Manuela Richter – That's how she rolls

What makes you laugh?

Manuela Richter: My silly young dog Ikarus, my husband – I can laugh so wonderfully together with him – and my immediate colleagues. They make work so joyful.

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

Manuela Richter: Simply start riding my bike/camper without a limited window of time for my holidays. Getting somewhere else everyday by myself and explore Europe for one or two years. Why haven't I done that? Quite disdainful – for monetary reasons ;-)

Which person has influenced you most? And why?

Manuela Richter: My husband. Without him I would not have dared to take a dog into our family. Without the dog I would never have come so close to nature. And again, without my husband I would not have experienced as many new ways to leave the comfort zone and experience adventures.

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

Manuela Richter: I would be hopelessly overwhelmed. Politics isn't mine. First action? Probably have a cup of coffee first.

Manuela Richter: 1. Spendign a lot of time with my dogs in nature/world.
2. Passing this feeling on to others. Inspiring others to go out, stay out and discover the nature/world.

I would like to be ...

Manuela Richter: ... so wealthy in time and money that NOW, where I am (still) physically fit, I could live my dream of reaching the North Cape on my own.

Which question would you like answered the most?

Manuela Richter: How can I overcome single trails on my own, which are completely not accessible?

What I finally want to say...

Manuela Richter: Dog trekking is a fantastic opportunity to explore new paths, move boundaries and experience a very warm and natural community with the support of dogs. Unfortunately, I have never known anyone – except myself – who is so crazy and practices this wonderful sport in a wheelchair. As far as I know, there are only three organizers, who offer accessible routes on their dog trekking events (Elbsandsteindogtrekking, Harzdogtrekking, Schweizdogtrekking) and all would be pleased about a more active participation of wheelchair users.