You've piqued my curiosity Aron. Have you known anyone that has gone on to teach that didn't have any movement below their neck? If so, did they need an assistant.
I haven't really checked into this, but I think he would end up costing me money if I were to teach part time. I really can't see how I would be able to teach without some sort of assistance from someone. Therefore I would have to pay them and then my paycheck would go against my Social Security. Perhaps I'm wrong and someone will enlighten me. Look forward to hearing some responses. Quadius On Fri, Oct 30, 2009 at 12:57 PM, Aaron Mann <aman...@gmail.com> wrote: > Adam, > > I am a C4-5 Quad, been in my chair since '88. I'm very glad to hear that > you pushed on to pursue the coaching that you love so much. I was a little > shocked to hear you say you didn't pursue teaching, I've met several high > level quads that teach at various levels of grades from Kindergarten to > College. Don't give up on any dream. Personally, I even pursued a medical > profession for a few semesters at college because a professor told me about > the job of surgical consultants and the important role they play in the > medical profession. A few years ago I had a pilot modify his personal plane > to teach me to fly... Do not let your disability rule you, rule over it > instead. > > Dating, relationships, marriage, kids... It's a tough area for every man, > but having a disability definitely adds a few barriers (mostly in your own > mind). I married the first time after graduating college in '96, was > married for 10 years. Divorced for reasons not related to my disability. > Met my current wife through eHarmony, we have been married for 2 years now > and I have a son. > > What's the trick? Don't sell your disability, don't think "What woman > wants a guy who's broken?" If you can't see past your own disability to > know who you are, then how can anyone else? Yes, I have to have help > dressing, bathing, bowel program, accidents, can't mow, can't fix things > around the house...so on, ad nauseum, BUT my wife loves me for WHO I am not > WHAT I am. > > Yes, there are women out there who want a good guy, disability or not. > Don't put up barriers that prevent you from finding them or them finding > you. > > Aaron Mann > > > > On Wed, Oct 28, 2009 at 11:22 AM, Adam Collinsworth <big46...@fuse.net>wrote: > >> Hello All, >> >> My name is Adam, I am a quad and have been for the past eleven years. >> Here is my story. The life altering situation that changed my life was a >> spinal cord injury that left me paralyzed from the chest down. The injury >> occurred on August 9, 1998, five days before football camp was suppose to >> start for the upcoming season. I was at a party and had been drinking heavy >> and I dove into the pool there and hit my head on the bottom and broke my >> neck at the C3-C4 vertebrates. I was slated to be the starting linebacker >> for the third straight year at Thomas More College where I had a good chance >> to be a Division 3 All-American. I spent four months in the hospital where I >> had numerous feeding and breathing tubes just so I could stay alive. This >> injury left me unable to feed myself, bath myself, and breathe by myself. >> When I left the hospital I had relearned how to breathe and talk; I still >> couldn’t use any of the mobility of my arms so I drove my wheelchair with my >> chin. As of right now I drive my wheelchair with my arm and I have no >> breathing problems, but I still can’t use my hands or fingers. The accident >> had a devastating effect on my life because I can no longer be independent >> and I am limited in what I had planned to accomplish in my life. Before the >> accident happened I had planned on becoming a schoolteacher and coach, but >> with the limitations I could no longer pursue the teaching job. The latter >> of the two I have been performing for the last ten years of my life. The >> degree of difficulty to overcome this obstacle has been extremely high and >> in some cases has been overbearing. I have still managed to accomplish some >> things even with my limitations. In the spring of 1999 I returned to >> school and attended two classes where I scored a 4.0. In the fall of 2001 I >> graduated with a degree in business administration and an overall grade >> point average above 3.0. Also in 1999 I returned to the sport I love and >> began coaching, I was an assistant linebacker coach and defensive >> coordinator for Thomas More’s junior varsity team. The football team had >> a combined record of 28-5 since the start of the 1999 season when I began to >> help coaching. I have since moved to high school, but I still have the >> same passion as I had before. I also do a little substitute teaching to go >> along with coaching. Now that you know my story I was hoping that you could >> help me with a couple issues. >> >> I feel like I am being punished and I am serving a sentence for something >> I’ve did in this life. I mean I try to get the most out of life, but I just >> can’t stop thinking that there has to be something better after this life. >> Do any of you have a companion? If you don’t how do you deal with >> depression of being alone? I just feel so isolated sometimes that it is >> hard to bear. I have tried the on-line dating thing but no woman wants to >> date a guy in a wheelchair. I just feel so undesirable. Before I got hurt >> I had no trouble getting girls, but now after 11 years of being in purgatory >> girls don’t even look at me, they look past me and most times won’t even >> make eye contact. I feel like I have nothing else to offer or gain from >> life, how do I get that sense of worth back? I feel like a disappointment >> to my family and more of a burden rather than a part of the family. Any >> advice would help. >> >> >> >> Thanks, >> >> Adam >> >> >> >> >> > >
