Rubén has enhanced his non-verbal communication: one of his laughs or one of his scared facial expression cause a great impact on the environment. He is very good at empathizing with people and is able to get more than one laugh just by being the one that laughs first.

Rubén likes fun and loves being with his siblings. His mother Arelis, his father Carlos, his brother Adrián and his sister Inés participate in Rubén’s accompaniment and care. One of the grandparents and Fatima, who has been working with the family for more than 10 years, also add their support. Carlos is the one who is mostly in charge of taking Rubén to school and his activities.

“It is difficult to square Rubén’s times with the times of others, because Rubén’s times are not static. What one day can take twenty minutes, another can take more than an hour, and that day you are late to all the sites. Families need more help and not just financially. In order to make life easier and more visible, more understanding and more support are needed on a social level.” Carlos

Another difficulty that not everyone is aware of, is the difficulty in finding housing adapted to the needs of our sons and daughters. Carlos and his family know that the moment Rubén has to change his wheelchair, it will no longer be possible to stay in the apartment where they live, because the dimensions of the chassis will be larger than the opening of the elevator door. Currently, according to data collected by the Spanish Confederation of People with Physical and Organic Disabilities (COCEMFE) there are more than 100,000 people in the Spanish State “prisoners” in their homes due to lack of accessibility in the homes.