Independence looks different for everyone.
Know yourself well enough to define it for you.
Over time, Hannah has changed her definition of independence
realizing that we all depend on others in our lives and that we live in a community.
She also overcame her own challenges in accepting her hearing loss
through working with children who are deaf and hard of hearing.
Hi my name is Hannah and I am deaf blind
with complete vision loss and unilateral hearing loss.
So in social situations I consider myself blind and hard of hearing.
I do have a part time job working for a nonprofit which supports
children who are deaf deaf/blind and hard of hearing
and their families.
And then I also have a full time job doing recruiting
for a medical transcription company.
I always knew that I was going to
get my four year degree
that I was always going to work.
When I went into job interviews I would really just address
the elephant in the room.
And I looked through the whole company's
mission statement, core values
everything like that
and I said, "okay, here's how I meet the expectations for each of these."
Here's how I demonstrate integrity.
Here's how I
demonstrate hard work
innovation
creativity.
For me it's really important to be a contributing member of society
to not let my disabilities hold me back.
I certainly acknowledge my disabilities
that they're there
that I have them
that there are alternative ways
of accomplishing the same goals.
People with disabilities
not only can they do a job
but they're capable of doing that job.
They can thrive and excel in those.
And then also just to prove to other people with disabilities that
you know, I did it, you can do it.
At the time that I graduated I was looking for
any sort of position that aligned with my skill set
which was communicating with people
helping others
putting people first.
And I was also was and still am passionate
about advocacy for myself and others.
And so, you know, that was an extra bonus as well.
The summer before my senior year
I attended a summer transition program for students who are blind and visually impaired.
And because of doing AP classes in college in the school's classes
I was able to get my associate's degree done in three semesters.
And then from there I transferred to Bethel University
where I received my degree in a Relational Communications.
So I did utilize State Services For The Blind.
They assisted with career preparation
college preparation when it came to my transition.
In addition to that, I also had intervener services.
You know, there's that extra visual and auditory support should you need it.
When it came to my disabilities themselves
I was very accepting of my blindness.
When it came to my hearing loss though
that took some time because I can hear well enough to carry on conversations.
But, you know, struggle localizing sound for example.
There were times where I felt like I didn't fully fit in the blind community
and I also felt like I didn't fully fit in the deaf community.
The job that I have now of supporting children who are deaf and hard of hearing
has really helped me come full circle in my acceptance of my hearing loss
and help other children and families on their journey to do the same.
My family is very close
and I do consult with my family on a lot of things
especially big decisions.
It is ultimately my decision
but I also
strongly appreciate the input and the wisdom.
So my definition of independence has actually evolved over time.
When I was young my idea of independence was
I don't need anyone
I don't want anyone.
Complete and utter self-reliance and self-sufficiency.
As I've gotten older I've realized that
independence is partially relying on yourself and being self-sufficient.
But it's also
knowing yourself well enough
to be able to ask for assistance when you need it.
I currently live in an apartment.
It is ideal because I'm still close to
family friends and I can still stay involved
in the community activities that I'm involved in.
I do feel supported when I advocate for myself.
It started from something as simple as
"Hey when we're sending staff emails, can you include image descriptions in your pictures?"
And it has evolved and grown into
something more that we can use to serve the community.
I feel so blessed to be in a supportive family
that has always had high expectations for me
and will continue to have high expectations for me.
The same goes for my church community
family friends things like that
people who I know will continue to support me.
I'm excited that I'm working and using the college degree
and the skill sets and
the gifts that I have to serve others
and to give back to society and at the same time
raise expectations for people with disabilities while also breaking down the barriers.
And I know one person can't solve all of those problems
but
I feel like I'm doing my part in the broad scheme of things
to make all that happen.
Goal setting is so important.
Hannah's goals were college, employment, and to live independently.
She took advantage of the services and support to reach those goals.
She set herself up for success
by researching companies for her job interviews
so that she could highlight her own skills
and match the company's core values.
She made it easy for businesses to say “yes” to her.
And by advocating for herself with specific ideas
she also helped educate and create improvement for others.
Hannah also talked about how important her family is.
And that is true for most people.
As she said, “they can be there to be a sounding board for making big decisions
yet I can still be the one who makes the final decisions.”
All right. Thanks, Hannah.