Michael has finished the various courses in his rehabilitation training. Today he moved from his standard dorm room to the "apartment" as part of the independant living segment. Other than the fact it is located on the second floor of the rehab center, it is a small apartment with all the comforts of home. The kitchen is a bit small but Michael says all he needs is a toaster and the microwave so its big enough. He moved from the pink hall to the yellow hall (I know he doesn't care about that) and brought all his stuff into one place. Here's a series of pictures with his moving crew.
In the picture above, you can see Michael sitting in his desk chair. It has no wheels. The blind students are kept off roller chairs for their own safety. Michael said it didn't make sense to not have rollers on the chair when he had a stove with burners and a drawer full of knives.
The following picture is Michael and his computer instructor. She was very nice and helped Michael quite a bit. She complimented him on how quick he was as a student and said it was a refreshing change to work with a younger student with a lot of experience in computers. She said this is the first time she has ever had a student younger than her.
The reward she earned for being nice was having Michael swap chairs with her after she left for the day. Here he is rolling his new chair back to his room after depositing the one with no wheels at her desk. If she reads this blog he will be so busted!
Today was also family training day. Roxann and I were blindfolded and given canes and asked to walk around the campus and try various tasks he has mastered. The instructor took several pictures and when she emails them to us, we'll post them and add the commentary. For now, I'll just say that it is far easier to watch him maneuver around than it is to actually do it. It was definitely an "eye opening" experience. Again, I've been reminded just how challenging this experience must be for him and how impressed I am with the way he is handling it.
All of us that follow your blog have been extremely impressed with his progress and initiative at relearning life. I smile and laugh and cry at what you write and want to hug and kiss him for the strength he shows...wow! Thank God for his inner strength and what you,as parents have instilled in him thru his short life.I don't think God allows bad things to happen...I think He is there to get us thru life's trials and He has been there for Michael! I pray for the success to continue for Michael and as a parent of a JTAC...my heart aches for what you two have been thru. You two are also very strong people...and I applaud you both!
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