All students at the Center have met three criteria for admission:
Their physician has certified their disability and has completed and returned a certification form listing any recommendations and/or precautions.- The Center's evaluation team agrees that the student's goals can be met at the Center.
- The Student wants to participate actively in his/her rehabilitation.
Students at the Center are as diverse as the community they call home. They range in ages from 18-85 years of age and represent all walks of life. They may be living with the after-effects of stroke or with disabilities caused by a wide variety of illnesses and conditions.
However, what they have in common helps to bridge enormous differences in interests, abilities and life style in such a way that strong bonds of friendship form creating a powerful network of support. All the Center's students, regardless of age, disability, stage of rehabilitation, ethnicity or level of education and occupation have the following in common:
- They are living with an acquired disability.
- They know they can benefit from a rehabilitation program.
- They are motivated to become more independent.
- They like people and readily participate in group activities.
- They can set personal goals and focus on achieving them.
- They are able to work hard for 45-50 minutes at a time.
- They enjoy being students and not patients!
- They give and receive support from others.
When students talk about what works for them at the Center several factors always emerge in the discussions. Above all, students say that coming to the Center is important to them, because when they come through the door, they are immediately accepted for who they truly are. In other words, they are defined by their essential qualities and NOT by their disability. For the first time for many of them, they gain the understanding that they are not alone in facing the challenges that come with an acquired disability. They are supported and encouraged by a network of peers. Although, other students at the Center may come from unfamiliar ethnic, educational and cultural backgrounds, by virtue of their acquired disability and the challenges of re-creating their lives they become peers.
Social support is one of the most significant factors in determining the success of rehabilitation programs. Science has shown that those with much worse prognoses and good social support do better on the average than those with a better prognosis and poor support. Science has also shown that the quality of life for both those giving and those receiving peer support is enhanced. Students at the Center are living demonstrations of these scientific findings.
