Milena was born in 1993. The doctors told her parents the hard news that she was disabled and they would not be able to take care of her. The family agreed to leave the child. Milena was placed in a residential home for children with disabilities, then moved to a home for mentally retarded children. She lived there until her removal on 1.12.2014 and was placed under guardianship when she turned 18. The closure of institutions for children with disabilities in Bulgaria started in this period.
Milena is involved in the activities of the Foundation "St. Nicholas the Wonderworker" in Sofia. She is a member of the Bulgarian Association of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities (BAPID), for supported decision-making of people with intellectual disabilities. As a result of joint efforts and work, with the active participation of Milena, a support network was formed, where her significant adults supported her in making important life decisions. The personal life plan developed describes the steps to achieve her wishes and dreams.
Milena personally expresses her desire to be placed in a sheltered home in Krushari village because she has already built trusting relationships with people in the village and does not want to go to her parents' town - the first important choice in her life. Milena says that she wants to become a hairdresser and with the Foundation's funds she is supported to secure a hairdressing course and pass an exam that enables her to practice the profession of hairdresser.
As long as she was placed under guardianship, very little could change in the girl's life. Her support network walked with her all the way to get this changed. Now she can sign an employment contract, decide how to spend her personal funds, choose who and where to live with... No one will decide for her anymore. Milena started working and voted for the first time in the local elections.
This changed the life of a girl who left an institution and was supported to make her own decisions.
