• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Cerebral Palsy Association of BC

Life Without Limits

  • Donate
  • Support Hotline: 604-408-9484 / 1-800-663-0004
  • Contact
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter

Main navigation

  • About Us
    • About Cerebral Palsy
    • Mission & Vision
    • History of CPABC
    • Board of Directors
    • Staff
    • Contact
  • Programs & Services

    Workshops

    • Legal Resources

    Recreation

    • Photo & Video Release
    • Programs Calendar
    • Adapted Yoga
    • Dance Without Limits
    • Movement Therapy

    Support & Referrals

    • Family & Individual Support
    • CP Connections

    Financial Resources

    • Camperships
    • Equipment Subsidy
    • Janna Epp Bursary
    • Education Bursaries

    Resources

    • Cerebral Palsy Awareness Project on Vancouver Island
    • Vancouver Island Resource Guides
    • Resource Links
      • Resource Links: Coronavirus (COVID-19)
    • Publications
      • Lending Library
    • Disability Awareness Presentations
  • Events
    • Annual General Meeting
    • World CP Day | BC 4 CP
    • Get Fit for CP Challenge
  • News & Media
    • Subscribe to our eNewsletter
    • News Blog
    • Youth Blog
    • In the Media
    • Communications Etiquette
  • Our Impact
    • Impact Stories
    • Videos
    • Annual Reports
  • Membership
  • Support Us
    • Donate
    • Membership
    • Volunteer
    • Reasons to Donate
    • Other Ways to Give
    • Host a fundraising event
    • Corporate Giving
    • Donors & Supporters
  • First Diagnosis

Impact Stories, News Blog · March 9, 2016

Achieving Milestones – Conan Winkelmeyer

Conan photo 1

Achieving Milestones – Conan Winkelmeyer

Every time 26-year old Conan Winkelmeyer has been awarded the Tanabe Bursary by the Cerebral Palsy Association of British Columbia (CPABC), it has allowed him to focus more on school and less on employment – and this has been reflected in his academic success. “I have received the bursary four times. You guys have been awesome!” he says.

For students with disabilities, post-secondary education can present more than the usual challenges of work, study, debt, and finding a career path. With fewer accessible part-time jobs, and typically more time needed to complete studies, young people with disabilities can incur up to $60,000 more in student debt than others. The Tanabe Bursary offered by the CPABC supports students with cerebral palsy in their pursuit of independence and higher education.

Young people with disabilities can incur up to $60,000 more in student debt than others.

School has been a journey for Winkelmeyer, who grew up in Prince George, BC. He first embarked on courses in psychology with a minor in First Nations studies at the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC), but has since switched his focus to teaching. He is currently doing an education degree for elementary K-7 and wants to be a counselor to help others. Winkelmeyer will graduate in April 2016. Through his studies and research, Winkelmeyer estimates that 80 per cent of counselling referrals come from within the education system.

He has gained a lot of counselling experience, including a six-week contract with the Family Development Society in Fort Nelson, which falls under the Ministry of Children and Family Development. In addition, he works part time at the Phoenix Transition Society, an outreach program in Prince George assisting male and female prisoners to understand different type of abuses and how they may have been affected by it.

The change in his academic path was in part influenced by his work with children in a daycare. “They were really accepting of me and didn’t really care about my disability,” he says. “A girl would hold my hand to show me something she did.” This is part of the reason he is taking an education degree, which is six courses and a six-week practicum. He taught grades 2/3 and 7 at Heart Highlands in Prince George for a three week period.

Transportation challenges during his practicum included wintry weather like snow and ice, and spending $300 on cab fare during a two week period, one of those weeks the University was on strike. Handydart requires passengers to be ready 45 minutes early but provides no flexibility with pick up, meaning he couldn’t stay later to mark papers and it was difficult to schedule time to talk to a parent or teacher.

Conan believes that people have to make decisions for the right reasons, and the result of those choices is going to push them further. He believes that life is about the overall journey, how you grow as a person and surrounding yourself with a great support team. He received early guidance and support from Tyler Abraham, a former Educational Assistant at R L Angus and Fort Nelson Secondary School. Conan liked that Abraham valued him for who he was. “He treated me just like anyone else. It really resonated with me,” he said.

Abraham describes Conan as outgoing and kind. “If he puts his mind to it, he can accomplish anything,” he says. “He has gone to university, he is completing his teaching degree and now he is using one cane instead of two.” Abraham was there to congratulate Conan at both his high school and university graduations. He feels that it’s a testament to his will that he’s persevered through pain and disability. “I have known him for 14 years and he has never complained about pain. He thinks that every day is a gift.”

I have known him for 14 years and he has never complained about pain. He thinks that every day is a gift.” – Tyler Abraham

As a kid, Conan looked up to Terry Fox and Rick Hansen, as well as musician Sarah McLachlan. “After my second surgery in Grade Seven, I started to create a bucket list while listening to the song Angel by Sarah McLachlan. I didn’t know what the outcome would be.”

conan's photo 2

When he was 17, he got a tattoo of a phoenix rising from the ashes. He has a photo with Rick Hansen bearing the inscription “Anything is possible”. “I got to do and see so many things,” says Conan. He was the first person with a disability to take part an international exchange from UNBC, studying in Sweden and visiting Amsterdam and Dublin. “I got to see the cultural background of where the family name Winkelmeyer came from,” he says.

Each year, the Tanabe Bursary helps 10 to 12 students with cerebral palsy to achieve their personal and academic milestones. The CPABC is proud to have been a part of Conan’s journey, and to see his perseverance and hard work pay off by bringing him closer to his dreams.

“If you’re determined enough, you can achieve anything.”

 

Read more about our Bursary programs

 

 

Related Posts

  • Ella's Profile PictureElla’s Camp Story
  • Jason and Rand, running for fairness and inclusionMaking a run for fairness and inclusion: Guinness World Record breaking wheelchair tandem team takes on Victoria Half Marathon
  • Dear members: “Straw ban” stigma and response
  • How the Tanabe Bursary helps students with CP

Filed Under: Impact Stories, News Blog Tagged With: award, bursary, education, financial assistance

Previous Post: « CPABC brings Dance Without Limits to Victoria – see the CHEK News story
Next Post: Volunteering for a difference – Manpreet Verdi »

Primary Sidebar

CPABC Brochure
Download our CPABC Brochure 2015

Categories

  • Adapted Recreation (3)
  • Aging (2)
  • Blog (33)
  • Child Care and Development (6)
  • Events (10)
  • Financial Supports (2)
  • Health (5)
  • Home Features (6)
  • Impact Stories (27)
  • In the Media (30)
  • News Blog (277)
  • Seniors (2)
  • Trust & Estate Planning (2)
  • Youth Blog (34)
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Footer

About CPABC

Cerebral Palsy Association of British Columbia is a non-profit organization. Our vision is to create a Life Without Limits for people with disabilities.

Cerebral Palsy Association of BC An affiliate of United Cerebral Palsy

Support Us

Find a Clothing Bin Near You
Become a Member
Volunteer
Donate

Charitable Registration
BN 10690 4204 RR0001

Contact Us

Cerebral Palsy Association of British Columbia

Cerebral Palsy Association of British Columbia
330 – 409 Granville Street
Vancouver, BC, Canada  V6C 1T2

Telephone: 604.408.9484
Toll-free: 1.800.663.0004
info@bccerebralpalsy.com

Join Our Mailing List →

© 2023 Cerebral Palsy Association of British Columbia, an affiliate of United Cerebral Palsy · Website by TM · Site Map