Close to people | Stories from Bethel
“I think it's important to break down prejudices”
Jutta Ehlers is committed to talking with people, not about them. She has been using various Bethel support services for more than 40 years. And for Bethel's integrative public relations work, she regularly talks about her life to groups of visitors who come to find out about Bethel.
"I came to Bethel because I had bad epileptic seizures and was quite limited as a result," says Jutta Ehlers. The first seizures came during puberty. In 1984, at the age of 24, Jutta Ehlers came to Bethel. She was admitted to an inpatient residential centre in the village. A time that she remembers well: "We were allowed to do an incredible amount. We were always told that we should live our own lives regardless of our illness."
And that is what Jutta Ehlers did and does - then as now. She organises her day independently and self-determined. In the mornings, she works in Bethel's Kracks wood workshop: oiling, sanding, gluing - she enjoys the varied work with the different products. "I've always liked the fact that everyone can work at Bethel," she says. Having a daily structure is important. "I come home from work around 2 p.m. and do what I have to do." Shopping, getting involved in the presbytery of the Zion congregation or the political regulars' table. "I think it's important that people with disabilities have a say," emphasises Jutta Ehlers. "I like to be involved and want to know what's going on."
"Here I can be who I am"
Many school pupils and confirmands who come to Bielefeld to find out about Bethel's work also want to know what it's all about. "In the past, the groups that came here asked themselves where the walls were that actually enclosed Bethel," remembers Jutta Ehlers. The fact that this perception has changed over the years is also thanks to her. "I want to tell people how I have experienced my time here at Bethel so far," she says.
For example, there is living. Jutta Ehlers has now lived in several different residential care centres. "You don't have to have your own flat to be independent," says Jutta Ehlers. "Where I live, I try to do as much as possible on my own. But I still get the support I want. And I know that if I have any doubts, there's always someone in the background who can help me." A reassuring feeling for her. And yet she still has the freedom she wants.
"I also think it's important to say that I was always at Bethel voluntarily. Because I had the feeling that I was accepted here with my epilepsy," emphasises Jutta Ehlers. "Here I can be who I am and develop further." The young people who visit Bethel have often had little contact with people with disabilities. Jutta Ehlers wants to change that. "I think it's important to break down prejudices," she says with regard to her involvement in integrative public relations work. "And I really enjoy doing it."
Text: Marten Siegmann | Photos: Matthias Cremer
This story simply told
Jutta Ehlers has lived in Bethel for more than 40 years. She came at the age of 25 because of epilepsy. Since then, she has lived in various Bethel homes. Today, she talks about her life to groups of visitors who want to find out more about Bethel. She wants to help dispel prejudices against people with disabilities.
