VIDBE-Q 2025 Volume 70 Issue 3
program youth. I thought, what would happen if all these opportunities (from
cradle to grave), trust-driven support, and 'your-very-best' approach were as
present in the classroom as it was through this community agency?
My fear of being only qualified through lived experiences held me back
from certifying and joining this team of professionals as a TSVI at the time, but it
did not stop me from wanting to see these practices multiply. In the summer of
2022, after having completed a year in a doctoral program at my alma mater
(Florida Atlantic University; FAU), I made the decision to transfer to Florida State
University (FSU) to finally learn from the experts driving the field of visual
disabilities in Florida. Dr. Jenny Root took time out of her busy schedule that
summer to meet with me after the former program coordinator (Dr. Eileen Bischof)
made the connection. Dr. Root heard my passion for both fields (special education
and visual disabilities) and my desire to make a difference in the lives of students
with dual, complex and/or multiple sensory-based disabilities. She tailored my
program, placed me under a careful co-mentorship led by herself (Dr. Root) and
Dr. Michael Tuttle, and the two have been shaping this vision into a reality since.
While my doctoral training at FSU has been driven by rigorous opportunities
to engage in research, service, and teaching, my research contributions to the field
started early on at FAU as a part of Dr. Kelly B. Kearney's research lab. I was
invited to join this work after expressing an interest in knowing how to apply the
