Petra Greiner
A graduate of the Faculty of Health Sciences of the University of Ljubljana and founder of Zavod 13, which promotes the acceptance of difference and children with special needs. She lives and works in Slovenia.
Petra Greiner is a physiotherapist and a mother of three children, including a special little girl who was the inspiration for founding Zavod 13. In 2010 she gave birth to a girl with Patau syndrome. By founding the Zavod 13 institute, Petra is raising awareness in the public about difference, acceptance of children with special needs and ensuring the necessary help and support for families.
In 2015 she received the Apple of Inspiration prize. This is an award presented by the Slovenian President as a mark of admiration and gratitude to exceptional individuals whose actions and work inspire others. In 2017 readers of Jana magazine gave her the title of Slovenian Woman of the Year. Both titles were richly deserved, since for years through her media presence, management of the society and writing articles she has strived to demolish the taboos about disability and raise awareness about forms of disability. At the institute she and her co-workers strive to offer help and support, not just to children, but to entire families.