My name is Tyrese Alleyne-Davis. I am a 25-year-old male from Brooklyn, New York, living with cerebral palsy, which compromises the left side of my body and both of my legs.
I am a recent participant in United Spinal Association’s Work Readiness program. This program was meaningful to me because it allowed me to connect with other participants and staff with varying levels of disability. They not only understood my struggles living in an able-bodied world but were also living examples of how I could be a productive member of the workforce despite my physical limitations.
Pathways to Employment Director Lesly St. Louis and his team put together a great schedule. The speakers and presenters covered a wide range of topics associated with acclimating into the workforce as a person with a disability. Through these presentations, I learned how to strengthen my resume and properly carry myself during an interview. I also learned how to organize my finances as a person with a disability who may be transitioning from receiving government assistance to entering the workforce.
More individuals with disabilities need to learn about the employment resources offered by United Spinal Association. I am very grateful to have Lesly and the staff as mentors in my network and I know that this is not the last time I will collaborate with members of United Spinal.
Finding my way
Growing up as a child with a physical disability, there were barriers, obstacles, and hurdles I had to overcome in my life to allow myself a great opportunity to obtain a college-level education. Because of a tremendous amount of advocacy, love, toughness, and encouragement from my mother Felicia Alleyne-Davis I was not only able to graduate from New York University with my bachelor’s degree in creative arts in 2023 but also, I was able to discover who I was as an individual and more importantly, the spirit of independence that I possessed within myself.
Throughout my school years, my mother held me to a high academic standard in all my subject areas. We realized quickly early on in my education journey that because of my disability, I would have to work tirelessly to remain mentally sharp in my academics to compete with my able-bodied peers.
I graduated from Henry Viscardi School in the Albertson section of Long Island. This specialized school for students with severe disabilities offers physical therapy and other educational supplemental services in an academically enriched environment. Because I was subject to horrible treatment during my first two years of public middle school, my mom, along with my special education lawyer, put together a successful case stating that I needed to have a new educational environment. The court case was settled, and I started attending Henry Viscardi School in eighth grade.
During 11th grade I got to work figuring out what my life beyond high school would look like. After scoring 1100 on my SAT exam, I felt confident going into my college application process. I took an honest assessment of my strengths and weaknesses, and along with my tutors and my mother slowly compiled a list of both public and private universities to consider.
I applied to St. John’s University, Brooklyn College, and Columbia University, to name a few. Then, I narrowed it down to two schools: Columbia University or Brooklyn College. However, once my mother and I broke down the numbers, we realized that I would get little to no financial aid. After a couple of days of stress, I received my acceptance letter to New York University. To my surprise, they had accepted me through the Higher Education Opportunity Program. HEOP is a program for students who have the academic capability but lack the financial support to cover the cost. I was granted scholarships to cover room and board for the full four years.
I was overcome with a wave of emotion, realizing that I would finally know where my higher education journey would begin and more importantly, what kind of community I would be calling home for the next four years. This is when my period of growth truly began.
NYU gave me a chance
All HEOP students are required to complete a six-week pre-college summer course to introduce them to the rigorous schedule of college. It allows us to get a taste of what the fall semester has in store so we would be able to acclimate quicker to campus life. I was very excited. However, I didn’t realize the magnitude of the hard work I had to put in. I didn’t put my best foot forward and was caught up in the social side of finally being in college. I almost failed all my classes in the summer program because I wasn’t asking for help. At the end, I had a roundtable academic meeting with the program directors.
NYU gave me one more chance. My failure helped me see how urgent it was to take advantage of my time at such a prestigious university. I sat down with my program advisor, explained my difficulties with the program, and found an academic tutor to help guide me: Bill Dunks. I remember being in the student center, really depressed about my future at NYU. Bill heard me talking to someone else about my difficulties and offered to help guide me on my academic journey. That was the day everything changed for me.
Bill helped me to see key areas I was struggling in and offered solutions to help me live up to my academic potential. He became my mentor and understood me as a person and as a student. By the end of my freshman year, I went from failing to a 3.7 GPA.
Faith in the process and the skills I learned
I graduated in the spring of 2023 with my bachelor’s degree in creative arts. Now I aim to use my creative arts and writing degree in the world of sports journalism and media communications. Also, I got my first apartment in 2021 and now I’m a couple of years into living on my own with some help, of course. It feels good to be an adult and have a sense of independence.
My journey is by far not complete. Yes, I am still looking for a job, but I have faith in the process and the skills I learned as part of United Spinal’s Work Readiness group. I hope everyone reading this article can understand that life does not happen for you. Life happens to you, and over the course of living and doing what you love, you will find the appropriate place where you are supposed to be and where your skills are appreciated.
Life may have its ups and downs, especially for me as a person with a physical disability. It’s the knowledge that tomorrow I might win and succeed at what I have been building over these past couple of years that keeps me excited about the journey.
Sign up for Pathways to Employment’s Work Readiness program and jumpstart your own employment journey.
