MEET OUR STUDENTS: Jose Rosario – An Odd Twist of Fate Led to His Life Purpose

RIC sophomore Jose Rosario is a youth and prevention consultant for the Providence Mayor’s Substance Abuse Prevention Council, overseeing all interventions for youth between the ages of 0 and 18.

“Being disabled, you go through a lot and have to overcome a lot of obstacles,” he explained. “For me, that has transferred into wanting to help people.”

Rosario was born four months premature and then sent home after a lengthy hospital stay without the necessary oxygen equipment. He stopped breathing for almost 12 minutes.

Brain cells will begin to die after four minutes without oxygen, resulting in severe brain damage, he said. Defying the laws of medical science, Rosario was left with a fully functioning brain and a mild form of cerebral palsy, causing physical disability in the areas of body movement.

Throughout his life, he has undergone numerous surgeries to learn to walk and was finally able to ambulate with two canes five years ago. His wheelchair, however, is still his primary means of mobility. And his disability has increased rather than stymied his activities with at-risk teens.

He began working with teens when he was only 13 himself, joining his middle school’s chapter of Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD). He later established a chapter of SADD at his secondary school – Classical High School – the first chapter in Classical’s history.

Supportive of SADD and the work that Rosario was doing, Providence Councilman Nicholas Narducci suggested that Rosario become involved in volunteer work in the community. The 13-year-old began assisting local politicians in the planning of community events so that the events would be effective for teens.

By the time he was 18, he was volunteering at City Hall for the mayor of Providence’s Substance Abuse Prevention Council and began an internship, which he continues to this day, at Rhode Island Hospital with a physician who specializes in adolescent risk behaviors.

“Currently we’re involved in a project on HIV and the risk behaviors associated with HIV for teens,” he said.

Despite his hectic life of service, Rosario has consistently excelled academically. He graduated at the top of his class at Classical and is an honors student at RIC, double majoring in psychology and chemical dependency/addiction studies. He hopes to work some day in a hospital or clinical setting.

Though his strong humanist interest is focused on all teens, Rosario said his initial preference was to work with teens with disabilities. He said disability services programs tend to target the physical aspects of a disability rather than the emotional aspects. As a future clinician, he wants to change that.

“There are emotional issues associated with having a disability that can build up over time,” he said. “I’ve seen a lot of depression and feelings of loneliness and isolation. If you don’t have a strong family support system as I have, those emotions can become overwhelming. I’m a staff member at a summer camp for children with disabilities. I’ve listened to kids cry as they describe how they are bullied and isolated in school.” It is troubling to hear, he said.

Rosario also works at Rhode Island College’s Disability Services Center and will be participating in a three-student panel at the 2014 Assistive Technology Conference of New England on Thursday, Nov. 20. The conference focuses on the latest research and best practices in technology for people with disabilities. Rosario wants people with disabilities to know (those born with a disability and those struggling with debilitating addictions) that a weakness can become one’s greatest strengths.