Pathways to Independence is proud to share an inspiring moment from one of our recent events, where Liam, a young adult participant in our program, spoke about his journey. In the summer of 2020, Pathways launched a new program for young adults aged 16 to 21, designed to help individuals with disabilities enhance their social skills. Liam’s story is a testament to the power of connection, personal growth, and the supportive community that Pathways fosters. During our trivia night, Liam shared how Pathways transformed his social life, helping him overcome shyness and build confidence. We invite you to watch Liam’s speech and see firsthand the positive impact Pathways is making in the lives of our participants.
Video Transcript:
Jamie Larson: “Hello, everybody! Thank you so much for coming to our trivia night. I’m Jamie Larson, a program manager at Pathways to Independence. During the summer of 2020, Pathways launched a new young adult program for individuals aged 16 to 21. As you can imagine, 2020 was a challenging year to start a new program; however, there are now over 40 young adult participants involved in this program. One of those young adult participants is Liam, and he is our participant speaker this evening — our first young adult participant speaker. I’m so excited to introduce him and have you all hear his story and how Pathways has impacted his life. During this time, I ask that you give your full attention to Liam, and if you could help me welcome him.”
Liam: “Before I begin, I just want to reassure everyone here that being the speaker has not led to me getting any trivia-related privileges, though I wouldn’t be opposed if anyone slipped me the answers! Anyway, good evening. My name is Liam Boswell, and I have been a participant in the young adult group at Pathways to Independence for the past year and a half. I’m here today to talk to all of you about how Pathways has improved my life. Before Pathways, my social life was practically non-existent. I almost never got out of the house, and while I did have a couple of close friends, my best friend moved away, and I saw my other friends infrequently. I homeschooled as well, and once COVID-19 hit the U.S., my contact with people my age was next to nothing. Things stayed like this until my mom had me participate in the Dream Big Camp, where people with disabilities learn about future career options. There, a staff member mentioned Pathways to Independence as a place where people with disabilities could work on socializing. I can’t overstate how much my social life changed that fateful day.
Before I started going to Pathways, I found myself too afraid to talk with my peers, constantly worrying that I would embarrass myself if I tried to make even the simplest of small talk. With Pathways, I’ve become much more comfortable with talking to others my age, and my experience there has helped me lose my fear of embarrassing myself in conversation. I’ve become a lot better at conversing with others in general, improving at maintaining eye contact and participating in the back-and-forth of conversations. It’s given me the courage and experience to speak here to all of you tonight, and it’s all thanks to Pathways. Pathways has also provided me with a community to belong to. Events such as cooking classes and Dungeons and Dragons have given me opportunities to do activities I enjoy with people my age who have similar interests. I no longer feel as horribly shy as I used to around others, and again, it’s thanks to the experiences I’ve had at Pathways.
It hasn’t just been the social events that have helped me, either. Pathways’ social coaches have also provided me with a lot of guidance. Through those classes, I’ve become much better, not just in social skills like making connections with others and talking about shared interests and hobbies, but also in topics such as social justice. Pathways to Independence has been a massive benefit to me since I started, and I plan to keep on participating. I hope that everyone here can keep supporting Pathways to Independence and, in turn, support a place where people like me can improve their lives and find a place to belong. Thank you all for being here tonight.”
We hope Liam’s story has inspired you to see the positive impact Pathways to Independence can have on individuals with disabilities. If you’d like to learn more about our programs or get involved, we’d love to hear from you. We invite you to reach out to us at [email protected] or 314-863-0202 to learn how you or someone you know can join our community and become a participant in one of our life-changing programs.