A Narrative Essay On Why I Deserve A Scholarship

When I was fourteen, I was in an accident which resulted in a spinal cord injury - incomplete, leaving me paralyzed from my waist down. We had recently relocated to Texas from Florida, so all of our family and friends were predominantly in Florida. For me the unexpected or “catastrophic” event was arduous for me to overcome. My mother, father, and brother were all supportive during my rehabilitation journey. I spent seven months at Texas Institute for Rehabilitation and Research (TIRR) in Houston, ninety miles from home. I quickly learned that of the one-hundred or so patient’s sharing the facility with me, I was the only one who would leave there being able to walk. Not well, or steady, but walking, none the less. After returning home, I faced
The resources we had access to were: great health insurance, great doctors, and counselors to help me and my family learn to adjust, and independent living skills. The counselors I interacted with worked with me with the stigma attached to those in wheelchairs and it was helpful. I learned determination, and perseverance. I was separated from my family for seven months in a hospital rehabilitation facility, so I learned to be assertive, to adapt, and learned self-sufficiency at a young age. Over the years I have had to integrate myself socially into society, both in school and the workplace. It has not always been easy. A few places I have worked insisted the handicapped spots were for customers and not employees. I’ve also worked at places who provided me my own personal parking spot. At each occupation, I addressed the barriers directly and accommodations were made, although at one place I opted to resign if my needs were not met. Cardoso & Sacomori (2014) found that there is a deep-seated connection between adaptability and the level of social integration of individuals with disabilities. I am thankful I learned effective coping skills early on during the crisis, those have carried me throughout my life in social