Hi, I'm Steve Harper. I'm very honored
to be reading my speech to you today, with help from a lap top computer that
has a speech synthesizer. I would also like to thank my really great friends
Sara Hollingworth and Rob Scanlon for helping me today.
First of all, let me tell you what graduation means to me. Graduation is the
celebration and culmination of one's efforts and accomplishments in college
for ALL people who graduate. Graduation symbolizes hard work, determination,
long hours of studying and many sleepless nights for students who not only have
school to concentrate on, but may also have to juggle working a full or part
time job, raising a family or paying bills. College collectively brings together
students from all walks of life, from different ethnic backgrounds, races, religious
beliefs, economic situations, as well as students with physical or learning
disabilities, allowing them all one equal opportunity to learn.
I have been a student here at Shoreline for nine years. I have severe cerebral
palsy. I communicate by using Morse code through my head switches. The black
communicator in front of me converts my Morse code into English on the display
screen. There's a program here for students just like me called the Community
Integration Program. It is because of that Program, that I am with you here
today.
The staff of the Integration Program, as well as my other teachers at Shoreline,
never once looked at me and asked me how in the hell was I going to do the work.
Though they may have thought it, I know I did, but they never said it. Instead
they all made the necessary arrangements for me to succeed in class. They also
expected me to do just as well, if not better than the other students.
In the fall of 1993 John Elmer, the Community Integration Program's coordinator,
or Johnny boy as I like to call him, bought four computers for the program.
He taught me how to use a Macintosh with Ke:nx, an adapter which allows me to
use my Morse code with the computer. About a year later my parents bought me
my own Macintosh with Ke:nx for me to use at home. This really changed my life,
because I no longer depended on someone to write my work down for me. I Now
could do my work myself. The staff also scanned my textbooks for me on disks,
so I could read them by myself without having to turn pages.
I think that we can all learn by this school's example. Instead of looking at
my physical challenges, they looked inside of my heart and soul, and even saw
my potential before I did. This is the nineties and it's about time people stop
their senseless visual prejudices against one another! No matter if a person
has different skin color, or their eyes are shaped differently then yours, or
they're in a wheelchair like me. It's time that we all look inside each other
humanly, instead of our superficial appearances! If you look at every person's
heart and soul, then you'll soon discover that we all can contribute something
in our society, if given the opportunity. We can also discover that we can become
better people and more enriched.
I want to also give a very personal and special thanks to Shoreline and their
Community Integration Program. Without their wonderful support I wouldn't be
graduating. Please remember, that there are so many people like me, and if just
given an opportunity to achieve their goals and dreams, they WILL! That's why
keeping Shoreline's special programs, like the Community Integration Program,
is a must! It is so important because Shoreline is giving every type of a student
hope for the future to be somebody important and respected. Without these programs,
future Students with disabilities have no direction to stimulate their potential.
Otherwise, living without any hopes or dreams in life is meaningless.
Now, I would like to dedicate my AA degree to four very important people in
my life.
First, I want to dedicate my degree to my mom, Gladys Marie Harper. She has
dedicated her life to her children. She has gone through what no parent should
ever go through, the loss of a child. Despite all of that, she continued to
drive me to college and pick me up day after day, year after year. Unfortunately
I can't ever make the pain go away from losing her eldest son. However I can
make her proud of her youngest son today. I will take the liberty of saying
for all of your kids, you're the best big nose mom that anybody could ever have!
My second and third dedications kind of run together. I would like to dedicate
my degree to my brother, Daniel Jerry Harper and to his son, Carl Daniel Harper.
Oh I wish that my brother could have been here today, but I know that he's looking
down at me with God saying, I knew that you would graduate, you just had to
believe in yourself. Please notice that I'm wearing his belt buckle over my
gown and every time that I look down at it, then I know that he's really here
with me today. I'm proud that he was my big brother for my first twenty four
years of my life. For his son, Carl, I'm sorry that I couldn't help raise you
like I wanted to after your dad died. Nobody will ever know how much I wanted
that. Just remember three things Carl, that I love you, I'm extremely proud
of you and I would do anything for you.
Last but definitely not least. I want to dedicate my degree to my very special
friend, Sara Jeanette Hollingworth. She's the one who is accepting my degree
for me. She says that she's honored that I picked her to accept my degree. However
let the truth be known that I'm very honored that she agreed to do it! Sara
and I were in biology 101 together, which I struggled through. To show you how
big her heart really is, she took pity on this lunk head. We studied for many
hours on that final, and I passed the class thanks to her! Sara is currently
enrolled in Shoreline's difficult nursing program, and as sure as I'm sitting
here right now, I know that Sara is going to be the best nurse in the history
of the world! Sara, I will always be very proud of you. I just want the people
to know, no matter what, I'll always treasure our friendship, Sara Beara! Today
is a very special day for me, just like the first day when I met Sara in room
702, when she said to me, hi, I'm Sara. Sara, you're just like my mom and Carl.
you three deserve the very best in life. You know that I'd do anything for you
all to accomplish that fact!
I'd like to say thanks to God! Lovable God, you truly have blessed me with my
family and friends that I have, and I know that you will take care of my brother
for me until I get there myself.
Finally, I want to wish the best to everybody here today. Thank you.