At Project Enable, we have been very fortunate to have all the participants we have had over the last few years. Over the next few months, we'd like to take the opportunity to introduce you to some of these amazing people.
For our first interview, please let us present to you Wil Lawler. He is a participant in one of the Philadelphia cohorts...but perhaps he can explain himself better than I can.
Project Enable: Tell us a little about yourself: where are you from? How old are you? Do you have siblings? Etc.
William: I was born and raised in the Philadelphia suburb of Havertown Pa, I'm twenty six years old now. I'm the oldest of four children, one brother Jack who is twenty five, and my twin sisters Sandy and Ginny, who are twenty three. My mother and father have been married twenty eight years, and who both are employed outside the house, so I grew up in a tight knit family.
PE: How and when did you get your injury/disability?
Wil: My life changed on October 20th 2010 when I went riding my bicycle to go watch a Phillies playoff game, and was hit by a high speed car, I totaled that car. I wasn't wearing my helmet so I suffered a traumatic brain injury as well as a T3 spinal cord injury. I was in a coma for about a month, came to at HUP. Then I learned the Phillies lost to the San Francisco Giants and Howard went down looking. I was transferred to Magee rehabilitation hospital, and was there until February 17th working on my rehab and learning how to live my life again.
PE: When it first happened, what did you think? How did you fight discouragement?
When I was in the hospital I didn’t really know what to think, my mind was still very mixed up, I just assumed that if I worked as hard as I could in rehab that I would be able to walk out the front door of Magee. I did the best I could but still was unable to walk again. I’ve always been a positive person, and it took me a little while to realize how lucky I have been recovering from my brain injury, and the fact that I'm only a paraplegic, and have full use of my hands and arms. I've been able to look at how lucky I am, I don't sweat the small stuff of not being able to walk.
PE: Do you have a support system? How have they helped you since all this happened?
I've got a great family support system, and for that I am so thankful. They were able to throw a big fundraiser once I was out of the hospital, and that helped so much getting our house handicapped accessible. They have always been there giving me rides to doctors appointments and helping me get around town. I even had one of my coworkers who was a personal trainer, take it upon himself to take me on has a client, he had never worked with someone with a spinal cord injury. He truly motivated me to get strong and guided me on how to live a healthy lifestyle.
PE: How has Project Enable helped you in your quest to get a college degree?
I had already started working on my college degree even before my injury, I was taking classes at Delaware County Community College. Not even one year after my injury I had re enrolled in college and was able to finish up the marketing class I had started with the same professor. I changed my major from business administration, to computer science. I had a head start because this was my major right after I had graduated high school in 2005. Now that I am confined to the wheelchair I have been much more focused on my school work.
Personally, I felt the first session of project enable with Alice programing was a little bit elementary, because I have been writing C++ code for many years now. Working with the mind storms was more challenging, because I have never worked with robotics. It was also a good session because we worked in teams, I'm a natural leader, and its always nice to help someone else with their programing skills.
PE: What are you studying at university? Why did you pick this major? What are you planning to do after graduation?
I'm now finishing up my time at Delaware County Community College, I'm studying Java programing and accounting for my spring semester. I have applied to transfer to Drexel, I hope to be studying computer science there in the fall of 2013. I hope to transition into a career and become a software developer.
PE: If you could tell a possible participant one thing about Project Enable, what would it be?
If I could tell a possible applicant one thing about Project Enable, it would be that this program is a great way to learn about a possible career in technology. The instructors will work with you and even if your not a math and science pro, its not overly challenging.
About a week ago we had our first workshop in El Paso, TX. It has been a long journey for all of us to get to the point of having a cohort in the Southwest, and it went so well. Clearly, it was worth all the hard work!
Over the three day workshop participants learned about animation through the Alice animation program. At the conclusion of the workshop, we were able to show participants and their families some of their animation. Seeing the creativity of each participant was so fun, and pretty impressive.
One of our favorite parts of each workshop is getting to know participants more. Every time we get the chance to hear your stories, we are more and more humbled to get to teach and share with each of you. From participants who were only injured a few months ago and are now working towards new dreams, to the individuals who have spent most of their lives in a wheelchair but still have astounding hope.
