Manuela Ralha (PT)
Maria Manuela Pacheco Ralha has had a multifaceted career as a professor, athlete, choral director, musician, and member of the executive board of the Vila Franca de Xira Parish Council, serving two terms from 1993 to 2000. Following a car accident in 2004 that resulted in incomplete tetraplegia, she shifted her focus to the study and advocacy of the rights of people with disabilities and activism.
She co-founded several movements, including (d)Eficientes Indignados, “Sim, nós fodemos,” the Associação Centro de Vida Independente de Lisboa, where she served as president of the Fiscal Council from its inception, and Mithós – Histórias Exemplares, Associação de Apoio à Multideficiência, where she was the president of the board and head of the Social Action department. She has also collaborated with various disability associations in creating diverse projects.
As a high-performance athlete, she competed in Adapted Swimming, representing Mithós – Núcleo do Ribatejo da ASBHIP and Mithós – Histórias Exemplares, becoming a National Champion and Record Holder in crawl and backstroke. For these achievements, she received the Mérito Desportivo from the Vila Franca de Xira City Council, the Carlos Lopes Distinction in 2012 and 2013. In 2017, she was honoured as Personality of the Year in Vila Nova de Gaia by the EKUI education methodology for her work in advocating for the rights of people with disabilities, received the Mérito de Cidadania from Associação Salvador for her contributions to disability rights, and the Galardão de Mérito Autárquico from the União de Freguesias de Alhandra, S. João dos Montes e Calhandriz, among other accolades.
Since 2017, she has served as a Councillor at the Vila Franca de Xira City Council, overseeing Culture, Social Rights, Health, Public Housing, and the Division of Food and Veterinary Services. She is also the president of the Vila Franca de Xira Social Network, a member of the Ethics Council of the Vila Franca de Xira Hospital, various Municipal Networks, and the Advisory Board of the CEBI Foundation.
