrepresent or invisibilize people with disabilities.
Through non-formal education tools, discussions, hands-on workshops and collective reflection:
- We learned how existing narratives in the media influence dignity, human rights, Independent Living and public’s perceptions of disability.
- We, as participants with and without disabilities, worked together to identify stereotypes, challenge harmful portrayals, and understand the Human Rights Model of Disability.
- We experimented with new ways of storytelling that are accessible, human-centered and grounded in lived experience.
- We co-created campaign ideas and materials representing the disability movement based on solidarity, peer support, deinstitutionalization, democracy, self- representation, and self-determination.
The launch of the “Guidelines on Media Representation of Persons with Disabilities”
And now comes one of the parts I’m excited about.
Βeing part of a community that believes the media is not only a mirror but a force for social change made me feel that each human story, can become a “tool” for visibility, empowerment and shifting perceptions.
All the knowledge, conversations, and stories we shared during the Summer School led to something practical and meaningful: the “Guidelines on Media Representation of Persons with Disabilities”, one of the main outcomes of “Crip, Cut, Rewrite” International Summer school. They are the result of a community effort and the desire to change how disability is portrayed.
They were just launched today, and I’m especially proud to share these meaningful guidelines that came out of our collective work:
Given that young media professionals rarely receive training on disability representation, (and those who do often call it insufficient);
We hope the Guidelines will shake things up, start more honest conversations and encourage people to question existing portrayals and stress the power of media to drive transformative social impact.
Because it is our responsibility, whether we use media professionally or not…
To understand that the words we choose, the images we use, the sources we trust and the stories we amplify have real influence on equality, perception and daily life.
An invitation to reflect and act!
Since what I experienced during the Summer School and all the reflections that continues to spark, cannot really be “summarized,” I prefer not to close it with a conclusion.
Instead, I want to invite you, whether you were part of this experience or not, to reflect on it in your own way and to carry it forward in our world.
Each of us, with our own rhythm, ideas, and background, can continue creating and living authentic moments of human connection, shared learning, practical activism, and everyday encounters between people with/without disability as a natural part of our human diversity and social coexistence.
The uniqueness of every human being is not simply a beautiful idea; it is a human right.
As affirmed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, “all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights”.
And let’s remind ourselves that the defense of human rights, Independent Living, and true inclusion begins…
When we approach one another, when we “touch”, “protect”, and “honour” the different “textures”, “colors”, the multipotentiality and the uniqueness each of us carries, regardless of any (dis)ability.
If we accept and embrace that uniqueness, and if we give each other equal space to become changemakers of the world we want to see by doing…
Then something will certainly shift and be shaped differently: more beautifully, more justly, and more inclusively.
Thank you to this incredible team
Last but not least, I would like to express my gratitude and a huge thanks to the whole lovely and incredible project team and fellow participants for that experience we lived together, the safe community we create and our authentic interactions and of course all the lamas and bananas we laughed about together!!
It is rare nowadays to find people that can actively listen to you, try to understand you, respect your personality, self-boundaries, accept and embrace your uniqueness.
Thank you, Nina, Laura, Emmy, Wero, and all my fellow participants.
Thank you for becoming changemakers by doing!
Thank you to the European Youth Foundation of the Council of Europe for supporting this project!
Cheers to the uniqueness of every human being,
Isidora Lyristi
email: isidoralyristi@gmail.com
Instagram: @UniqAbilities
Sport4Development: team@sport4dev.gr
Instagram: @sport4devgr
Important note on accessibility
All of this took place in an environment that fully and sincerely considered our different access needs, ensuring full and enjoyable participation for everyone.
Accessibility is not just a wheelchair ramp, it is far beyond that.
I feel this should be “obvious,” but unfortunately it isn’t. Even in spaces dedicated to inclusion and human rights, I rarely see such thorough attention to every participant’s needs. This project team made it happen!
