Full Transcript
Hannah:
While I was there I took a college class that I was able to later transfer for college credit. I could work on both independent living, vocational skills, while at the same time pursuing my academic and educational goals.
Jeff:
Please welcome Hannah Harriman.
Hannah:
It was the summer before my senior year that I did a summer transition program for a week and a half at the University of St. Thomas, where we worked on things like cooking, and cleaning. That was where I really felt like okay, maybe I don’t have all the skills I thought I had.
Jeff:
From the summer transition program to the Academy for the Blind, from high school to college to the workplace, Hannah has done it all.
Hannah:
It really was the first time that I felt like okay, I can use my story, my experience, my differences to really make a difference for myself and others in the blind community, but even people who don’t have the disabilities that I do. There are inequities, there are disparities for all people in a variety of contexts, and we’re not the only ones who need advocates, who need change. Yeah, you want to be self-reliant, you want to do everything yourself, but we don’t live isolated lives.
Jeff:
Now please welcome Hannah Harriman.
Hannah:
That’s part of what networking and living in a community is all about.
Jeff:
Welcome to Blind Abilities, I’m Jeff Thompson. Today in the studio, we have a college graduate, Hannah Harriman. Hannah, how’re you doing?
Hannah:
I’m doing well.
Jeff:
Well, I’ve heard nothing but good about you, you’ve gone through the system here in Minnesota State Services for the Blind, you’ve been through the Department of Education, you’ve gone through the Minnesota Academy for the Blind, and now you’re working two jobs, good for you!
Hannah:
Thank you!
Jeff:
Is it neat to hear your bio just thrown at you like that?
Hannah:
It’s definitely interesting, it makes you feel like I’ve accomplished a lot.
Jeff:
Yeah. When did it all start, when did you start thinking about transitioning to college?
Hannah:
I have always been thinking about that. There was never a doubt in my mind that I would go to college. I’m the oldest of three siblings and my parents both work in education. There was an expectation that all of us would get four-year degrees, would just be successful and my parents had always believed in me and known that although my path might be different, that ultimately I would be successful in whatever I did, and they did whatever they could to support that. So whether that was advocating for my needs early on, supporting the decisions that I made as far as where I wanted to attend school, pushing me to be the best that I could be, having high expectations for me, teaching me strong work ethic, all of that is because of them.
Jeff:
Well, it’s really good that they kept some high expectations for you.
Hannah:
Yeah. I’m very thankful for that.
Jeff:
So you had to take out the garbage and do other chores around the house too, huh?
Hannah:
Oh yeah!
Jeff:
You didn’t get out of anything.
Hannah:
I had chores.
Jeff:
Yeah, that’s cool. Sometimes you find people that are so protected, but they made you reach your potential by having those expectations for you. What helped you decide to go into the communications field?
Hannah:
Yeah, great question. I originally did not know what I wanted to do. I knew I wanted to do something in the realm of advocacy for myself and others, which I can go into more of how that started later, but when I started at Century College, at the community college, I was feeling like okay, let’s get these three semesters out of the way, get my generals done, save some money, and hopefully by the end of that I’ll have an idea of what specifically I want to do. I ended up taking a communications class as part of a general education requirement, and thought it was really interesting, and my mom had actually gone to Bethel University as well, and gotten her degree in communications, so I was like okay, this is interesting, she’s successful, she’s happy, so I kind of followed in my mom’s footsteps with transferring to Bethel and then doing the same degree as her, and then as far as how I ended up in the jobs that I have, I heard from someone in the Minnesota Deaf-Blind Project that there was an opening at the Minnesota Hands and Voices position, so I applied, interviewed, got that job, which is a part-time on call position, and then, I don’t know, the other job that I just recently started- you know, I’m very happy with the Minnesota Hands and Voices job, but wanted even more hours and more experience, so I just kept applying for full-time work. It’s still part-time, I think it’ll work up to full-time, but you know, I just kept applying, kept interviewing, and ended up getting this job.
Jeff:
And that’s the transcribing job.
Hannah:
Yeah.
Jeff:
Before you got to Century College, you attended Minnesota State Academy for the Blind.
Hannah:
Yep. That’s true.
Jeff:
Yeah, can you tell us about that?
Hannah:
Yeah! I was there for a year and a half, and I learned a lot of skills, you know, academically I was very, very strong all the way through high school, but it was more of okay, independent living skills, vocational work experience, different things like that, I went to the school for the blind, learned a lot of different things related to work, had some awesome work experience opportunities, cooking, lived in an on-campus house with like three other people, so that was really cool. While I was there I took a college that I was able to later transfer for college credit, so I felt very happy with the fact that I could work on both independent living, vocational skills, while at the same time pursuing my academic and educational goals.
Jeff:
Now, Minnesota State Academy for the Blind, that’s down in Faribault, so you went down there during the week time, but not on the weekends, right?
Hannah:
Right.
Jeff:
Yeah. That was all part of transitioning to college.
Hannah:
Mm-hm. And at first I was very much in denial that I even needed transition, because I felt like once you get out of high school, you do college. That’s just what you do. And it was the summer before my senior year that I did a summer transition program for a week and a half at the University of St. Thomas, where we worked on things like cooking and cleaning-
Jeff:
Oh yeah, the STP program. Yeah.
Hannah:
Yes. Okay, yeah, you’ve heard of it.
Jeff:
Yeah.
Hannah:
That was where I really felt like okay, maybe I don’t have all the skills I thought I had, and one of the things that I realized that I needed to work on was how do you do things not only as someone who’s blind but as someone who has hearing loss. For example, when you’re cooking, how do you know that water’s boiling if you can’t hear it? My hearing loss was something that I was in denial about for a pretty long time, so I feel like now that I have this Minnesota Hands and Voices job I’ve come pretty full-circle, but at the time, that STP program was kind of the eye-opener I needed to be like one, you need a transition program, and two, you have a hearing loss, in addition to being blind, time to stop covering that up. Yeah, no, it was a very beneficial program that I did.
Jeff:
Being totally blind and now experiencing some hearing loss and finally accepting it, how has that changed your outlook for your career?
Hannah:
As far as my career, I don’t know that it’s changed a whole lot because I’ve always been driven, and I’ve had the desire to break and overcome barriers and obstacles, but you know, I never would have thought that I’d be working for an organization that supports people that are deaf and hard of hearing, because I’m now the first deaf-blind person on the team that we’re reaching out to people that way, so I guess I never thought that my hearing loss would be a positive example for people. I mean, with my hearing loss, I’ve always struggled to feel like how do I blend in with both the blind community and the deaf community, because I don’t use sign language or anything, but you know, how do I blend both things together?
Jeff:
I have to admit, that gap between the blind and the deaf-blind can be almost…it’s a huge gap.
Hannah:
Mm-hm. Well, and especially for someone like me, I have unilateral hearing loss. I only have hearing loss in one ear, but it’s almost like you can get both extremes, you’ve got people who are like wait, why don’t you sign, and then you’ve got people who are like wait, you’re half deaf? You’re talking to me!
Jeff:
It’s kind of a personal fence that you sit on. Yeah, that’s tough, I mean it’s- people with low vision, sometimes they don’t want to learn braille, because they can use other devices, or magnification, but yet when they’re around sighted people they’re the blind person, and then when they’re around blind people they’re not blind, they’re low vision, you know, and so it’s all these different visions, and all these groupings of categorizing and then it’s the acceptance of where you land, you know, where are you gonna plant your feet and where you’re gonna stand. You talk about advocacy, what led you into being an advocate?
Hannah:
Okay, so this has a very interesting story behind it. When I was in 8th grade, I had the opportunity to be a student that lobbied on the national level with the National Federation of the Blind as part of their first LAW program, which- LAW stood for Leadership At Washington, so that was spring of 2010, and we had the opportunity to- I don’t know if I said this, but it was 25 students from 25 different states, ages 6th grade through 9th grade, so you had to apply, you had to be accepted to do this. So I was the, I guess you could say student representative from Minnesota. We lobbied for two bills that impact people who are blind, one was the Pedestrian Enhancement Safety Act, which was the bill that had to do with including sound in hybrid vehicles, you know, the electric cars? And then the other piece of legislation was, I forget the name of it, but it was something to do with all consumer products being accessible for people who are blind and having technology in them to be accessible, whether that’s through braille, audio, like all home appliance-type…
Jeff:
Oh yeah, that was popular.
Hannah:
Yeah, so we lobbied for those two pieces of legislation and that was really what started it for me.
Jeff:
How did that impact you? Did you bring that home, you know, you got the experience through the NFB doing that out in Washington, how did that impact your coming back home?
Hannah:
Yeah, after that I felt like- well, one, just the network of people that I met through that program, other people who are blind, visually impaired, not- to my knowledge I was the only deaf-blind one. But you know, to have other people who are blind, who came around me and were like, we still accept you for your hearing loss, that was huge, that gave me a lot of confidence, and I’m still in contact with a lot of them to this day, but as far as the advocacy itself, it really was the first time that I felt like okay, I can use my story, my experience, my differences to really make a difference for myself and others in the blind community, but even people who don’t have the disabilities that I do, that, okay, there are inequities, there are disparities for all people in a variety of contexts, and we’re not the only ones who need advocates, who need change, and so it really just gave me a big-picture perspective of okay, I care about my needs, but it goes beyond what I need, and there’s a whole world out there that needs change.
Jeff:
Needs a voice. Yeah, that’s a neat spot to be in, when all of a sudden you realize that your voice can be heard, and you can carry a message to those who can actually help make the changes. Yeah, that’s empowering, I like that. I myself got involved with that type of stuff, whether it be through the NFB or any other organization, it’s always nice to help bring awareness to the situations or the cause that you are behind. With all this journey from working with teachers for the visually impaired through the Department of Education in your elementary school into high school, and then transitioning from high school to college, you had the IEP, the Individual Education Plan, where you’re working with a team of people to make sure that you’re getting your accommodations and your needs are being met. When you went from high school to college, and then you had to shift to your Individual Plan for Employment, working with SSB, I imagine, and going from high school to Minnesota Academy for the Blind to Century College, you had to start gaining your own independence and self-advocating, and bringing your game to the playing field, you had to start advocating for yourself. What was that like?
Hannah:
Really, I felt like it wasn’t a huge transition for me, from high school to college as far as advocating for what I needed, because I started attending my own IEP meetings back in probably 4th or 5th grade, and really exhibiting leadership in my own IEP from an early age, and giving input, seeking feedback, all those types of things, and so by the time that I transitioned out of the Academy for the Blind and into Century College, I felt like okay, the IEP was great, I had an awesome support network, you know, people who love and care about me, but ultimately with the support of my parents kind of from the sidelines, I felt like okay, I’m happy with this transition, it doesn’t scare me, I’m ready for this, and again, that’s in large part due to the fact that I’d had all those years of preparation. And so both at Century and at Bethel, getting the accommodations I needed was a phenomenal experience. The disability services faculty at both schools were great to work with, they asked what my needs were, they supported me, they didn’t assume things, they just fulfilled their duties as far as my accommodations were concerned. You know, especially at Bethel, I felt like I had a great relationship with the disability services faculty, especially because as part of my senior year I did my internship in their office. That was a cool experience.
Jeff:
It’s really something that you at an early age, you took charge of your IEP, your Individual Education Plan. I’m sure your parents were in attendance, but they must have been pretty good role models to let you do your own advocating or encourage you to do so.
Hannah:
Mm-hm. Don’t get me wrong, they spoke up when they needed to, they advocated for my needs as well, it wasn’t like they were just sitting there not doing anything. I don’t want to sound like that. But they encouraged me, they spoke up when they needed to, but they let me do my thing, they really understood that okay, it is a team, everyone’s involved, and I have some memories of early on, especially in elementary school, you know, my dad just coaching me at the breakfast table the night before the IEP, saying okay, you need to say what you need, but you need to also be open to feedback, and you know, kind of- you know how someone preps you for a job interview, it was almost like prepping me for an IEP meeting the same way the night before, you know, that was obviously back in elementary school, but as time went on, they just, they went okay, we’re here to support you, but ultimately you’re gonna need to advocate for yourself, and especially in the college setting and the workplace setting, so really they were preparing me for that, even when I didn’t understand why they were doing that. I’ve always been a vocal, talkative person, so you know, back then I was like oh, yay, I get to be on my own team, I get to, you know, have a say. But there was a larger goal behind it than that.
Jeff:
That’s really great that your parents took that to help you or encourage you to take charge of your own destiny. Yeah, instead of hovering over you and trying to nurture and coddle and do everything for you they had you gain the experience that they too would know you needed in your next journey. That’s great. How did SSB get involved, State Services for the Blind?
Hannah:
You know, in high school I was doing a lot of advanced placement classes for high school and college credit, and I remember hearing a little about what SSB was about, and them asking, you know, do you care if they come to your next IEP meeting, and I was like sure, why not, you know, because I’m gonna be transitioning and it’s necessary. I think it was just one of those things where one of the teachers of the blind and visually impaired mentioned it and I was like okay, that’s fine, one more person on the team, it’s already a huge team anyway, you know? I never had any opposition to it, I guess is what I’m trying to say.
Jeff:
So when you went to MSAB and to Century College, was there any interaction with SSB at all?
Hannah:
I mean, there was. When I was at MSAB, they did their technology assessment where they look at okay, what are your skills, what technology will you need in college, what are your goals after you finish at MSAB, and they honestly were very impressed by my technology skills.
Jeff:
Ooh.
Hannah:
I remember going into their little assessment thinking okay, what am I gonna do wrong? Part of it was that I was the first one of the students that day to have my assessment, so I guess I didn’t get a feel from other people of what it was like. It was like okay, what is this, you know, and I came out of it with the knowledge that I had exceptional skills as far as navigating.
Jeff:
You got skills.
Hannah:
Yeah. I also expressed that I have hearing loss, what technology will help there? So they gave me training using a braille display, which I eventually used for classes where, among other things, for presentations so that I wouldn’t have to bring my computer with my notes and listen to a computer in one year and give my presentation. Having that braille display really helped as far as portability for getting my notes up there, but also fluency of, okay, if I need to refer to my notes I can just scroll to that line on the refreshable braille display. One thing that’s nice about being blind and giving presentations is you can look at your notes while maintaining eye contact with people.
Jeff:
You gotta remember, there are perks.
Hannah:
Yes, yes, there are. That was one of the things, especially at Century, where someone who I ended up becoming friends with, came up to me one day after class and was like, I know you’ve got some sort of visual impairment ‘cause you’re using that braille thing, but they thought I had some vision, which I don’t, but they were like, how are you reading your notes and maintaining eye contact? That’s impressive! I’m like, well, thanks.
Jeff:
So what was your college experience like? You took your classes, you graduated, what was in between the classes? I mean, like, your personal life throughout there, your experiences that you had.
Hannah:
Yeah. I guess I’ll start with like the overwhelming positive first. So when I transferred to Bethel- I know I’m getting a little ahead of myself as far as the college journey, but when I was at Bethel, I was involved in the Bethel choir, and we traveled, let’s see, I traveled my junior year, so the summer of my junior year we traveled internationally to Sweden, Latvia, and Estonia, so we were on tour, we sang, did concerts at churches in all three countries, and I can give more as far as like logistics of how that went. You know, it definitely helped at Bethel having that specific social group, and there was actually someone that I was in high school choir with that was also in the Bethel choir, and so she really helped facilitate those connections, and make people feel like okay, yeah, she’s different but she’s not terrifying, she’s actually nice.
Jeff:
She’s okay.
Hannah:
One time in high school the light- we lost power, and she found me a chair because nobody else could see where the chairs were, so I mean, just breaking the ice that way. You know, at Bethel I had a great experience. Century was a little bit of a different story. I- and I’m open about this, so it’s, I don’t mind sharing this, but I guess when I left MSAB I felt like okay, I’ve been blind my whole life, I don’t experience what other people do as far as how are people gonna perceive me once I lose my vision or anything like that, so I felt like socially I had it covered, that I was pretty invincible. But when I got to Century, three weeks into the semester, into my first semester there, someone in one of my classes asked me to go to a healing ceremony with her at her church and get healed of my disabilities, and you know, I’m a strong person of faith, so you know, I wasn’t totally offended by that offer, but I just felt like okay, this isn’t what I need, I’m happy with who I am and everything, and you know, politely expressed that, like, thanks, but I’m content with who I am, and ended up basically getting harassed by this person for the rest of the semester, getting things put in the walkway for me to trip over, and-
Jeff:
Really?
Hannah:
-being called just like, you’re worthless without a miracle, you know, just terrible things like that.
Jeff:
Wow.
Hannah:
But there was point where I was like okay, why is this happening, there has to be a reason for this. And it actually happened about two months into that semester that someone in one of my other classes who I’d been getting to know basically came up to me after class and said, you used to be like the most talkative person in our class, what happened? So I, you know, kind of shared a little bit of what was happening in that other class, and they were just like, how can you continue to be so gracious to someone who’s so disrespectful to you? And I guess what I really learned through that whole situation was just because you’re perceived one way by one person in the college setting doesn’t mean everyone else thinks of you that way too, because up until that point of the semester, I was feeling like okay, well, this one person thinks I’m worthless without a miracle, what does everyone else think, you know? And just learning that okay, that’s one person, yeah it was extremely hurtful but it’s one person, not everyone thinks that, and in that situation where that one friend was really like you’re so gracious and everything, they’re like, you’re not less, you’re only different, and I was like, what are you talking about? My whole goal is to not be different, to not stand out, to blend in, you know, like use the accommodations I have but one thing I learned was yeah, use the accommodations, but you are different, that’s okay, we’re all interdependent, we all need to rely on each other. Yeah, I may use accommodations, yeah, I may not be able to do everything every other blind person is doing because of my hearing loss, but that doesn’t make me less of a person.
Jeff:
You just do some things differently.
Hannah:
Yep. Exactly.
Jeff:
It’s really neat that that person stepped up and helped you see that.
Hannah:
And it took time. It was a process, you know.
Jeff:
Yeah. Life throws curves at you sometimes, and you may not catch it at first, but- I imagine, though, as you move forward, you’ll start seeing these red flags that pop up now and then. You’re aware that, ah, this, you know, I’ve been here before, but I’m not gonna let this happen again. It’s not gonna make me less, feel less.
Hannah:
Well, and I think it’s important- we can’t control what happens to us or what people say or what they do, but we do have control over how we respond to those things, and it’s important to be mindful.
Jeff:
What advice do you have for a high school student today looking towards their educational goals and going to college?
Hannah:
Oh, there’s so much I could say. I guess the first thing that comes to mind is don’t be afraid if you don’t take the traditional path, you know, ‘cause once you get out of high school, nobody’s tracking, okay, you took a year and a half off, nobody’s like oh, you didn’t graduate with your class. That becomes kind of irrelevant at that point, so I guess just whatever you need, do it, whether that’s taking one year for transition or longer. Advocate for yourself, I guess, you know, something that I didn’t understand at first was kind of that piece of interdependence. It’s like yeah, you want to be self-reliant, you want to do everything yourself, but we don’t live isolated lives. If you need someone to support you, whether that’s how do I get my accommodations or how do I navigate this social situation as someone who’s blind, that’s part of what networking and living in a community is all about.
Jeff:
Mm-hm. Yeah. That is, that’s really neat to break down the barriers that you once perceived may be there and then where you are now and now that you can look back and lend someone some assistance or some of your experience to help them as they have doubts about what the possibilities are for them. What are your typical tools that you use on a daily basis?
Hannah:
Yeah, so I use a computer with a screen-reading software for work, and editing any documents I may need to sign or fill out. I also use an iPhone which has voiceover built into it for all tasks related to communication or organization, like you know, your calendar, your reminders, any other things. Like I said, using that braille display for any times where I may need to- not that I really need to present much now, but for my one job, we make videos for the kids and families that we work with, so sometimes using my braille display to read off the transcript that I’ve written for those videos for work. Yeah, I mean I use my cane, obviously. I have a hearing aid, but I don’t know. Those are probably the main tools I use.
Jeff:
With your hearing aid, Apple works pretty good with that, with the iPhone and devices. I don’t know if you’ve-
Hannah:
Yeah, I’ve heard of that, I don’t have a bluetooth hearing aid, mine’s- I don’t know, I got this particular one before I heard about that. Yeah, I’ve heard of that.
Jeff:
Yeah, it’s interesting where technology is going, and it’s just great to be able to have access to it compared to what we’ve all read about years ago, with the limited accommodations that they had or were given. But it’s really great to hear that your parents started you out on the right track earlier, making you advocate and take the helm of your own destination and you’ve made it through high school, college, and now working two jobs, and it sounds like you’ve got things going pretty good.
Hannah:
Mm-hm, yeah, I’m very blessed, very fortunate, but I also know I wouldn’t be able to be where I am today without, you know, without that supportive network, whether that’s friends, my parents, siblings, it takes a community.
Jeff:
Yeah, it does. That’s what I encourage a lot of people to do, work with the community and network with as many as you can, and you know, don’t- I typically say don’t burn bridges, ‘cause you never know, you never know when further on the line where it comes in handy to pull someone up and contact them and ask a question or something like that, so networking is great and it sounds like you’re doing a great job.
Hannah:
Thank you.
Jeff:
Well Hannah, I want to thank you for coming on to Blind Abilities and sharing your journey with us, and good luck with all your endeavors that you have upcoming, keep up the advocating and keep up the good work.
Hannah:
Thank you!
Jeff:
Such a great time talking with Hannah Harriman, and what a story, what a journey, and what an advocate and voice for those who will soon be transitioning from high school to college to the workplace. Be sure to check the show notes for the Minnesota Academy for the Blind, the summer transition program at St. Thomas University, and State Services for the Blind of Minnesota, and see what programs may fit your needs. And by all means, contact your state services for the blind, your state agency, and see what they can do for you. And for more podcasts with a blindness perspective, be sure to check us out on the web at www.blindabilities.com, on Twitter @BlindAbilities, and download the free Blind Abilities app from the app store and Google Play store. That’s two words, Blind Abilities. And you can subscribe to the Blind Abilities podcast wherever you listen to podcasts, just look up two words, Blind Abilities. And follow us on Facebook, that’s the Blind Abilities community and assistive technology for the BVI group on Facebook. A big shout out to Chee Chau for his beautiful music, you can find Chee Chau on Twitter @lcheechau. And from all of us here at Blind Abilities, to you, your family, and friends, stay well, and stay strong. I want to thank you for listening, hope you enjoyed, and until next time, bye-bye.
[Music] [Transition noise] -When we share
-What we see
-Through each other’s eyes…
[Multiple voices overlapping, in unison, to form a single sentence]
…We can then begin to bridge the gap between the limited expectations, and the realities of Blind Abilities.
Contact Your State Services
If you reside in Minnesota, and you would like to know more about Transition Services from State Services contact Transition Coordinator Sheila Koenig by email or contact her via phone at 651-539-2361.
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