Sara joined the YC circle in 2000 after being referred by her physical therapist. Throughout the years she has gained many skills from programs at YC that she is able to carry over into her college life. Sara is currently a freshman at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio and shares with us how her transition to college has been.
My favorite program at YC is…
Paralympic sports because I get to try sports that I never knew that I could play such as Boccia and Seated Volleyball.
My favorite memory at YC is…
when we went to Niagara Falls because I got to go out-of-state to a place I have never been before with my friends.
When I think of YC, I think of…
friendship, fun, laughter, smiles, and an opportunity to grow and learn.
YC is important to me because…
it’s a place where everything is catered to people similar to me. I get to be myself, meet new friends, and participate in activities that are adapted to my abilities.
I chose to go to Wright State because…
it is one of the top schools in the nation to go to if you have a disability, and they could meet my needs the best. They have many disabled students that go there, and many students that don’t too. This was very important to me because I didn’t want to be one of the only ones with a disability, but I also didn’t want to go to a school where pretty much everyone was disabled. They also have an adaptive sports program where I get to play sports similar to what I played at YC. Wright State is one of the few schools that have their own Personal Assistant program to help me with my personal care needs. Their Office of Disability Services hires students to work as individual aides to help with personal care needs in the morning, and at night, they also hire students to work in the PA Station to help with everyone’s personal care needs during the day. Wright State is the only college, or university that I know that has underground tunnels connecting them to all the academic buildings. The tunnels are great when there is bad weather outside.
My experiences at YC have prepared me for college…
by giving me the confidence that I can go away without my parents and still succeed with accommodations.
I would recommend to participants who are beginning the college process to…
take a career exploration class, talk to people that work in the career that you are interested in, learn how to manage your time, learn what your needs are, and how you want them to be met. When looking at colleges, talk to as many people as possible about the college, not just the people that work there.
I wish I knew things before going to college like…
expect the unexpected and that sometimes things don’t go as planned. I wish I had better time management skills to be able to manage the high expectations of college and my personal care. I have learned these things throughout my first semester so I will be able to use what I have learned and improve next semester.
A lesson I have learned from YC is…
that I can pretty much do what someone without a disability can do, I just do it a little different. I have also learned that you can adapt anything.
