Catching Up
As a teacher of students with visual impairment (TVI) and certified orientation and mobility specialist (COMS) for over 17 years, many of my students have graduated and made it into the “real” world. Some decide to go to college, obtain a job, or take a break to figure out what their next step might be. Some are far beyond that next step and now have families of their own, a career, and are living life to the fullest!
As a teacher, I always wondered where life has taken them and what life looks like now.
I had a chance to interview a former student of mine, who now has a family of her own. I began working with her when she moved into the school district as a 6th grader. Graduating from high school at the top of the class, she earned an academic scholarship to the University of Colorado in Boulder. She received her first guide dog the summer after graduating high school. Goalball was a passion- playing for the United States Paralympic Team who traveled to Finland, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the official games in London in 2012. She and her husband have been married for 5 years. They have 2 adorable daughters, and she now has a second guide dog from The Seeing Eye.
In college, one of the challenges she faced was policy changes which affected her Orientation and Mobility services while on the college campus at Boulder. Luckily, training was secured with her guide dog on campus and a few difficult routes were able to be problem solved.
Reflecting on her high school years, she wishes she would have taken her self-advocacy skills “more seriously” (specifically regarding accommodations), because in college, she felt a lack of confidence in this area. “Even if your students don’t like advocating for themselves, still make them do it. They will be thankful later when they are on their own.”
As a young mom, her challenges parallel that of any other mom, sighted or not. She enjoys being a stay-at-home mom to her 2 young girls. A recent, unique experience with 2 little ones (ages 2 and 6 months) and a guide dog proved to be challenging: it is impossible to push a stroller made for 2 kids and effectively use a guide dog at the same time. Her solution: pull her daughters in a wagon behind her, while using the guide dog in front. They walk to the grocery store several times a week and enjoy a local park with other moms and children. Although she finds using her guide dog very helpful, there are times that hanging onto her husband’s arm as they take the girls to an activity in Denver is easier.
As our conversation came to a close, I was grateful we were able to catch up on each other’s lives. It was fun to learn where life has taken her.
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