Ogre Man Who Uses a Wheelchair Invites Others to Try His Daily Life and Trains in Para Alpine Skiing

Aleksandrs Lucenko, a programmer and para alpine skier from Ogre, Latvia, runs a project called “Iekāp manās kurpēs” (“Twims.lv. Try walking in my shoes”), in which anyone can try a walk in a wheelchair. He is 42 and has used a wheelchair for almost eighteen years, since an accident at home at the age of 24 left him with a spinal injury. Through the project he tries to help others better understand the everyday life of people who use wheelchairs.

From apathy to programming

After the accident, Aleksandrs spent a long time in hospital and went through a period of apathy. He then studied at the State Social Integration Agency (SIVA) in Jūrmala, which operates under the Ministry of Welfare and where people with special needs learn various skills. There he learned programming and later returned to Ogre, where he built a website and compiled statistics for a local amateur football tournament. He now works as a programmer at a social enterprise that provides services for seniors.

Para alpine skiing

Aleksandrs has loved skiing since childhood, when he skied at the Blue Hills (Zilie kalni) in Ogre. He took up para alpine skiing in 2024 at Žagarkalns. He has also attended camps at the “Show Arena” indoor ski complex in Druskininkai, Lithuania, which he describes as the only year-round indoor ski complex in the Baltics. In early December he will ski in Italy for the first time, at a camp in Bardonecchia, where he will meet fellow Latvian para alpine skier Mārtiņš Oliņš. He trains five times a week to prepare.

Wheelchair walks

The idea for the project came during an Erasmus+ event in Narva, Estonia, where other participants wanted to ride his wheelchair. The project is now in its third season and is supported by the Ogre municipality. Aleksandrs says some people decline, fearing bad luck, while others admit afterwards that they had never thought about such details. A childhood friend said that after the ride it became easier to talk with him, and a mother whose daughter has cerebral palsy rode alongside her child. Aleksandrs also offers these walks outside Ogre.