VIDBE-Q Volume 67 Issue 4
Because there were no trained interveners in my high school years, I began
to learn to advocate for myself. For example, I requested and sometimes insisted
that teachers provide me with my favorite ASL interpreters and note takers,
because they understood my needs. I was able to graduate from high school with
honors, thanks to my interpreter and my ability to advocate for myself. I became
more self-sufficient through my college years. (More on that later.)
Apart from school, I also had three community interveners. In Minnesota,
we are lucky to have state funding for a home and community intervener program
through DeafBlind Services, Minnesota. These community interveners included
MaryJo, Kevin, and Anna. I'll discuss each of them below from my childhood to
teen years.
MaryJo, who was in an interpreter training program, was my first
community intervener when I was 12 years old. She took me out into the
community, including stores such as Target. We made several trips to learn the
layout of the store together and I learned that many Target stores are arranged the
same way. For example, after we learned the layout of the store and when my
shoelaces needed replacing, we spent at least an hour learning all about shoelaces
and where to find them in the shoe department. MaryJo showed me things like the
different sizes, styles and colors available. We discussed everything including
prices, and then I chose what I needed and went to the checkout where I
