Birgitta Andersson

Birgitta is in her seventies and although retired, she remains occupied with volunteer work, mostly regarding accessibility and women’s rights. Seeing young people fight for their rights brings her great joy.

Birgitta was born with one arm missing and with limited mobility in her other arm. She developed scoliosis which affected her lungs and makes it very difficult for her to walk. A traffic accident later in life damaged her hip. She has had a personal assistant since 1994.

She has seen a lot of social progress during her lifetime, but says: ‘Unfortunately, the politics regarding accessibility and disability has not moved at the same pace as children’s rights or gender equality or other human rights development.’ The reason, she thinks, is in part that there is a deep- rooted view in society that people with a disability should be taken care of. They are not given the same chances as others.

Birgitta is married, a mother of two and grandmother of three. Her family is what she is most proud of but she is also very proud of her career in social work and rehabilitation. She was chair of the national organisation for people with impaired mobility from 1993-1999. It has meant a lot for her independence to be able to support herself and take her place in society.