Tom Scott
Editor, United Spinal Association
There is a myth that people with disabilities live on the public dole. Dave Collins, a 61 year-old, Illinois-native and Spinal Cord Advocate reader has proven otherwise.
Dave, who is living with a spinal cord injury, never asked for handouts to reach his goals. And like many others facing the adversity of living with a disability, he dusted himself off and tackled life’s challenges from a new direction.
“Simply put, life goes on,” Dave says. “I believe you can have just as much of a fulfilling and rewarding life with a disability as you can without one.” And Dave is living proof of that.
Dave was spinal cord injured in a car accident in the prime of his life, wrapping his vehicle around a utility pole on a country road in the middle of a dark and cold December night. At the time of his injury, he was a junior high school language arts teacher in Belvidere, Illinois and highly active in sports, coaching basketball and baseball.
His wife Valerie, who has never left his side, was 6-months pregnant with the couple’s second child as Dave lay in a coma after his accident. Somehow, Dave found the will to pull through. During rehab he found a great source of strength from family and friends, as well as the counselors who pushed him daily to reclaim the life he once knew.
Dave was soon introduced to vocational rehabilitation (VR), which provided the launching pad to do just that. VR programs operate through federally-funded state agencies and are intended to assist individuals with disabilities in securing employment, as well as remove some of the common barriers to career advancement.
Dave admits, “Voc rehab programs don’t have the best image, but they were very good to me back in the 70s. I believe they’ve gotten much better since then.”
Dave has lived quite an extraordinary life, especially for someone that many sadly perceive as “incapable” because he uses a wheelchair. Two years after his injury, he went on to receive his Masters in Education. Guidance from his VR counselor gave him the confidence needed to re-enter the workforce. He landed his first job in Denver, Colorado as a staffing specialist.
“Accessibility was so-so, but I managed,” Dave says. He also became familiar with the Para transit system and used it to get to work.
In 1983, Dave left Colorado for a counselor position with a rehabilitation unit at a medical center in Missouri, which he found to be more rewarding and relevant to his personal experiences. He became familiar with voc rehab services in Missouri, and attended support groups—learning as much as possible to prepare him for future employment opportunities.
During this time, Dave and his wife also developed a series of workshops, lectures, and seminars on coping with spinal cord injury, which they presented to nurses, medical centers, and various groups throughout the country.
Dave was on the move again in 1988, this time to Wisconsin, where he was hired as a rehabilitation specialist. Having gone through the rehab process and having to adjust to disability, Dave found the position to be highly rewarding and a perfect fit. His success in Wisconsin prepared him for his next gig as a disability advocate with Paralyzed Veterans of America in 1991.
Dave’s last job, in his illustrious career was at Montgomery College in Rockville, Maryland, where he worked as a counselor in the field in which his professional career began–education.
Now retired, Dave looks back at his long journey, proud of what he has accomplished, due in large part to VR. Unfortunately, much of the staffing for these programs is currently facing the axe due to budgetary issues in many states, including Dave’s home state of Illinois.
“Making budget cuts is a challenging task, but this is a bad move if you ask me. These programs do help a lot of people, despite what many would like to believe. I feel strongly indebted to VR.”
