"I want to make something of myself, even if I have epilepsy" - that was always clear to Anton Bals. However, when he came to Bethel in the 1960s, it was a different time. Back then, people with disabilities did not have the same opportunities in society as they do today. "Unfortunately, I couldn't do anything here with the school knowledge I had acquired outside Bethel," says the now 76-year-old, looking back.
Anton Bals was born and grew up in Unna in Westphalia. He enjoyed going to school, had good grades and completed his secondary school leaving certificate. He would also have liked to attend a grammar school afterwards, but he would have had to be healthy for that. Even as a small child, he was treated in various hospitals for his seizures. He first came to the Mara epilepsy clinic in Bielefeld-Bethel at the age of 15. When outpatient treatment no longer worked, he was admitted as an inpatient. In 1962, he moved to East Westphalia and lived in various forms of accommodation in the village of Bethel and in Bielefeld neighbourhoods. Anton Bals worked in many areas, such as gardening, housekeeping and later in workshops for disabled people.
