Kichwa 🇪🇨 Borikua 🇵🇷 

This Indigenous Athlete Women’s Coach says: “I am an Activist, Singer/Dancer, as well as a disabled loving mother of five beautiful children. Yes! I said 5.” Those are the proud words of Michelle Sepulveda Bagua Inaru 

She proudly adds: “What can I say? I'm probably the CHILLEST girl you will ever meet, haha! I've lived in San Diego my whole life and wouldn't trade it for the world besides Puerto Rico...I know what I want and I'm NOT as high maintenance as I may look. I can't stand people who base their decision on whether they like me or not after only 5 minutes of hanging out with me.

“Stick around ‘cause I’m barely getting warmed up! Quit trying to "FIGURE ME OUT” I come fully assembled and look great in just about everything! I like taking care of people when they're sick or just need a shoulder to cry on. I tell great stories, but I’m really bad at telling jokes....I can make you cry till you laugh and laugh till you cry and almost pee your pants, haha! I'm finally happy in my life...I feel complete. So come and add to my GREATNESS!”

Those are the strong words from this woman, who despite ups-and-downs is an inspiration to all! Despite her disability it hasn’t stopped her, She’s both action/words! An inspiration to all!

I asked her some questions, starting with this one:

Q. In your FACEBOOK ACCOUNT you describe yourself as an Indigenous Athlete Woman's Coach, Activist, Singer/Dancer, Mother Disabled. That’s remarkable. That’s remarkable. 

 A. Thank you, I am the head female coach for an International Indigenous team, The Mesoamerican Ballgame Association USA or AJUPEME USA (Asociacion de Juego de Pelota Mesoamericano USA) is the main sports organization for Ulama de Cadera in the United States.[1][2] It is a member of the International Mesoamerican Hip Ball Game Association based in Mexico.  Right now we are working to bring back the indigenous sports of Ulamalitzi, also known as Ulama or Pok ta Pok,Pelota Purépecha also known as Pelota Bastón, Both Mayan ballgames and Lastly. Batu a Borikua(Puerto Rican) ballgame. As being part Borikua by blood it is not an honor, but I am privileged to be able to be a part of this movementin bringing back my ancestral ballgame Batu through my Borikua inheritance. 

Q. You’re a coach? Do you tell people of your disability? And can you describe your disabilty? 

I am the womens head coach for an international indigenous group Ajupeme. That group is part of the San Diego chapter, the Tlcoyotes of California. I also speak about my disabilities. I have more than one. As a one year-old infant suffered a brain injury.  Because of that I always had problems academically. I have always had learning problems. Retaining information is one of my biggest struggles, which I still face today. Learning new things is very difficult for me. My mind is like a gold fish. I can forget things very quickly. So my best friends are sticky notes.  Those sticky notes remind of tasks I did the previous day previous. Without the notes I would not remember the tasks on my own. My short-term memory is very limited. I wake up every day not remembering the day previously. I struggle with this on a daily basis. I was diagnosed with a negative/positive Ana Lupus diagnosis in 2010. 

Q. Like you, I have a disability. So let me ask this. Should people tell people of your disability when looking for a job?

A. As a disabled individual I sometimes feel discriminated personally when looking for employment. Therefore I would have to say to any disabled individual to be discrete. This world isn’t made with disabled individuals in mind. I have been fighting for disability since 2015 and most lawyers will not touch my case, since I am not only disabled, but an athlete. This world is not made for disabled individuals. 

Q. There's a movement to: "ERASE THE R WORD." What is your reaction of the word “retard.” Should there be punishments if it's used?

A. I feel the word in itself is tasteless and wrong. I do have a delay in progress, development and accomplishment, but so what... the R word itself should be banished.

Q. You are a mother. What do you tell your children about disability?

As I said, I am the mother of 5 grown adult children. When they were young I would tell them “mommy is sick”. As they got older I would educate them more and more, the same way I had to educate myself to understand my conditions and limitations. Through the years my children understood that the sun would drain my energy and send me into excruciating pain, but they didn’t understand why, same as the medical doctors don’t understand why. They would just see me in pain and in bed, but the older they got they would understand that not only is this disease hard to diagnose it’s also hard to understand, and whether other factors play a big role in my health. For example, the role of food intake with sugar, or the way  cold weather affects me and causea pain through my body. They see first-hand what it’s like to live with an invisible disease and the struggles I have to overcome just to survive. They see the discrimination that I have to go through with the government in my fight for disability benefits and me being denied because “YOU DON’T LOOK SICK”. They have seen first-hand that their mother is a Disabled Athlete. They’ve come to understand the situation. 

Q. Thanks you so much. This conversation has been so interesting and helpful.