It all started with a letter from a girl called Vilja.
Below you can read her letter. It is her story and many others that have inspired us to create Mariko.
She wrote as follows:
I dream of life on the same terms as everyone else. Being able to go with my friends and train, study at the university and get a job at the web agency that I practiced at during high school.
I have a neuropsychiatric disability (NPF) which for me, means I have sensory and executive challenges. These challenges make it very difficult for me to handle noisy environments, and loud sudden sounds, they physically hurt.
I have to fight very hard to be able to organize and plan my day since my working memory is as good as a goldfish. When unplanned changes happen, such as the subway being late or lessons at school being suddenly changed or cancelled, I get very stressed and sometimes I have a meltdown and need several days to recover.
I am faced with various challenges and obstacles on a daily basis due to my disability, the ignorance of those around me and inaccessible environments. It takes a lot of energy to make the day work and already after lunch I am often very tired and full of anxiety.
I often feel ashamed and stressed about depending on others for support and having to explain every day why I sometimes need help with things that to you are obvious and super simple.
I'm tired of feeling anxious every time about whether I should join my friends for coffee, whether I dare to apply for the further education I dream of or that I have forgotten something important again.
The personal challenges, the ignorance of those around me, the anxiety and the dependence on others results in that I often refrain from getting involved in different activities. For long periods I have neither met friends, studied nor worked. It is easy for me to isolate myself and then feel very bad mentally. It becomes a negative spiral that is difficult to get out of.
What if...
- I had a tool that I could always have with me that would make me more independent?
- I always had access to personal support when I needed it without having to ask my friends or parents every time?
- more people had knowledge about my particular challenges and what help I need?
- I had a day without anxiety!
