Then a mysterious illness struck, and within three weeks he was comatose. The drastic measures taken to save his life left him with considerable nerve damage that affected his fine motor coordination, especially in his facial muscles and upper extremities.

These days, most people have a hard time understanding Anderson when he speaks, so he uses a pocket computer to type out messages. His upper body is noticeably spastic, but he can drive, and enjoys hiking and mountain biking. He hasn't let his disability stop him from achieving his goals, but it has made for some major challenges.

After a six-month rehabilitation period, he struggled to complete his final year of agricultural studies at UBC. He then worked for Agriculture Canada, but didn't see a long-term career developing. Eventually, he made the difficult decision to continue his education, this time in Computer Information Systems studies at UCFV.

"The thought of going through the whole process again was rather daunting, especially when I considered that I'd be 39 years old when I completed my degree," he says. "However, I tried some courses and gained some confidence. UCFV was the obvious choice for me because of the business-oriented emphasis of the program here."

Five years later, Anderson completed his degree, and he recently crossed the stage at UCFV's convocation. Getting there was an enormous accomplishment on his part, but also a team effort that included emotional support from his wife Carmen, understanding and patience from his professors and fellow students, and liaison on his behalf by UCFV's Disabililty Services department.

"I was very impressed with how the instructors and the Disability Services staff worked together to help me fit in and feel accepted. When I first expressed an interest in coming here, the CIS department head and another instructor met with me and a Disability Services staff member to go over in detail the CIS program and the type of services provided to students with disabilities. I'm still in awe of that!"

Because it takes him longer than average to write exams, the Disability Services staff arranged for Anderson to write them in their centre, with an extended time limit. "The support of Barbara Salingre (formerly with Disability Services) is one of the reasons for my success," recalls Anderson.

He also credits the CIS department for being a "tremendous help."All of the instructors made themselves available whenever I required clarification on an issue. Gary Ridsdale was my senior project advisor and provided great insight. His assistance in making my presentation go smoothly is greatly appreciated."

Ridsdale also has high praise for him. "I would describe Rodney as one of the most resourceful, dependable and
courageous students I have ever taught. He's also a heck of a nice guy," comments Ridsdale

"Rodney is a student who has had to overcome tremendous difficulties to complete his degree, and he has done so with great determination and courage," says Paul Franklin, CIS department head. "For his final project, he selected complex software he had not used before, so that he would get the most learning from completing his project. Rodney has also been one of those students who we enjoy having in our classes, and has charmed us all with his questions and his humour. We will miss him, and wish him the very best in his career."

Anderson thanks fellow students for their tolerance. "Attending the first couple of classes in a semester was always stressful for me, especially in courses outside the CIS department, where I had to meet new instructors and students. However, the anxiety we all experienced when first interacting with me via pocket computer quickly went away. If I had a very urgent question, I would type it on my computer and get the student next to me to read it aloud."

He especially wishes to acknowledge his wife Carmen. "I'd like to thank Carmen for being patient with me. I consider my CIS degree a team effort because she provided me with tremendous emotional support."

Anderson is currently seeking employment in the computing field. His general interest are in the areas of database development and application development using Java or c/c++ programming languages.