Annton Beate Schmidt - That's how she rolls

When did you last laugh heartily and what about?

Annton Beate Schmidt: One hour ago. About my Labrador Emma and her absurd attempts to make me share the meat on my bread with her.

What have you always been wanting to do and why have you never done this so far?

Annton Beate Schmidt: My pilot’s license. Even as a child I was fascinated by flying women. But somehow I never had enough money for this. And I realized that driving a car is also little bit more suitable for daily use.

Which person has influenced you most?

Annton Beate Schmidt: There is no special person among others. But I am fascinated by people who go their very personal way – without letting other people or their own doubts disturb their plans.

You have the chance to become the German Federal Commissioner for the Disabled. What would you do first?

Annton Beate Schmidt: I would drive the point home that equality rights for people with disabilities are no privileges. They are written down in the German constitution and in an extended version also in the UN Convention on the Rights of Person with Disabilities. These are binding contracts. So please Germany, do your job.

Your life is made into a film: Who would represent you?

Annton Beate Schmidt: Robert Downey Jr. – it would be exciting to let a man play my stories, because I think some of them would have been different if I were a man. At least they would have been rated differently.

I would like to be ...

Annton Beate Schmidt: Basically I am very happy with being me. But maybe it would sometimes be helpful to be the more relaxed version of me.

Which questions would you like answered the most?

Annton Beate Schmidt: Questions philosophers deal with for already thousand years. But maybe it is okay to not being able to answer some things.

What I finally want to say...

Annton Beate Schmidt: Actually something which is quite commonplace: "Dear fellow human beings, disabled parking spaces do not exist because somebody is too lazy to walk. Getting in or off a car with crutches or using a wheelchair is not easy. And it requires especially one thing, it requires space. So if such parking spaces are more or less blocked in, it might happen that I cannot get in my car or have to wait for hours in my car until help or the police is coming. This annoys me and takes away a lot of my time. Even if you believe you only stopped there for some minutes. So please think about it before you park there. Just let it be."