"Where one sees a difficulty, there may also be an opportunity."

On February 2, the University of Navarra Museum hosted the first session of the series"Training to understand disability,"organized by Tantaka, the academic center's Solidarity Time Bank, in partnership the Iddeas Foundation. Javier García Pajares, Ilunion ambassador, was the first speaker this initiative, which was launched 13 years ago with the aim of raising awareness and educating the university community and society in general about the reality of disability through first-hand testimonies.

In his discussion paper, "Creating an ocean of opportunities,"García Pajares shared his story of overcoming adversity with a great sense of humor. The father of two young children, he says he had to overcome many challenges to obtain a double Degree Business Administration and Law and dare to take part in an exchange in the United Kingdom, which made him the first deafblind student to enjoy this scholarship. As he confessed, he could not imagine a life without this disability, as his condition completely changed him: it made him a better student, led him to take up extreme sports, and inspired him to become a father.

During his testimony, he explained how his contact the mountains began as therapy, following a proposal his psychologist. With his characteristic humor, he recounted that the first time he climbed to the cima Mulhacén, he began jumping around in euphoria, and his guide grabbed guide and said, "Stay still, we're going to kill ourselves." It was during these climbing sessions that he learned that "he could go as high as he wanted." He also pointed out that these activities served to raise awareness in society about deafblindness.

According to him, "the most important thing is to be aware, because ignorance is the biggest barrier you encounter when you walk down the street." In this regard, he explained that a good way to start familiarizing yourself with disability and normalizing it is, for example, to know how to identify the colors of a deaf-blind person's cane (red and white). This way, "you can strike up a conversation with that person and they can tell us how to communicate with them." He also said that, due to his disability, he was bullied in high school. However, he says he does not hold a grudge against anyone, because he believes the problem lies in the environment: "If more time were devoted to Education, people would not end up being bullies."

The discussion paper with loud clapping from the audience, as a form of ovation, after hearing from the guest speaker that this is how a deafblind person can perceive applause, through vibration.

The next session in the series will take place on Monday 9 with employees and managers from TASUBINSA, who will give attendees an insight into the work of this Navarre-based organization, where 85% of the workforce are people with disabilities. On Monday 16, Vanesa Almeida, an elite sailor with a late diagnosis of high-functioning autism and high abilities, and a Paralympic coach, will share her sporting achievements and her challenge climb an "eight-thousander." She will be accompanied by Amaya Núñez, a psychologist at the association Autismassociation . The series will conclude on Monday 23rd with a discussion paper position Miguel Ángel Font, filmmaker and researcher in inclusive cinema and author of more than 300 projects that integrate accessibility as a fundamental part of artistic creation.