“I’m not a fast learner or academically gifted or as talented as other people here at Lee College. But I try very hard.

“I failed a math course last semester. I tried. I even got help from a professor, but I still failed. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to fail college. People might expect me to drop out or not be in college at all. But I’m going to change that perspective, that expectation, for people like me with autism or any other kind of disability.

“I’m very thankful for the disabilities department here and my tutor, Ms. Claire. She’s an amazing person. She helps me with my class assignments. She’s always encouraging and supportive. She motivates me when I may be exhausted or discouraged from life as a college student. And she always reminds me how unique I am compared to other students.

“Being a college student isn’t easy. But it’s worth it if one day, I’ll be on that stage graduating. I’ll be able to say, ‘I made it.’ I want to do it for myself. But I also want to do it for my parents. They always made me feel special, and that I can do anything I put my mind to. I want to make them proud. My dad won’t be here to see it, but I know he’ll be looking down on me when I cross that stage with my diploma.

“I love sports, and I’d love to become a coach one day. Or maybe a motivational speaker. Inspiring and motivating people is something that I always try to do. To keep that fire burning.

“I try to share positive quotes with people. I try to encourage them in whatever they’re doing. I think it’s important. Because sometimes, we all need that. Especially nowadays. I think we’re in dark times. We need more people who like to help you up when you’re feeling down.

“Some people may think that if you’re autistic, you can’t go anywhere, you can’t do anything with your life. I want to prove those people wrong. Being autistic is challenging. But it’s also a gift. It isn’t going to stop me from being the person I want to be, or helping the people I want to help.”

— Roberto (Berto) Nunez Jr.

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• Sports families boost student with autism

The post Autism ‘isn’t going to stop me’ appeared first on The Baytown Project.

“At the Opportunity Center, we help adults with disabilities become as independent as possible in their lives and in their communities.

“Since we closed in March because of the coronavirus, I’ve been calling parents to check up on our clients as much as possible. The other day I was missing them so much that I said to the staff, ‘Y’all, we should do drive-bys. Let’s make some signs and go see everybody.’ We’re used to seeing them every single day. They need to know how much we really miss them and that we’re thinking about them.

“So we’re trying to drive by different people’s homes at least once a week. We’re trying to visit as many as we can. We drive up in our van, honk the horn, and come out holding our signs and yelling for them.

“The ones we’ve seen so far have been super excited. We keep our distance. We want eveybody to remain safe. But a lot of our clients want to hug. One even chased me down the driveway. I had to say, ‘Sorry, baby, but you can’t hug me.’ My natural instinct is to hug them, so that’s been hard for me, too.

“Many of them don’t fully comprehend what’s going on, and why they can’t come to the center like usual. They’re ready to come back, to get back to work. I’m not sure when that’s going to happen and how things may have to change in the future, so we’ll have to see. I just know that I miss interacting with them. It’s like they’re my kids. We really do miss them a lot.”

— Kim Frederick-Brown

Kim is director of the Opportunity Center, a program at Bay Area Rehabilitation Center in Baytown.

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• Client takes job interview into his own hands

The post They’re missing Opportunity Center clients appeared first on The Baytown Project.

“I don’t like to talk about it. It happened 15 years and a couple months ago, and it’s still depressing. Sometimes I don’t feel like a real man. But I am. I just have no desire to be with a woman. It’s been almost 10 years since I’ve been with anyone. Some women think us men can’t go without. That’s a lie. I’m living proof.

“I’ve had three prosthetic legs. My older sister bought me the last one. Before it was made, the guy said that for an additional $500 I would be able to maybe even jog a little bit. I was so excited to get it. He handed me the leg in the parking lot of a McDonald’s in the heat. It should have been done in his office. I’m very irate with the guy who made it. My cousin is suing the pants off him because I could only wear it for two days. It created a blister the size of a golf ball, then three others. It swole up really big. I treated it myself. But because I’m not able to wear that leg, I’m back in a wheelchair. It’s been four years.

“I’ve had phantom pain for over 15 years. My brain still sends signals to the nerves, muscles, and tendons in the flesh that was amputated. It’s very painful. But I don’t take narcotics for it. I’ve seen what they can do to people. I’ll suffer before I ever do that.”

— Ricky

The post ‘Sometimes I don’t feel like a real man, but I am’ appeared first on The Baytown Project.

“I was born bilaterally and profoundly deaf, which basically means that I cannot hear at all in either ear. The only reason I’m able to do this (interview) is because of a special hearing aid. If I took it out, I could not hear anything. Not even if I sat next to a jet taking off.

“My biggest challenge is probably being in crowded environments when there are a lot of noises overlapping. If someone tries to talk to me, it’s so hard to make out what they’re saying. And it’s difficult for me to talk when it’s like that.

“Also, I don’t know if it’s the disability itself or just my personality, but I find it hard to socialize with people my age because I know I’m different. Very different. So I’ve never been the most outgoing person. Walking up to random people and starting conversations, I cannot.

“I don’t know the whole story. I was little, and we don’t talk much about it. But I got my first hearing aid just before I turned 1. It used to be kind of big. I would have to wear this big box on my chest for batteries or something. But it got smaller and smaller through the years, like phones did before they recently started getting bigger again.

“My parents worked with me a lot when I was a little kid. We read together often, and they never gave up on me. I think their perseverance helped make me into who I am today.”

— Madilyn Lawrence

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The post Perseverance helps student overcome deafness appeared first on The Baytown Project.

“She came three weeks early, so we weren’t really prepared. By the time we showed up at the hospital, I was too far along to get an epidural or anything.

“When the head delivered, the doctor saw that the cord was wrapped around her neck. He cut it, not knowing that she was trapped behind my pelvis bone with her left arm. She was not moving. He couldn’t do a C-section because he might cut into her. So he had to break her left clavicle to maneuver her shoulder down and around the bone to deliver her.

“She was without oxygen for a good 2-3 minutes. The result is that she has developmental delays, speech delays. She’s kind of shaky on her feet sometimes. She has a mild case of cerebral palsy and epilepsy. The damage to her brain is right in the area where speech happens.

“She’s better now. She can convey to us that she’s hungry and thirsty, and what she wants to eat. She lets us know if she hurts, if she’s sleepy, things like that. That’s awesome. But Abby is always going to require care. She’s always going to be disabled.

“I get mad about twice a year, because for Social Security disability we have to justify them giving her money every month. We have to fill out these booklets that list her disabilities and get statements from her teacher. And I’m thinking, ‘Why do you people keep reminding me about all the stuff that my kid can’t do? It’s not fair. I wish you would stop.’

“I work in insurance, so I understand. You have to avoid fraud. People will try to put one over if they think they can profit from it. So I get it. It’s just hard to go through all of that and have to deal with those emotions every time.”

— Jill Huckaby

The post Supporting disabled daughter comes with challenges appeared first on The Baytown Project.

“I have a girlfriend who lives in Indiana. I’m on Skype with her every night and I send her messages on Facebook all the time.

“We met on a dating site for girls or guys who have disabilities. She’s in a wheelchair for the rest of her life. She can move her arms and legs, but there’s a lot of stuff she can’t do for herself. She’s a bright person. She graduated from high school. But she has some problems with her speech.

“I’ve gone up there to see her twice. I like being able to help her, and we had so much fun together. I’m planning to go see her again this year on her birthday and for Thanksgiving. I’m trying to find a job right now so I can save money to help me get there. That’s my goal.

“Our relationship is a little unusual, I guess, but I’m proud of it. I want to be there for her. She’s the love of my life.”

— Donnie Huff, 35

The post He’s on a mission to join his disabled girlfriend appeared first on The Baytown Project.

“I’ve been meaning to ride my bike more, so I just decided to get out of the house and enjoy the outdoors. It’s easier for me than driving. Due to my mental disability, I have a tough time driving. I’ve had autism all my life.”

What other challenges has that presented?
“A number of things like learning, getting to know people, making friends. At times, it’s been hard. But now that I’m a young adult, it seems to be getting easier.”

Any advice for others with autism?
“Hey, I know what you’re going through. I know that autism seems like a barrier or hindrance, but keep trying whatever you’re doing. That’s what my parents, relatives and friends have told me. You just have to keep at it, keep trying. It may be an issue you have to work on that much harder and longer, but it will be well worth it in the long term.”

— Kevin Alford

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• Trying to keep spirits up after losing father, job

The post Autism isn’t keeping him from enjoying life appeared first on The Baytown Project.

“I started one of the first temp services in Texas for people with disabilities, called Peak Performers. It was a natural area for me because I had worked in rehab most of my career and I grew up with a brother who had a disability.

“It was also probably because of my mom’s advocacy work. I watched her use her little typewriter to write a letter to (New York City) Mayor (John) Lindsay and demand meetings with him because she wanted my brother to be integrated into the education system. Fortunately, special ed came into existence around 1968. My brother was born in 1959, so he ended up doing very well.

“Interestingly, my brother didn’t think he had a disability. I remember working on my master’s degree and doing a course in worker’s comp. We were asked to interview three people who had a disability so I interviewed my brother, who was largely mildly retarded. What really surprised me was that he didn’t think of himself as being disabled. He thought somebody with a disability was someone in a wheelchair or who couldn’t use his arms or legs.

“Anyway, when the concept of temp services for people with disabilities originated, it was a great way to open doors for people who might otherwise get excluded from the job market. When used correctly, it really helped to change people’s paradigms.”

— Lisa Capece-Little

The post A longtime fighter for rights of disabled people appeared first on The Baytown Project.

“In December 2008, I lost some of my eyesight because of a detached retina. Then in January, after I had worked 30 years with a company, they eliminated my position as a janitor. I ended up going on disability and I’ve been on it ever since.

“I don’t get much, maybe $40 to $50 a week, but it helps keep me and my wife going. She’s on disability, too. She has a bad heart and she’s had cancer a couple times.

“After I lost my job, I knew I had to do something. I wasn’t just going to sit around and give up. So a friend of mine said, ‘Why don’t you pick up cans?’ Well, guess what? I’ve been doing it for about five years now. People around this part of town call me The Can Man.

“I collect cans and turn them in at the recycling place. My son usually takes me over there. When I started, you could get 50 cents a pound. It’s 30 cents a pound now.

“My wife and I live on that and our disability. It gets tough. By the time you pay all the bills, you’ve got nothing left. But we both have insurance. I can’t complain too much. We’re doing all right.”

— Larry Lawrence

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• He’s making the best of a challenging situation

(Note: Larry Lawrence passed away on Jan. 24, 2021.)

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