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"Welcome
Everyone to my Website!" Enjoy learning about my successes and accomplishments, and about me and my dog, Coca.
Mr. Jose Alfredo
Rivas, M. S., C.R.C. P.O.
Box 305144 Denton, Texas
76203 (940)387-8400 Home
& Work Number E-mail Joe Rivas Jose (Joe) Alfredo Rivas born on November 27, 1967,
in Dallas, Texas. He was born with cerebral palsy, a neurological condition that limits his motor skills and speech. Salvador
and Manuela Rivas, his parents, lived in Lancaster, Texas. Mr. Rivas’ parents both passed away during his teenager years.
After high school, he relied on family and friends for transportation because Lancaster did not offer public bus services
to persons with disabilities. In 1991, Mr. Rivas negotiated a transportation deal with an adult daycare facility that allowed
him to use their transportation system to attend Cedar Valley Community College in Lancaster. The adult daycare provider charged
$5 for the service, later increasing it to $10. Mr. Rivas graduated from Cedar Valley College in two years. He then transferred
to the University of North Texas where he received his bachelor’s and master’s degree in Rehabilitation Counseling.
Mr. Rivas has fund-raising experience, including organizing two events that featured a musician with physical limitations.
Mr. Rivas has completed an internship at United
Cerebral Palsy of Metropolitan Dallas. His duties included: one-to-one peer counseling, documenting client-contact, working
with a budget, planning and implementing activities, developing new funding resources for the Community Living Assistance
Support Service (C.L.A.S.S). program, assisting clients in locating needed items, accessing other service providers for assistance
with clients needs, and interpreting policies and procedures to clients and co-workers. Mr. Rivas also has completed two practicums
for the University of North Texas. The first practicum was at the Lake Forest Good Samaritan Village retirement home for the
elderly. His experiences at the center included: visiting residents, assisting with activities, promoting social events. The
second practicum included Texas Woman’s University in the office of Disability Support Service and Reach of Denton.
These experiences gave Mr. Rivas opportunities to work with clients and students in one-to-one and group counseling sessions,
work with other service providers, develop social events, interpret ADA policies and procedures, and to promote our services. Mr. Rivas has won two extra mile scholarships and the Dallas
Mayor’s Committee for the Employment of People with Disabilities Scholarship two years in a row. He has been a member
of Phi Theta Kappa, and served as secretary, vice-president, and president for the Cedar Club at Cedar Valley Community College.
Mr. Rivas has also attended the Texas Rehabilitation Association (TRA) Conference in Houston, Fort Worth, and San Antonio.
In addition, he has participated in several Catholic Conferences in San Antonio and Dallas. Mr. Rivas is active in public
speaking and has conducted seminars and lectures about personal issues and topics regarding persons with disabilities. He
has been featured in several newspaper articles and he has appeared on TV news reports that addressed issues of employment
of people with disabilities. Mr. Rivas was also featured in art shows where art students from the University of North Texas
exhibited their paintings and drawings of him. Mr. Rivas also continues to work on several activities such as being
a Councill member for the Texas Council on Developmental Disabilities, an online community college instructor for Dallas Telecollege
and North Central Texas College (NCTC), and his autobigraphy "Brick of Faith". Aspen (who died on August 26, 2008) was his dog. She was a Spitz that has filled his life with joy
and happiness. Aspen had been seen on TV, in newspaper articles, flyers, and in magazines with Mr. Rivas. She was welcomed
in most businesses and residences in Denton, Texas. Aspen was a very good dog. Mr. Rivas currently lives in Denton with
his new dog, Coca. Coca is a black mini-Spitz.
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