#wheelchair travel
Nursina Galieva is a 27 year old wheelchair dancer and model from Moscow, the Russian capital.
She was born with spina bifida myelomeningocele. This is a condition in which there grows a malformation in the spine during pregnancy that causes damage to various parts of the spinal column, including the spinal cord. It can range from mild to severe, depending on the shape, size, and location of the malformation. In Nursina’s case, the spinal cord became completely severed. Because of this she never had any feeling in her legs and she has been paralyzed from the waist down for all her life.
Nursina always had a very positive outlook on life and she’s always been known for her spontaneous and outgoing character. As a child, she had lots of friends with whom she loved to play and hang out with. As Nursina grew older she also developed a growing interest for music, and at parties she was never shy to dance along with everyone else.
In 2011, a friend suggested that Nursina should try the sport of wheelchair dancing. “Right away I understood that I wanted to take it up. Everything came together for me, and I found a partner practically right away.” It didn’t take long before she decided to start dancing competively and she now dances in tournaments throughout Russia and Europe. Her biggest achievement as of today was winning a bronze medal at the 2019 World Dancing Championships in Bonn, Germany.
While dancing always comes first for Nursina she also loves fashion, modeling and photography. She was crowned Miss Independence in 2013 and won the “Pearl of Tatarstan” beauty contest, held in the Russian city of Kazan!
Besides all this, Nursina loves to play pool, swimming, going to the beach or go on road trips with her car. She is also an avid traveler and doesn’t shy back for the more extreme activities like skydiving, which she has already done for three times!
Shannon Kelly is a 27 year old journalist, writer and travel blogger who wrote lots of articles and stories about her trips around the world!
When Shannon was just 2 years old, she was diagnosed with a spinal tumor. Fortunately, the tumor could be completely removed. Nevertheless, her spinal cord was damaged in such extent that it left her completely paralyzed from her waist down.
Ever since Shannon was young, she had an adventurous spirit, a passion for nature and a huge love for animals. After graduating from high school, Shannon wanted to get out of her comfort zone and travel abroad before starting college; “I was 17, in a wheelchair, and a newbie to international travel, but I didn’t want to let any of these things stop me from having the adventure of a lifetime”, She says about the beginning of her very first trip to Costa Rica. This turned out to be such a success that she has made many more since then! If you’d like to know more about all of Shannon’s travels, I can really recommend you to read the story she wrote for HuffPost! ⬇️
My Perspective on Inclusive Study Abroad
Shannon soon felt that all the great experiences she had during her travels were worth sharing with the rest of the world. That’s why she started writing a blog, and it didn’t take long before some of her stories were published in various newspapers and magazines!
Many of Shannon’s articles are about her own experiences as a traveler in a wheelchair, which are packed with useful tips and tricks for people with disabilities! Nonetheless, she also wrote some great stuff for the ‘general’ traveler like sightseeing ideas and 'things to do’. If you’re interested in reading some of Shannon’s work, you can visit her website, where you’ll find a portfolio with references to everything she wrote! ⬇️
