FACES OF GRCC

ational therapists at facilities like Mary
Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital, and
allow disabled people to be given the
same opportunity to play as everyone
else.
Sled Wings Coach Steve Kozlowski
has coached Perry for the last eight
years. He said Perry is a role model for
younger players.
Perry coaches an adaptive sports
team in addition to her playing for the
Sled Wings.
“We have an eight year old that just
started,” Kozlowski said. “It’s great that
we can look at her and say ‘Hey, look at
Chelsea. She’s been here for 14 years,’
and their eyes light up like ‘Wow, that’s
a long time.’ That’s longer than they’ve
been alive, so it shows that they can
enjoy it and continue to enjoy it into
adulthood.”
According to the Rinks to Links
website, Grand Rapids Sled Wings,
sponsored in partnership with Mary
Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital, was
the first junior-level sled hockey team
in Michigan. They were founded in
2001 and the team travels around the
country.
Perry’s idea of seeking a recreational
therapy degree comes from her active
role in Sled Wings, and being a part of
the recreational therapy program at
Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital.
“I’m a typical college student,” said
Perry said. “I like to go to movies. I
like to go out to eat with people. In the
summertime my friends and I like to
find concerts to go to.”
Perry currently works on the second
floor of the Library Learning Center, at
“The P.L.A.C.E,” a drop-in tutorial lab
at GRCC, as a front desk assistant. She
likes working there and finds it rewarding
to be the first face that people see
when they seek help.
An average day for Perry includes
daily struggles with getting dressed,
getting in and out of vehicles, and overcoming
a learning deficit that comes
56 | TheCollegiateLive.com
along with the physical portion of her
disease. One of her biggest struggles,
she said, is time management as it
takes her twice as long to accomplish
small tasks.
“I just recently got my license, so
when I go to leave the house now,
I have to not only count the time it
actually takes to physically get in the
car and drive somewhere, but also the
extra couple minutes it takes to load
up my chair, or the forearm crutches I
walk with,” Perry said.
Perry’s family understands her
struggle, but they acknowledge that it
doesn’t stop her from being who she
wants to be.
“It’s easy to look at someone in a
wheelchair and think, ‘Oh their legs
don’t work, or ‘Oh, they can’t walk like
me,’” said Perry’s sister, Lauren Perry.
“It’s a big part of what she’s dealt with
all her life, but I think there’s a lot left
for her to do and accomplish, because
she can do anything she sets her mind
to.”
Perry’s best friend, Renee Short, 30,
of Grand Rapids, has known her for 15
years. Perry and Short met as teammates
on a hockey league, and they
hang out quite frequently on weekends.
“She’s a good friend,” Short said.
“She’ll be there to lift you up, be there
as a shoulder to cry on, whether you
need a friend, or just a few laughs.”
She is currently striving towards
the goal of moving out of her parents’
house.
Perry’s twin brother, Pat Perry, said
he wants to see her be able to have the
same opportunities as him, when she
moves out on her own.
“I’ve always encouraged her since
the beginning about being independent
and moving out,” her brother said. “I’m
excited and anxious to see her in a
place where she can get to experience
all these small, wonderful things about
adult life.”
Perry recently won the Youth Leadership
and Inclusion Award at the Invest
in Ability dinner last October. This is an
event put on through The Advocates of
Disabilities of Kent County, an organization
which helps young adults direct
independence throughout adulthood.
Former Grand Rapids Mayor George
Heartwell presented the award to her
and she had a chance to speak with
Heartwell about challenges facing the
disabled community.
“It was a huge honor to be there and
to be able to kind of start to speak on
issues that affect me, and issues that
affect people that I know,” Perry said.
“I’ve always felt like I was a part of
something bigger. The fact that people
want to know what I think, and people
want to know where I’ve been at, and
what my story is really means a lot.”
A couple issues Perry mentioned to
the Mayor were wheelchair accessibility
around the city and snow removal
on sidewalks.
“In the dreams I’m pursuing, I’m
always conscious of the fact that I’m
doing what I do because I love it and
because it’s my dream, but at the same
time, I’m speaking and acting on behalf
of people who aren’t always heard,”
Perry said.
Perry speaks out for people like
herself because she understands the
stigmas and stereotypes that the world
has yet to conquer.
“People without disabilities should
not make assumptions,” Perry said.
“Because the generalization and the
assumption typically is that people
with any type of disability have to be
counted out and that’s just not true.”
Perry hopes people with impairments
hear her story and get inspired
to enhance their quality of life.
“If we’re advocating for ourselves,
and connecting with the right people I
think that things will start changing,”
Perry said. “Because we’re saying that
we deserve to be in the world using
talents, passions, and skills just like