January 12. 2005 marks the beginning of the next session of “Charting a Course for Consumers: Empowerment Training for Individuals With Spinal Cord Injuries.” The training is sponsored jointly by the Arizona Spinal Cord Association, Governor's Council on Spinal and Head Injuries, Barrows Neurological Institute, and St. Joseph's Hospital.
Sessions take place bi-weekly on Wednesday nights through July 13 at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Phoenix. The training targets consumers, families, and professionals who work with individuals with SCI.
The curriculum includes twelve seminars that use physical, social, emotional, and spiritual techniques to engage adult learners, focusing on different subjects every session.
“SCI Empowerment Training is highly recommended for everyone,” says Clayton Guffy, an Independent Living Rehabilitation Services (ILRS) counselor. “Professionals who seek to learn more are taught by the best experts around, while individuals dealing with SCI get a comprehensive curriculum tackling things like driving, chronic pain, pressure sores, depression, and sexuality.”
Dr. Sue Wolf will facilitate the twelve classes, utilizing the expertise of local doctors and lecturers. These varied perspectives create an “all-encompassing curriculum that allows attendees to gain new perspectives on a multitude of issues concerning SCI,” says Guffy.
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“SCI empowerment training is a great way for people with all kinds of injuries to meet and build connections on an endless array of subjects,” says Jim Boomer, a person with SCI who recently attended the training. “There’s such a diverse crowd that everyone learns and inspires each other beyond the lectures – no matter professional or consumer.”
“Empowerment training made me realize I wasn’t alone during those hard times.”
The training uses the diversity of attendees to create a beneficial course through personal experience and group connections. The course is appropriate for both newly injured individuals as well as those with longer-term injuries.
Jim Boomer began training after only two days in a wheelchair. “Empowerment training made me realize I wasn’t alone during those hard times. There’s always someone new to relate to, and that really leads to a collective understanding of the different aspects of SCI,” says Boomer. “Connecting and participating with a crowd of like-minded individuals has to be the most effective means of empowerment.” |
