EH: How do you view your disability?

RM: I don’t dwell on my disability. Instead, I focus on what I can and will do.

EH: Tell me about your childhood.

RM: I was born in Philadelphia. I come from a family of six children. My family was poor. My father did construction work, and my mother was a housewife. I am the youngest of my siblings and the only boy. When I was 9 months old, I got polio. This led to a mobility disability.

EH: Did your disability affect your family life?

RM: Polio did not change my family’s lifestyle. My mother continued to be protective, and she tended to panic in crisis. My dad was always calm, supportive and a good father. When I was growing up, family and friends would come over to my house on the weekends. My mother always cooked good meals. Even though we were poor, we always had enough.

EH: Did your disability affect your education/career?

RM: When I was four years old, my parents put me in an Easter Seals pre-school for children with disabilities. After two weeks, my mother took me out of that school. She did not like the way they were treating me. When I was five years old, I went to Widener School. Widener was a school for children with physical disabilities. This was the first time that I could remember being in a room with other children with disabilities.

I used a wheelchair as a child. When I was eight years old, someone told me that I was disabled. In my opinion, I was always normal. I disagreed with the person, because I was just like my friends from school. Besides, my family and their friends didn’t treat me any differently. I admitted, however, that I did things different.

I graduated as valedictorian from Widener in 1987. There were thirty-six students in my class. After Widener, I went to Temple University. I was lacking some basic skills in reading and writing, but I caught up quickly.

It took me six years to graduate from Temple. One of the reasons that it took me so long to graduate was that I changed majors from Engineering to Therapeutic Recreation. Another reason was that I was in and out of the hospital. I persevered with college, because I wanted to obtain my degree. While I was at Temple, I was played Wheelchair Basketball for four years. My team went to the championships two years in a row.

In 1993, I graduated from Temple University. I called Liberty Resources, Inc., the local Center for Independent Living in Philadelphia. When I met with the staff of Liberty Resources, they encouraged me to become a volunteer. I told them that I was not interested in volunteering, instead I wanted employment.

I started working at Liberty Resources shortly thereafter. I worked part-time as an Information & Referral Specialist. Three months later, I was also working part-time as a Service Coordinator at Liberty Resources. This made me a full time employee. I worked both positions for two years.

Then, I was employed full time as a Service Coordinator under the Community Service Program for Persons with Physical Disabilities (CSPPPD). In this position, I managed services for persons with disabilities who were living at poverty level. I assisted them with services such as getting attendant care at home and using accessible transportation. I assisted them in getting modifications made to their homes like accessible bathrooms, wider doorways and installing ramps.

Between 2003 and 2005, I worked as an instructor for Liberty Resources’ Academy. I taught students basic computer, math, and office skills, in addition to resume writing, mock interviewing and how to apply for jobs. In September 2005, I was promoted to a supervisory position for CSPPPD. Currently I supervise seven Service Coordinators and handle a caseload of 23consumers.

EH: Did your disability affect your personal life?