One Big Step Forward through Woodrow Wilson Rehabilitation Center

By Triena B.

I went to the Woodrow Wilson Rehab Center from March 20-August 20, 2014. The school is in Fishersville, VA.  At first, I was scared. I became very close& dependent on my family after my accident. Being away from them and being an independent adult took some getting used to. But, I stayed at the school and finished the Business Program that I signed up for.

I finished the school term with my Customer Service Certificate and a Customer Readiness Certificate.  On September 26th of this year I will go back to WWRC to participate in the graduation ceremony. The school offers a lot of programs to participate in. Their vision is to be a Community of Service Excellence in Vocational and Medical Rehabilitation for People with Disabilities. Their mission is to provide people with disabilities comprehensive, individualized services to realize personal independence through employment.  

I studied business.  I learned Microsoft Word, Powerpoint, Excel and Publisher. I thought I had learned all there was to learn about these computer programs, however, I learned what a major impact my accident had on my memory.  I was glad to learn these programs all over again.

The only thing I felt was a negative about this situation is that we had to live in a dorm. It was just like college, however my roommate and I were so totally different, it didn’t work. After three weeks of complaints, I was moved to another room by myself.  The new roommate that this girl got also had complaints about her. This made me know that the issues I had with this person was not all in my mind. She was just not a person that was easy to get along with.

This experience at WWRC will help me to pursue any goals I set for myself in the future. I learned the new aspects of four computer systems, I learned what it takes to live on my own after a traumatic brain injury, and I learned how to handle myself around other people with disabilities. I learned that just because you are different, doesn’t mean you are less of a person.