WORD ON VIOLENTLY ACQUIRED SPINAL CORD INJURY
FALL 2002 VOLUME 2, NUMBER 2

The Disabling Bullet Project:
Introducing Our Two Newest Sites

     As we begin the fourth and final year of our current funding, we are continuing efforts to better understand and meet the needs of people with VASCI though service and comprehensive project evaluation. We are still operating at Schwab Rehabilitation Hospital in Chicago, but in the third year of the project, we also began implementation of the peer-mentor curriculum at two new sites. In November 2001, a group of peer-mentors was trained at National Rehabilitation Hospital (NRH) in Washington D.C. In February 2002, another training session was conducted at Oak Forest Hospital (OFH), which is just south of Chicago. Activities at NRH and OFH represent the first replications of the original peer-mentor training curriculum, and we hope that they will help us to extend effective services to people with VASCI in future settings.

     

      NRH and OFH were chosen to be research sites because, like Schwab, they see a high number of VASCI patients. Implementation of the peer-mentor program at NRH and OFH complemented each hospital's existing services for people with spinal cord injuries. The training session at NRH involved 5 mentors - Marcus Bell, Tommy Mallard, Malika McDaniels, Steven Ferguson, and Torez Jackson - who are now working with 7 mentees. Similarly, at OFH, 4 mentors - Larry Montgomery, Art Johnson, Wardell Kyles, and Jose Marban - participated in the training, and they now work with a total of 10 mentees. We are excited about continuing to improve the project with input from our newest participants!

 

Participants from the training session at Oak Forest

 

Moving Which Mountain?

     Patrick Devlieger, Ph.D. met with the peer-mentors at Oak Forest Hospital during a recent visit, to talk with them about Moving Mountains, an outdoor activity program for people with spinal cord injuries. Sponsored by the Illinois Spinal Cord Association, Moving Mountains involves camping, rock climbing, kayaking, hiking, biking, and team building activites at a park site located in Savanna, IL. What follows are some of Dr. Devlieger's reflections after talking with the group about their experiences at Moving Mountains in June, 2002. (For more information on Moving Mountains, visit the website of the Illinois Spinal Cord Injury Association (www.sci-illinois. org) or call Erin Hayes at 312-413-7769.)

 

Participants from the training session at NRH

 

    I must admit that it took me a while to understand how city lovers could be so excited about strenuous activities, bugs, and bad weather. Perhaps that's because I thought the outdoors were off-limits and inaccessible for those wheeling through life after being shot. These doubts were quickly dismissed when I met with the mentors at Oak Forest - Wardell, Larry, and Art - to hear what they had to say.

 

 

 

Larry enjoys some down-time around the campfire at Moving Mountains.

 

Pictures
     "We went to Moving Mountains and you just have to see the pictures!" said Wardell as we shook hands. Pictures have a way of showing and bringing to life what words alone cannot do. The mentors regularly carry their pictures with them to show their mentees and others with doubts that there are plenty of adventurous things that people who use wheelchairs can do.

 

 

 

 

Wardell climbs an eighty foot rock at Moving Mountains.

 

New Experiences
     Getting out of one's usual environment can be a nourishing and invigorating experience. This is certainly the case with Moving Mountains which gives people the space to test their limits. Art talked about his experience: "Dealing with the elements, the hot sun, the rain, getting to the bathroom, getting out of the tent. It's all about getting out of your comfort zone and testing your survival skills. I remember going through a path, sliding down a hill, through rocks, and weeds. Places that are not accessible. We are holding on to each other. If I will slip, so will the other."

The Edge
     Beyond the new experience, this trip had another edge: Getting to know yourself. How do you climb that mountain when you've never done it before? Does it look easy, difficult, or impossible? As Wardell recalled: "It was hot and drizzling. I thought I was going to break the world record in reaching the top. But it took me 40 minutes! I learned my lesson. While I may be strong, I have to pull my entire body! I was steaming. They send the other guy to the top with a towel and water. But I made it to the top! And it was my birthday!" By participating, Wardell found it possible to learn more about his strengths and how to overcome limitations.

Challenge
     Moving Mountains is about moving barriers that may exist in your very own attitudes. It's about setting goals to accomplish something that you've never done before. As I write this piece, I am hoping to come test my limits next year. Enjoy the pictures and think about how to move your mountain.

Hector (project mentee), Tommy (project mentor), and Shannon (peer-mentor supervisor)

on a sailing outing in Baltimore Harbor this summer.

 

A Mentor-Mentee Relationship: Marcus and Hector

     Marcus first learned about the Disabling Bullet Project when a psychologist he had grown close to at NRH asked him to consider mentoring. Marcus hadn't had a mentor during his rehabilitation, and recognized that the program could serve a good purpose, helping people through trauma, as well as with barriers to accepting their new disability. Marcus speaks highly of the rehab staff who helped him lay a physical and mental foundation, and his approach to peer mentoring reflects his desire to give a similar "jump start" to mentees.Hector, who paired up for peer-mentoring with Marcus, acquired a T-1 spinal cord injury from a gunshot wound before age 21, which without hesitating, he described as the "worst time in my life". He learned about the Disabling Bullet Project when his physical therapist at NRH approached him and asked if he would like to join. So far, Hector says, the program has been a positive, emotionally challenging part of his post-injury life. When I first spoke with Hector, I asked him what his first encounter with Marcus had been like because I was curious to know how things had changed over time. He said that even at first, things were good, that Marcus "told [me] what to expect" about life in a chair. Over time though, Hector says that he and Marcus have gotten closer, and that now they "go out more". In general, he describes a relationship that has shifted from a rehabilitative focus on specifics like public transportation, public navigation, and chair mechanics to a more solid social connection.

      Hector says that through his participation he has been able to meet more people, have new experiences, and talk about his questions and concerns. Hector says that when he talks with Marcus, he is able to "let everything out". Marcus also acknowledges that mentoring has benefitted him personally, saying that it en-ables him to "set my problems aside" and that it feels like an "inspiration" to be able to help others in such a focused way.

     When asked about his future plans, Marcus says that he would like to make mentoring a career, "backing up" his experiences with a college degree in order to "reach more people". Given the success of his relationship with Hector, it sounds like this is a wonderful idea!

ANNOUNCEMENTS
     o Schwab Rehabilitation Hospital of Chicago just began the second year of related research under a grant from the Paralyzed Veterans Association Training and Education Foundation. This grantextends the efforts of the project to females, outpatients, and non-minority individuals with violently-acquired spinal cord injuries. Formore information, please contact Kristin Balfanz-Vertiz, LSW, MSW at balkr@sinai.org or (773)522-5869.
     o Please visit our newly updated and expanded web page at http://www.uic.edu/depts/idhd/empower/bullet.htm. Our new website provides project information, as well as links to a variety of re-sources and services for people with spinal cord injury.
     o Our second project video, "The Enabling Bullet" traces training sessions and post-injury life among our first group of peer mentors. This video is due to be out in January. Please contact Erin Hayes (312-413-7769) for more information.

UIC University of Illinois at Chicago
Advocacy and Empowerment for Minorities Program (M/C 626)
Department of Disability and Human Development
College of Applied Health Sciences
1640 West Roosevelt Road
Chicago, Illinois 60608


Word Newsletter is produced by

The Disabling Bullet Project of the Advocacy and Empowerment for Minorities Program at the University of Illinois at Chicago

Fabricio Balcazar, Ph.D., Principal Investigator
Chris Keys, Ph.D. & Patrick Devlieger, Ph.D.,
Co-Principal Investigators
Erin Hayes, M.A., Project Director
Mark Engstrom, Graduate Research Assistant
Judy Holst, Graduate Research Assistant

Project is funded by grant #H324M990085
from The Office of Special Education Projects U.S. Department of Education