|
When he was a junior in high school at Greenbrier East, Michael Osborne was nominated by his teachers for the News Channel 6 Student of the Week. "My teachers knew I had potential. My elementary teachers patterned what I was going to do with my life. Later, my teachers, Charlie Fauber and Jeff Bryant gave me some great opportunities musically," Michael said. Now, he works at the side of those teachers who wielded such influence in his life. Michael is the percussion instructor at Eastern Greenbrier Junior High School, a national Blue Ribbon school with approximately 1,000 students, and Greenbrier East High School in Ronceverte, W. Va. A 1996 graduate of GEHS, Michael is the first member of his family to pursue a college education. "My parents, Robert and Donna Osborne, all of my family, encourage me. My family is always there for me," Michael says. He graduated from West Virginia Wesleyan in 2001 with a bachelor's degree in music education. "I always wanted to be in the band, but because of my fingers, I couldn't play some of the instruments. Because of my cleft palate I couldn't get any air at all in some of the instruments, so percussion was a natural choice," Michael says. He has multiple congenital birth defects affecting his hands; his lower left leg had to be amputated within days of his birth; bilateral facial clefting affected his eyes and nose and he had a cleft palate. Even though the leg prosthesis rubbed blisters on him, Michael marched in the band throughout junior high school and high school. Charles Fauber, the band director at Eastern Greenbrier Junior High School, was Michael's band director when Mike began marching in the band. He says, "I've known Mike a long time. Back then his prosthesis was not a very good one but Mike really showed determination, and by the time he was through junior high he was the section leader of the drum line. He worked here with the drum line for two years while in college. Michael is a very talented musician with perfect pitch. Judges at last year's band competition commented on how good our drum line is." Michael also helps with the choir at the Lewis United Methodist Church, where Fauber is the Director of Music. "Mike's a well rounded musician. He'll sing bass or tenor in the choir, wherever he's needed. He started out as a student, then a friend, and now a co-worker. I'm very pleased with where he's going," Fauber said. Michael had a variety of cosmetic and other physical restorative services done while he was in high school. The DRS mobile technology unit went to GEHS and Michael received a rehabilitation technology evaluation. As he began to experience some of the effects of social rejection in high school, Michael became depressed. Through his own persistence, as well as that of his family and his DRS counselor, Michael received physical and mental restorative services. DRS also provided financial help with college. Michael says, "My counselor Bruce Cadle told me about the services while I was in high school. DRS has been there for me." Jeff Myers became his counselor about the time Michael went to work, because Bruce Cadle, Michael's original DRS counselor, retired. Myers says, "Everybody with a disability has things they have to overcome. In Michael's case, because his disability involves so many visual aspects, there was a certain degree of social rejection that he experienced in school. This is something that definitely would be considered a mountain that Michael overcame. Anybody, not just those with disabilities, can learn from this degree of perseverance. If all of us could replicate what Michael has done, we could all be successes." Michael talks about his motivation: "Over so many years, when people tell you that you can't do something, you have a responsibility to prove otherwise. When you do that, they're faced with the obligation of saying, 'I doubted him and I was wrong.' A lot of people have come up to me and said that over the last couple of years." Michael
sees a family in his future and living his life like any normal adult.
"I want everybody to realize that people with disabilities are
not empty spaces," he says. "We can contribute to society.
Sometimes we have to work twice as hard as a 'normal' person to get
half the credit. You have to decide what your dream is. For me it was
music, and I'm doing it, and I love it. If you have a dream, follow
it. If you don't, you'll go for the rest of your life wondering what
you could have done. Even if it blows up in your face, you'll realize
at least I 'gave it a shot.' You won't have to live with the doubt of
what could have happened." BACK TO Rehabilitant of the Year |
|||
BACK TO HOMEPAGE
Rehabilitant
of the Year