Patrick was born with a minor brain injury. He grew up being called cruel names from the other kids, but he tried to ignore their taunting. He craved the support from the teacher’s he saw every day, but unfortunately with the lack of attention, Patrick found it hard to understand that he could succeed in his chosen career path.
For four years Patrick has been working with a day crew for the . Ultimately the long hours on his feet forced Patrick to require a back brace to help with back pain. He knew that it was time to switch positions, so he started to take courses to advance his education. “It was time to excel at something else,” says Patrick.
Patrick heard about the Distance Computer Comfort Program from the Atlantic Regional office in New Brunswick. He was immediately paired with a Distance Computer Comfort tutor named Vladan. “Vladan was a great tutor. He had an excellent way of teaching. He was self-sufficient, got straight to the point, and we always joked around,” says Patrick.
Patrick was able to learn different computer programs like Microsoft Word and Excel, by pretending he owned his own business. “I thought I wouldn’t amount to anything, but after taking this course I know I could do something better,” says Patrick.
With the goal of changing careers, and wanting to take more courses, Patrick knows that he has gotten where he is today by not failing himself. “We don’t just want support, we want someone to put us to work,” Patrick says with authority.