The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

October 2000 Independent living means new challenges RYAN SPAULDING Staff Writer Have you ever lived on your own? If not, have you at least thought about what it would be like? Now here's an interesting question: What if you had a men- tal or physical handicap and de- cided to live on your own? Do you think it would be harder for you if you had a disability? There are many people who deal with this same problem, but one I know locally is Dan Spaulding, 23. Dan was born with brain damage, but was never diagnosed with a definite handi- cap. This impairment affects Dan's speech, coordination and learning abilities. Dan lives by himself in the Allen Apartment housing complex. He moved out of his parents' home in Long Rap- ids Township in May and into an apartment with a roommate. Dan then decided to live on his own and moved into his own place in August. Changing Faces ~ .. I <» ' • , 4 ' : ' ~ ....... -- .# , ; t · ,, , ,,..,. ;JI,. • f ,, .. "It was hard when I first moved in because I didn't know people around the apartments," Dan said. "I didn't know how to budget and in the first weekend tpe toilet overflowed three times. After the first couple of weeks, I got more comfortable and got used to it. I like the indepen- dence, you know, the freedom of doing what you want. I could take off with nothing to tie me down." It may sound like Dan doesn't have life all too bad, but you need to know some of the things he can't do. For i_nstance, Dan doesn't know how to drive·. He's tried in the past, but because of his disability, he couldn't do a lot of the hard things, like parallel parking and following directions. . So Dan is confined to riding his bike if he needs to get some- where, or he has to wait for a ride from either my mother Jean Spaulding or myself. Dan also doesn't know how to cook. He can nuke things in . Features The Polemic 5 Photo by Ryan Spaulding Dan Spaulding stands in the living room of his apartment. Living on his own has been challenging for Dan-. the microwave, but as far as that, he's very limited. Alotofthetime, he eats at fast food restaurants, which costs lots of money. His mother is trying to show him how to prepare meals, but he' 11 never fully be able to fix himself a nice steak dinner or spaghetti, which Photo by Jocelyn Haske his one of his favorite meals. Another thing that Dan has trouble with is that he's in con- stant fear of what people think of him. He has been made fun on his whole life because of the way he spoke or the fact that he can't . read well. Before he had his fam- ily always there to help him deal with his problems, but since he's moved, he has to deal with them on his own most of the time. This probably has been harder on his mother because she has always worried about Dan. "It was hard to see him move out," Jean Spaulding said. "I worry about him all the time, like if he's eating right or people tak- ing advantage of him. I still help Dan out as much as possible; like ASSAULT, Continued from Page 4 with fear. My potential assailant realized that there was a fearless female prepared to run, yell and fight and I was not going to be the easy target: Those few pre- cious seconds of smart thinking stalled the men long enough. I cook him meals sometimes, and if he needs a ride anywhere or needs to go shopping, but I can' t be there for him all the time like I used to." Another problem Dan faces is finding a job he can do. He has tried working at a fast food restaurant, but it didn't work out. This has given Dan a tight bud- get. Other than what he gets from the government, which he uses to pay for rent and food, Dan barely has enough for himself. Dan is a senior at Alpena High School where he maintains a 3.5 GPA. Dan also belongs to Peers United in Friendship, his church group. He volunteers at the Alpena nursing home as well as being in the Boy Scouts. Dan also in shock over what was happen- ing. She had just enough time to get the right keys ready and tell me what to do. . belonged to the Youth Volµnteer Corps over the summer, where they cleaned parks, put food in boxes and went to a science camp. In his free time, Dan en- joys rollerbl~ding, bike riding.and spending time with friends. After Dan gets out of qigh school, he would like to become a counselor for younger kids who have trouble with school or what- ever may be bothering them. Dan also had hi~ ·<l:dvice for anyone who wants lo live on his or her own for the first time. "Think about it very hard," Dan said. "Get to know who your neighbors are so it's be easier in case you ne~d something. It's a different story when you" re _actu- ally on your own." Sue Grulke, left, is assuming the duties of teaching journalism classes and advising The Polemic replacing Colleen Steinman, who is leaving Alpena. At that moment, the flood- gates opened and club goers were spilling out into the parking lot. He began to casually retreat to his car but followed us in the direction where we were parked. She unlocked my side first. I got in and hit the lock down. A split second later the man was at my passenger side door and grabbed the door handle. He stood there for a few moments banging on the window and her car roof. My friend was smart enough to let me in first. I don't think he planned for that either. By the time he had gone to my side of the car, she was already in and both ofus were safe. I was lucky. If it wasn ' t for my friend atid her knowledge of how to handle the situation, I could have been seriously°beaten, raped or even murdered. Ac- cording to experts who study 'k-id- napping, rape and assault,j.bere are two scenes for each potential crime. The first one is where the victim is abducted and the sec- ond is where the perpetrator com- mits the crime. If I had been taken from that parking lot, my chances of surviving were less than zero. My friend emerged the hero and I learned one of the most valu - able lessons of my life. SOAP, Continued from Page 1 and accounting needed in a busi- ness. "It's a federally-funded pro- gram designed to counsel and train new businesses as well as existing businesses," said Carl Bourdelais, head of the center. "The.program has been in exist- ence for 15 years and has been active on the Acc·campus since 1995. The annual numbers of the people involved in the program are incredible." All together, Pike estimates that she invested about $10,000 on materials and equipment in- cluding a dehumidifier for the damp basement she has turned into her work area. Besides the ACC Book- store, which happens to be the most profitable store, Pike has displays in Alpena, Cheboygan, Rogers City, Traverse City and Flint. Pike offers a wide variety of scents ranging from "peaches 'n cream" to a scent e:alled "Lum- berjack," form-ulated exclusively for ACC. Also available is what she likes to call "Fisherman's Soap," made from a plant called anise. The aroma, she claims, attracts fish and covers up human scent. Nature's Echo has had ex- posure through the Alpena News, WNEM Channel 5 in Saginaw Artis Books □ Antiques □ Objets d' Art Alpenaas Original Coffee· Bar 0 . ~ 201-209 N. Second Avenue Alpena, Mfchigan 49707 (-517) 354-3401 and the Muskegon Chronicle. Pike is striving for enough customers to increase her output of 30 lbs . of soap per week to 100 lbs. "Then," she said, "it could be a very profitable business." BE ALL YOU CAN BE The Polemic is looking for a few good men and women! Openings for writers, editors, photographers, designers and illustrators. Call Ext. 364 for more information My girlfriend took my arm and we calmly walked. I still was Check out ACC Bookstore's new look ... For the BEST selection of ACC [umber jack wearing apparel (including GEAR's Gutta line & J. America's Vintage), gift items, & school supplies you'll find anywhere!! We also provide the fallowing services ... Software at Academic Pricing Postage Stamps * Phone Cards Gift Bags &•Gift Certificates Copies* UPS* FAX Special Orders Were no~just a Bookstore anymore// Remember ... We?r an ACC item of clothing on Fridays & receive 25% off any regular priced clothing!!