Susie's Going to College!

My little handicapped child is enrolled in college this fall! Thank you, God!

With Susie's brain injury (see http://savingsusie.blogspot.com) came not only physical challenges, but some learning difficulties as well. Since the seventh grade, her ability to comprehend new material in certain areas was nearly nonexistent. Imagine trying to teach this child Algebra! We were both in tears most of the time.

Her educational testing showed massive areas of difficulty and by tenth grade, we knew she had conquered all the academic fields she could conquer. Reading concentration was very hard, trauma-induced ADHD inside her head made her unable to concentrate on abstracts, and the medicine was worse than the disability. Her memory short-circuits, making memorization impossible.

We began to pray earnestly: What do we do with Susie?

Miraculously, last year the Lord opened the doors at Tulsa Technology Center. We could only enroll in whatever classes they had left, since we weren't Tulsa County residents, but it turned out that she took the two classes that were perfect for her. She excelled artistically in Web Design and Digital Media, unable to master some of the more complicated technical areas, but loving every minute of it.

Then her senior year loomed. What do we do with Susie? Claremore opened a brand new technology center and there was one class perfect for her, which she is enrolled in. But it's over at 11 a.m. What else?

She wanted to take an art class at Rogers State University, so we checked into that, but without an ACT score and good grades, she couldn't enroll as a concurrent student. The very idea of taking the ACT leaves her with cold shivers and it would be a pointless waste of time, money, and effort. The child cannot take tests.

Wayne and I breached the fortress again, appealing to the president, Dr. Larry Rice, who graciously agreed to open the doors at the university for non-degree-seeking high school students to audit classes!

So yesterday, Susie and I went to the college and enrolled her in two classes for fall: Art Foundations and Digital Foundations, two classes that I'm sure she will do well in. She nearly floated home, anxious to inform her college brother that she would be going to his school!

"I'm going to college! I'm really going to college! I can't wait for school to start!"

Everything with a handicapped child is a mountain to climb. Normal life events that fall naturally into place with the other children often present a formidable wall when Susie gets there. We never know what to do next, but just when we are about to panic, the doors open and the Lord shines a bright light in that direction, sometimes giving us a little shove. Just as the Lord led the Israelites through the desert, he goes before us, guiding our path as we carry this precious child he gave us.

So for a few days, we can inhale and exhale with relief. Senior year is covered.

Now, Lord...about this driving thing...And she needs a job...
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