Marcel Renz wants to show that people with disabilities are like everyone else. As Commissioner for the Disabled, this would be exactly the goal of his campaign. Because every person should be accepted and respected as she or he is. Who has influenced him positively in his life and how he otherwise rolls, he tells on REHACARE.com.
Name: Marcel Renz Age: 37 City: Edingen-Neckarhausen, Germany Occupation: Freelance author and journalist Impairment: I live with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, sit in an electric wheelchair, am permanently ventilated and have 24 hours personal assistance.
Marcel Renz: Word games, dialects, making fun of someone.
What have you always been wanting to do and why have you never done this so far? Marcel Renz: Travelling by plane to a far away country. I am worried that something will break on my electric wheelchair.
Which person has influenced you most? And why? Marcel Renz: My father, because he gave me positive and solution-oriented thinking and has always encouraged and challenged me to this day.
You have the chance to become the Commissioner for the Disabled. What would you do first? Marcel Renz: I would start a large-scale campaign and show everyone that people with disabilities are just like everyone else – with all the needs and other characteristics that make people up. As one measure of the campaign I imagine a film with insights into the everyday life of different people with disabilities.
What is especially near and dear to you? Marcel Renz: To accept people as they are, to always treat them with respect and to see the good in people. It is also important to me to build a bridge to people without disabilities. I also hope that our health system will not be destroyed by greed for profit.
I would like to be ... Marcel Renz: ...a successful book author and paraglider.
Which question would you like to be answered the most? Marcel Renz: Why do some people have to be in such a bad situation? And how can we eliminate the striking inequality in the world?
What I still wanted to say... Marcel Renz: I like people who approach me and are open to me. In the future, I would like to see more solidarity and less egoism in society.
