{"id":3324,"date":"2018-02-09T19:05:54","date_gmt":"2018-02-10T01:05:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?p=3324"},"modified":"2018-02-09T18:58:52","modified_gmt":"2018-02-10T00:58:52","slug":"im-a-set-of-abilities-not-a-disability-meet-monique-wollan-a-success-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?p=3324","title":{"rendered":"I\u2019m a Set of Abilities, Not a Disability! Meet Monique Wollan, A Success Story"},"content":{"rendered":"<!--powerpress_player--><div class=\"powerpress_player\" id=\"powerpress_player_126\"><audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-3324-1\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"http:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/blindabilities\/MoniqueW.mp3?_=1\" \/><a href=\"http:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/blindabilities\/MoniqueW.mp3\">http:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/blindabilities\/MoniqueW.mp3<\/a><\/audio><\/div><p>Monique Wollan joined us in the studio and talked about her journey from high school to college and the workplace. From one side of the Earth to the other, Monique traveled, lived and worked as a volunteer and an English teacher. After 10 years of being abroad Monique came to Minnesota and sought out State Services for the Blind as she wanted to get updated since technology had probably changed from a decade ago.<br \/>\nMonique found her present job by searching Indeed and is now happily employed, raising bees, landscaping her own backyard and reading non-fiction books on her Kindle Reader.<br \/>\nJoin Jeff Thompson and Monique Wollan as she shares her story and her perspectives in this 30 minute interview.<!--more--><\/p>\n<p>Be sure to check with your State Services and find out what they can do for you. Summer programs are opening registration right now, so find out and enhance your opportunities for success.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.BlindInc.org\">Blind, Inc<\/a> Summer Programs<\/p>\n<p>Summer Transition Program (STP) Extended School Year Program<br \/>\nDeb Peterson at <a href=\"mailto:DPeterson@916schools.org\">DPeterson@916schools.org<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Check out your State Services by searching the Services Directory on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.afb.org\/default.aspx\">AFB.org<\/a> web site.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/mn.gov\/deed\/ssb\/\">State Services for the Blind of Minnesota<\/a><br \/>\nWe offer tools and training for employment and for helping seniors remain independent and active. As Minnesota\u2019s accessible reading source we also transcribe books and other materials into alternative formats, including audio and braille. We assist Minnesotans who are blind, DeafBlind, losing vision, or who have another disability that makes it difficult to read print.<br \/>\nI hope you find what you need here. We&#8217;ve also created a <a href=\"https:\/\/mn.gov\/deed\/ssb\/tips\/index.jsp\">Tips for Using Our New Website\u00a0page<\/a>.<br \/>\nIf you\u2019d like to apply for services, learn more, or have more questions, just give us a call. You\u2019ll find contact information for all of our offices on our contact page, or you can call our main office at 651-539-2300.<\/p>\n<p>Thank you for listening!<br \/>\nYou can follow us on Twitter <a href=\"http:\/\/www.twitter.com\/blindabilities\">@BlindAbilities<\/a><br \/>\nOn the web at <a href=\"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\">www.BlindAbilities.com<\/a><br \/>\nSend us an <a href=\"mailto:info@blindabilities.com\">email<\/a><br \/>\nGet the <a href=\"https:\/\/appsto.re\/us\/demUab.i\">Free Blind Abilities App<\/a> on the App Store.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<!--powerpress_player--><div class=\"powerpress_player\" id=\"powerpress_player_128\"><audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-3324-3\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"http:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/blindabilities\/MoniqueW.mp3?_=3\" \/><a href=\"http:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/blindabilities\/MoniqueW.mp3\">http:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/blindabilities\/MoniqueW.mp3<\/a><\/audio><\/div><p>http:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/blindabilities\/MoniqueW.mp3Monique Wollan joined us in the studio and talked about her journey from high school to college and the workplace. From one side of the Earth to the other, Monique traveled, lived and worked as a volunteer and an English teacher. After 10 years of being abroad Monique came to Minnesota and sought out State [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[17,263],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3324","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bapresents","category-college"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6rcRg-RC","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":8410,"url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?p=8410","url_meta":{"origin":3324,"position":0},"title":"Crush Your College Goals: Jennifer Martinez-Badillo\u2019s Story of Determination and Support from State Services for the Blind","author":"Blind Abilities Team","date":"September 25, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Podcast Summary: Jennifer Martinez-Badillo shares her journey of securing a position at College Possible through AmeriCorps, where she helps high school students with their college application process. As a visually impaired advocate, she discusses the accommodations she received and the support from State Services for the Blind. Jennifer reflects on\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Career&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Career","link":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?cat=373"},"img":{"alt_text":"BlindAbilities Logo A black square with white initials, B A.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6762,"url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?p=6762","url_meta":{"origin":3324,"position":1},"title":"Taking Charge of your Goals, Destination and Education: Meet Hannah Harriman and Her Journey of Transitioning from High School to College to the Workplace","author":"Blind Abilities Team","date":"June 17, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Full Transcript Show Summary: In the Blind Abilities Studio, Hannah Harriman sits down with Jeff Thompson to talk about her academic and employment journey. From her early days and her Individual Education Plan (IEP) In Grade School to her Individual Plan for Employment (IPE) as she attended the Summer Transition\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;BlindAbilities Presents&quot;","block_context":{"text":"BlindAbilities Presents","link":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?cat=17"},"img":{"alt_text":"BlindAbilities Logo A black square with white initials, B A.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9265,"url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?p=9265","url_meta":{"origin":3324,"position":2},"title":"Introducing Ava : Two Paths, One Team: Meet the Peer Ambassadors of State Services for the Blind","author":"Blind Abilities Team","date":"December 17, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Podcast Summary: In this Blind Abilities episode, listeners meet Ava, a fully blind high school junior and Peer Ambassador with State Services for the Blind of Minnesota. Ava shares what it\u2019s like balancing a packed academic schedule filled with AP and college-in-the-schools classes, while staying involved in speech, music, and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;BlindAbilities Presents&quot;","block_context":{"text":"BlindAbilities Presents","link":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?cat=17"},"img":{"alt_text":"BlindAbilities Logo A black square with white initials, B A.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5101,"url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?p=5101","url_meta":{"origin":3324,"position":3},"title":"A Conversation With Marta Hanyzkiewicz: A Journey From Trials to Triumph","author":"Blind Abilities Team","date":"June 11, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Full Transcript Show Summary: Blind Abilities Teen Correspondent, Simon Bonenfant \u00a0presents this unique interview from only a perspective he can offer, one of close friendship. Marta Hanyzkiewicz shares her story of untold challenges which spans two continents. Blind Abilities Logo From her difficult childhood growing up in Poland, to her\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;BlindAbilities Presents&quot;","block_context":{"text":"BlindAbilities Presents","link":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?cat=17"},"img":{"alt_text":"BlindAbilities Logo A black square with white initials, B A.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6661,"url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?p=6661","url_meta":{"origin":3324,"position":4},"title":"Modesty, Integrity, a Dedicated Work Ethic and Above All, a Strong Love of Family     &#8211; Meet Sandhya Rao: Attorney in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas and VP of iBugToday","author":"Blind Abilities Team","date":"April 17, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Show Summary: Jeff Thompson and Pete Lane are joined in the Blind Abilities studio by Sandhya Rao. They recently met Sandhya a few weeks ago along with Michael McCulloch as they discussed the amazing organization called, I Blind User's Group, (iBug). You can listen to the\u00a0iBugToday episode on Blind Abilities\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;BlindAbilities Presents&quot;","block_context":{"text":"BlindAbilities Presents","link":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?cat=17"},"img":{"alt_text":"BlindAbilities Logo A black square with white initials, B A.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8564,"url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?p=8564","url_meta":{"origin":3324,"position":5},"title":"Two Journeys to Employment: Unlocking Potential: Embracing Resources and Building Your Dream Career &#8211; Meet Kat Wilke","author":"Blind Abilities Team","date":"January 23, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Podcast Summary: In episode 1 of the Two Journeys to Employment series,\u00a0Kat Wilke shares her inspiring journey from high school to becoming a speech-language pathologist. Diagnosed with Stargardt\u2019s disease in eighth grade, Kat overcame challenges with vision loss by connecting with Minnesota\u2019s State Services for the Blind (SSB), which helped\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Career&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Career","link":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?cat=373"},"img":{"alt_text":"BlindAbilities Logo A black square with white initials, B A.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3324","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3324"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3324\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3325,"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3324\/revisions\/3325"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3324"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3324"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3324"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}