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Springs Man Raising Awareness For Disabled Community

A Colorado Springs man wants to get the word out about resources for the disabled community.

Bob Alarcon, a retired minister, became disabled in June 2001 after an automobile accident.

“I was headed to a prayer meeting, and there was a lot of traffic. I took a short cut, and I was T-boned crossing the highway. It left me paralyzed from the waist down,” said Alarcon.

It took him several years to cope with the change, he said.

“It wasn’t just my life changing. My wife became a caregiver,” said Alarcon.

Watching the news on television, Alarcon said, he often sees reports of accidents where people become disabled, but he never hears about how they are doing after the fact.

“Are they hospitalized? How are they making it through life?” he asks.

Alarcon is curious because when he became disabled, he didn’t know where to begin and didn’t know about the many resources out there.

Recently, he has found the Independence Center in Colorado Springs.

“I’d like to let people know this is one of the places they should come to,” said Alarcon.

The Independence Center started 25 years ago. Its mission is “to empower persons with disabilities, to maximize their independence within the community, and to remove barriers which prevent integration and equal opportunity.”

“People who want to make a change in their life can come, and we will work with them to, like, I say, get a life, change their life,” said Patricia Yeager, CEO of the Independence Center.

Alarcon is getting help improving his resume and practicing for job interviews.

He said he would like to become a counselor and help those who become disabled to transition into their new lives.

Alarcon also praises ATG Rehab for helping him get a scooter.

“People often stop and ask me where I got my scooter or wheelchair. They just don’t know where to go,” he said.

For more information on the Independence Center visit: http://www.theindependencecenter.org/

For more information on ATG, visit http://www.atgrehab.com

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