“People who are disabled, there is still so much we can do,” Acevedo said. “I hope as they see me, they get motivated to continue their studies, and even if they’re not disabled, they can do anything.”
Acevedo, whose life was nearly cut short in 1999 when a bullet to the brain severely limited mobility in his arms and legs, took questions from the crowd about living life disabled, as well as how he handled the transition to wheelchair dependence.
“I remember thinking I had just crashed my car,” he said, when in fact he had been shot twice in the leg and once in the head during a carjacking. “The doctor was saying, ‘He’s not going to walk,’ and all this negativity. So I talk slower now and do things differently.”
Acevedo volunteers for the Glendale Police Department and speaks regularly to students about his experience. He was recently appointed to a Los Angeles Commission on Disability, but told the college audience his heart remains in Glendale.
“Everything happens for a reason,” he said later in an interview. “I don’t know why I’m like this, but I’m taking the path and discovering new things in life.”
Staley, 29, spoke of her cerebral palsy and how because it has slowed her ability to write, she is granted extra time on tests. She told the crowd she’s on track for a certificate as a computer application specialist, which drew applause.
The college’s student government organized the event and asked the Creative Minds club for help. The club is composed of several disabled students.
Organizers said they also hoped to shed light on myriad programs available to disabled students at the college.
