Wendell’s Story

Posted on June 17, 2010 by BWT

By Roger Haburey

Wendell has been a regular fixture in Vivian B. Adams School’s Burkett Work Center since the late 1980s; he has been involved with our adult life and education program since then.

Every day individuals face difficulties of varying nature such as social, medical, and intellectual challenges; however, there are those who choose not to let these issues become barriers or obstacles to an independent lifestyle. Instead, they choose to overcome them by receiving special services and being trained and educated to be like others individuals, who don’t have such challenges.

Wendell enjoys living on his own; he has his own apartment, and receives assistance with transportation and related services through case management.

Wendell also enjoys community life such as attending church and going to a movie at the theater; he also enjoys an occasional get together with neighbors and friends. Wendell enjoys the job he does here; he performs tasks such as weighing production of recycled newspaper and keeps records of inventory of wood products and shop production. Wendell has also aided in the effort to give the Burkett Workforce Training building a much-needed paint job.

Wendell’s ambition is to one day work in the community; he hopes to take the skills he has learned from this facility to the community workforce. One of the basic human and legal rights that citizens with disabilities have is to live, work and associate with our community members and this is just what Wendell is doing. Wendell is just one of those who chooses to refuse to lose to his disabilities; instead, he met the challenge of overcoming his intellectual and medical issues thanks to the kind staff here at the Vivian B. Adams School and the Burkett Work Center. Up Close and Personal