Personal Favorites 26 Aug 2007 08:33 pm
A Success Story
On our way to a Cincinnati tennis event in August we stopped in Indiana to visit Bret in his new house. He and his finance are friends of the daughter of a good friend of mine; they are all life long biking circuit enthusiasts. I thought you would enjoy the story even though it’s not about Politics – OR – Football. Truly inspiring. -PF
August 14, 2007
Welcome back, Mr. Neylon
Brownsburg teacher paralyzed in accident returns to classroom, helped by technology
August 14, 2007
Students in Bret Neylon’s Brownsburg High School class got more than a U.S. history lesson on their first day back to school.
They also learned a little about life.
Neylon returned to the classroom Monday just 14 months after a devastating bicycle injury left him paralyzed from the neck down.
“Just him being here shows how much he wanted to teach again,” said junior Robby Hechinger, 16. “He could have just given up, but he was willing to work hard for us, which means we need to work twice as hard for him.”
With the help of high-tech equipment and widespread community support, Neylon, 40, is achieving something most people in his situation don’t.
Just three out of 10 people with an injury like Neylon’s go back to work within 10 years after the injury, according to the Maryland-based National Spinal Cord Injury Association. The numbers are much smaller for those, such as Neylon, who are just one year removed from the accident, said Marcie Roth, chief executive officer and executive director of the association.
“The message he is sending to his students is invaluable,” she said. “We want them to know anything is possible.”
Neylon views his return to the classroom as the last step to resuming a normal life.
“When I teach history, the No. 1 goal I have is to teach about tolerance and understanding and appreciating different people,” he said. “There are many things that people with paralysis can accomplish in life.”
Neylon suffered the injury during an all-out sprint to the finish of a June 17, 2006, bicycle race in Wilmington, Ohio. Unable to avoid an accident in front of him, Neylon was catapulted over his handlebars and onto his head. The impact fractured a vertebra in his neck.
While Neylon spent months in a rehabilitation center in Atlanta, the move to help him began immediately back home. Brownsburg residents and area cycling enthusiasts held fund-raisers, prayer vigils and even built a handicap-accessible house that was waiting for Neylon when he arrived in September.
“His return was never a question for us,” said Kathleen Corbin, superintendent of Brownsburg Schools. “Bret Neylon before June 2006 was a wonderful teacher and he is a wonderful teacher now, and you don’t want to lose good people like that.”
Neylon resumed coaching duties with the high school track team last spring and is leading the cross country team this fall.
To aid his return to the classroom, the school district and Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation — a state organization that helps people with disabilities — partnered to pull resources together and hired Easter Seals Crossroads to prepare the classroom. Wade Wingler, director of assistive technology for Easter Seals, estimated the cost at up to $30,000.
“I’ve been doing this for 15 years, and I’ve never had another employer that has embraced a situation like this,” Wingler said. “Disabilities affect everybody differently, but Bret is a shining example of someone who dealt with it, and then considered, ‘What do I have to do to move forward?’ “
A special helper Neylon has depended upon at home became key to his return to the classroom. A voice-activated computer software program called Max allows him to send e-mails, answer and dial the phone, run the overhead projector and even provide a little comic relief on command.
“Max, these are the students I told you about,” Neylon said as the class settled in Monday. Max promptly filled the room with pre-recorded laughter.
But Max can’t do it all, so the school district hired Neylon’s sister, Cathy Stinson, to be his assistant. Stinson was a special education aide in the Mooresville school district before leaving to help take care of Neylon.
“She will be my hands whenever I need it,” Neylon said.
Stinson will help with grading papers, taking attendance, making copies and feeding Neylon at lunch. If the computer system goes down, Stinson would help Neylon teach the class using the chalkboard, he said.
On his first day back, Stinson’s assistance at the chalkboard wasn’t necessary. Max worked flawlessly, and Neylon and his students quickly adjusted, said Donna Petraits, director of communications for Brownsburg Schools.
“I didn’t know what to expect, but I knew it would be different,” said Robby Hechinger, who also had Neylon as a teacher in middle school. “But it really wasn’t any different than in eighth grade. He used the computer system and a microphone, but otherwise it seemed like any other teacher up there.”
After Stinson took attendance, Neylon showed historical clips from the Vietnam War, the sinking of the Titanic and the Sept. 11, 2001, attack on the World Trade Center.
Neylon saved the last 10 minutes to talk about his accident and answer any questions students might have, Petraits said.
Junior Erika Hess, 16, came away from Neylon’s class inspired. She said he already changed her outlook on life.
“I’m just so grateful that I have him for a teacher. . . . I’m so excited about this year now,” she said.
Technology at work – Bret Neylon’s return to a Brownsburg High School classroom depends on technology. Here are two examples:
A voice-activated computer software system, called Max, lets Neylon accomplish routine tasks on command. Max recognizes Neylon’s voice and does whatever he asks, whether it’s answering the phone, turning on the overhead projector or sending an e-mail.
School officials rewired Neylon’s entire room and added speakers to help amplify his voice. He uses a wireless lapel microphone to project his voice, which was weakened by injuries.
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