On Friday, December 18, 2009, Centre Services wished farewell and good luck to one of their most dependable participants. Dan Shirey graduated from the Community Skill Building Team to pursue his next adventure. Dan was a great addition to any class and was always willing to help any of the instructors lead the discussions or create a plan for the day. Dan will be greatly missed in classes by both his instructors and his peers.
Dan Shirey started at UCP/CLASS in July 2002 on the Community Skill Building Team. Dan was born with Muscular Dystrophy. His purpose in coming to program was to increase his independent living skills, increase computer skills and to increase his awareness of vocational options. He graduated from Centre Services on December 18 2009. During his years here at the Centre he actively participated in discussion based classes offering insight and advice from his own life to his peers. He particularly enjoyed classes such as Transition to Independent Living and History of Disability Rights with a particular passion for the subject of self-advocacy. He is also an active advocate for people with disabilities attending monthly advocacy meetings during his time at the Centre that focused on politics and society and strategies to make life better for people with disabilities when living independently.
A few years ago Dan started his own consulting company DAJ Consultants which has the goal of making life better for people with disabilities. DAJ places an emphasis on the treatment of the elderly who have disabilities so they are not put in nursing homes and neglected, but instead are able to live as independently as possible despite their disability. Dan frequently travels to different colleges and universities in and around the community including Robert Morris University, University of Pittsburgh, and Slippery Rock University, just to name a few. In his presentations, Dan educates people about living with a disability. Dan holds the belief that your disability is only a part of you, but does not define you as a person.
Dan has moved on from UCP/CLASS to continue with his disability advocacy work and to pursue two volunteer opportunities in the community. One is close to his home in Natrona Heights that he started a few months ago at Allegheny Valley Kiski Area Hospital where he is able to put together informational packages about hospital services that a person receives when they are admitted to that hospital. He also stuffs envelopes for mailings. The other volunteer position he holds is at Shadyside Hospital Hillman Cancer Center where he helps with filing documents, organizes magazines by putting them together in piles by type of magazine and in alphabetical order. Dan also sorts get well cards and birthday cards for the patients and puts labels on items when necessary.
All of the staff at UCP/CLASS wishes Dan the best of luck with all of his endeavors. We know that this will not be the last we hear of you. Congratulations, Dan on your graduation from UCP/CLASS.
UCP/CLASS
