You know life is funny. When Quincy joined Daily Companions in 2010 one of the first things he told us when we met him is that he would like to have a job at Subway. In August of 2015 Quincy is indeed working at ROC’s Subway. Quincy had several programs, volunteer experiences and work experiences with Dominoes and Mc Donald’s over the 5 years he has been in the program that have prepared him for reaching this goal of his.
Quincy and Daily Companions program has gone through a lot of changes since 2010. Quincy has grown and matured. Daily Companions has adapted to Quincy’s changing needs and abilities and has grown with Quincy to the point that a statement that Quincy made to staff in 2010 has become a reality for him.
Today Quincy enjoys his work at Mc Donald’s 2 days a week and at Roc’s 2 days a week. The rest of the time he enjoys interacting with his friends at Daily Companions and going out into the community every day for different activities and job exploration experiences.
Having a brother with special needs allowed me to see the world from two different perspectives. While I enjoyed the activities offered to those without challenges, it was sad and hurtful to see my brother, Arty denied those activities and to hear crude comments of the public. During my teenage years, I volunteered at Camp Fairlee that worked with individuals with special needs. Because of my volunteer work, I decided to enter the medical field. While in nursing school, I had the honor to meet with Dr. MacEwen, at the Alfred I. Institute. Dr. MacEwen was one of the top surgeon’s in the country that performed surgery on children with physical disability development. I was fortunate to spend time discussing physical disabilities with him, and he was my mentor for my final paper in nursing school. After graduating, I was a neuro-surgical and emergency room nurse at the Delaware Hospital in Wilmington, DE.