My Educational
Journey...
I, Bill Miller, incurred a
spinal cord injury on August 23rd, 1997 just two days before I was to
begin my senior year at the University of Florida. I spent three months in
hospitals and then returned home with the same level and type of injury
that a hero of mine, Christopher Reeve, had, which is that of a C1-2
quadriplegic and requires mechanical ventilation (it sounds worse than it
actually is, which I hope you can gather from the content I share here on
my website; see the links at the bottom of the page).
I have always wanted to be a graduate of THE University of Florida, and to
finish my education at UF would require doing so over the Internet, since
moving to Gainesville, even temporarily, wasn't feasible. When I learned
that UF was now offering a Bachelor of Science degree in Business
Administration (BSBA degree) that can be earned online, I knew that was
the opportunity I needed. I was hoping my previous schoolwork would allow
me to switch majors from mathematics to business without requiring any
prerequisite courses, but I needed two economics courses (macro and micro)
and two accounting courses (financial and managerial) before I could start
back at UF in their
Online BSBA (or OBSBA) Program. A UF adviser, Jill Lingard told me
that I could take the four prerequisite courses online via St. Petersburg
College. So I registered for classes at
St. Petersburg College and resumed pursuit of my education on the 7th
anniversary of my injury, August 23rd, 2004. I thought it was particularly
meaningful and oddly appropriate that the first day of classes that
semester happened to fall on my 7th anniversary. There certainly can be
beauty in God's plan.
Before I continue with my educational journey, I have to provide some
additional background.
Ever since I was discharged from my two-month rehab stint at Shepherd
Center in Atlanta at the end of November in 1997, I've been "busy" trying
to both get better physically, and be productive. First, I had to learn to
talk well with the ventilator. Then I learned how to operate my computer
by voice. My computer is my primary tool to the world. I started doing
movie reviews for our local newspaper and only stopped because I had other
endeavors I wanted to pursue. I wanted to start doing speaking engagements
(I've had more than 100, mostly local to central Florida) and there was
also a wheelchair bowling idea I wanted to work on.
My Stepmom, Donna, saw how well I could drive my power wheelchair, and she
knew I must be able to bowl, but there was no such device that would allow
me to. She tried to find someone who could construct something so I could
bowl and a sheriff's office volunteer in her courtroom was a retired
engineer named Claude Giguere. Donna showed Claude a picture of me in my
wheelchair (the same one on my website's homepage) and Claude said he
could help me bowl. He and I got together and quickly agreed that the most
feasible idea was an attached ramp concept, i.e. attaching a ramp to my
wheelchair that would hold a bowling ball, and allow me to drive and
release the ball upon stopping. Claude and I wound up co-inventing what
today is known as the IKAN ("I can") Bowler®. IKAN comes from a Greek word meaning
empower, and our IKAN Bowler empowers wheelchair users to be
able to compete in a fun, social sport. The IKAN Bowler is sanctioned for
league play by the United States Bowling Congress (USBC) so its users can
legitimately compete with or against able-bodied bowlers and/or fellow
wheelchair users. Being able to confidently participate in a social,
recreational activity is therapeutic and uplifting for the IKAN User, and
often is inspiring to people who see us bowl (for more of my thoughts on
the magnitude of the IKAN Bowler, and for IKAN User testimonials, click
HERE).
After building a prototype for how quadriplegics and other power
wheelchair users can bowl, we wanted to try to share the ability with
other physically limited people. There really weren't any recreational
activities that I could physically compete in, until we developed the IKAN
Bowler. We started, essentially, in 2002 and have been working ever since
to build the best, most user-friendly IKAN Bowler possible, which we have
done, and we're trying to get the word out that such a device exists,
because most power wheelchair users still don't know about it. Claude and
I, along with a successful entrepreneur named Vincent Tifer, cofounded a
company called Manufacturing Genuine Thrills, (or MGT for short) because
we believe the IKAN Bowler provides genuine thrills for its users. But as
a small company with limited resources, we are doing all that what we can
(our website is
www.ikanbowler.com for more information).
So I was "busy" before going back to school, and I felt two courses for a
fall or spring semester would be enough of an additional workload, and I
wanted to take one course each summer, which is a faster-paced semester
(yet still covers a full course worth of material). That plan would be
five courses each year. There are 15 four credit hour courses in the
Online BSBA Program, so the program should take three years. That is
essentially what I did. It took me one year (a fall and spring
semester) to get the four prerequisite courses I needed, and my last class
ended August 8th -- the day before graduation -- and about two weeks before the 11th anniversary of my
accident.
That schedule turned out to be an appropriate workload, and enabled me to
go "slowly" enough to study the material well and earn an A in each class
and I completed the OBSBA with a 4.0 GPA.
Besides the schoolwork itself, I've encountered many challenges along the
way. For example, at least a month before every semester, I have to seek
an electronic version of my required textbooks from their publishers, who
aren't always eager to comply (I purchase a print version first, then my
school disability resource representative requests the alternative format)
and sometimes I wouldn't get a decent accommodated text until several
weeks into the semester. Also, all my studying is by voice... I cannot
take lecture notes. Fortunately, disability resources will compensate a
student notetaker for sharing his/her notes with me. Every semester, I
would post an announcement on our class discussion board introducing
myself and describing my situation and why I need a notetaker (I can't
take notes using voice software while watching a lecture). It wasn't
always easy to find a student willing to type up their notes (they are
busy also, and it can be quite a bit of extra work; I understand that).
Anyway... I FINALLY graduated (with honors:) on August 9, 2008 from THE
University of Florida -- about 10 years after I thought I would. Apparently, God had different plans for me, than what I originally planned
to do (I was probably going to get a master's degree in education after my
bachelor's in mathematics, so I could teach math on the collegiate level,
like at a community college). I have since come to believe my life has
greater purpose, that being... to do God's will, which I believe is trying
to help others have and live a better life. My unusual
physical situation has afforded me an opportunity to have a different view
of life than many people, and I believe that makes my words more impactful
during my speaking engagements. If I were able-bodied, and talked about
having healthy perspectives and overcoming challenges (the primary topics
of most of my presentations) people would probably say, "what do you
know?"
Sitting in this big wheelchair with the ventilator on back, talking when
the ventilator gives me a breath (which occasionally makes me briefly
pause) gives
people pause and they can clearly see that in my situation, I have
experienced life from a different perspective than theirs. I think that is
one way that God has given me to help people, His will be done. With our
bowling venture, we are trying to empower and improve the quality of life
for wheelchair users, especially power wheelchair users -- who are also
some of society's most physically challenged people. I am completely
paralyzed from my neck down -- yet I've bowled six legitimate games over
200 and I can beat many able-bodied people, competing under fair rules in
the exact same sport. How cool is that?! :-)
So, What's Next for Bill Miller?
Well, we
are still trying to help as many people be able to bowl as possible. Our
business has very low overhead, so we can sustain ourselves for a good
while until we are finally able to blow the doors off of the world and let
everyone know that quadriplegics and anyone who can safely operate a
wheelchair CAN BOWL. We need heavy exposure and have ideas how to get that
exposure, but it will take time. So those efforts will continue, hopefully
until there are therapeutic "cures" for paralysis and wheelchairs become a
thing of the past (they won't ever completely disappear; as people age,
wheelchairs will still be of use, but hopefully the causes that
necessitate wheelchair use early in life will be eliminated).
[UPDATE 9/17/2009] I am planning to earn of a Master of
Science in Entrepreneurship (MSE degree) via the
University of Florida's Internet MSE
program. I plan to begin in October 2010. I was previously
planning to pursue a Master of Business Administration (MBA degree) from
UF.
[Resuming original post from shortly after graduating with my
bachelor's degree]
I am going on with my life, while doctors and scientists work on finding
ways to cure paralysis. I'll be ready when the glorious time comes that I
can start moving my body again voluntarily. I have previously said "that
might be just five more years," but now, there are actual doctors who are
saying it truly could happen that soon. A master's degree will enable me to have
some
job options whether I'm still paralyzed or not. I can teach at a community
college that is literally a five minute van ride from our house, or I
could teach online courses. Or I could work from home and do a number of
different things.
You now see why it has been important for me to resume my education, and
earning my bachelor's degree with honors from a very well respected
university is something of which I'm certainly proud. Many graduates send
out announcements in hopes of receiving gifts that can help them venture
into the real world. I really don't need any gifts, but if people want to
do something in recognition of my graduation, I chose three donation
possibilities: Paralysis help, Cancer help, and helping others
experience the joy and empowerment of bowling with an IKAN Bowler. Click
HERE
if you want more info about making a donation to any of those three causes
that are near and dear to my heart.
Thank you for your interest in my educational journey! |