WEBVTT 00:01:07.266 --> 00:01:09.686 Success is how you define it. 00:01:09.686 --> 00:01:14.116 It's deciding where you want to go in life and finding a way to get there. 00:01:14.116 --> 00:01:16.466 For some of us, including people with disabilities, 00:01:16.466 --> 00:01:19.566 there may be obstacles to overcome. 00:01:19.566 --> 00:01:25.926 Everyone has challenges, everyone has choices, everyone can find their own path to success. 00:01:25.926 --> 00:01:29.076 And almost everyone has some help along the way. 00:01:29.076 --> 00:01:33.096 Sometimes, technology provides that help, playing a role in personal, 00:01:33.096 --> 00:01:36.406 academic, and professional goals. 00:01:36.406 --> 00:01:39.496 And sometimes it's people. 00:01:39.496 --> 00:01:43.156 We can learn from these young men and women who are pursuing their dreams 00:01:43.156 --> 00:01:45.466 and making a success of their lives. 00:01:45.467 --> 00:01:55.005 00:01:53.466 --> 00:01:55.206 Jessie started ballet in preschool. 00:01:55.206 --> 00:01:57.906 From the beginning, she loved it. 00:01:57.906 --> 00:02:04.666 It's athletic...you're very fit, and you can do everything, and yet it's very poetic 00:02:04.666 --> 00:02:10.026 and like smooth and I don't know, it's got a bit of both in it. 00:02:10.026 --> 00:02:13.356 At 16, ballet is still a joy for Jessie. 00:02:13.356 --> 00:02:17.316 As a small child, it was also a great solace. 00:02:17.316 --> 00:02:21.706 She could excel physically, even when her academic life was very painful. 00:02:21.706 --> 00:02:26.866 My teachers in first and second grade, you know, they're like, oh, she's just slow, 00:02:26.866 --> 00:02:31.506 you know, just give her time, and it didn't...the way they tried 00:02:31.506 --> 00:02:36.106 to teach me didn't work, so it was really like I had to create a way to get there. 00:02:36.106 --> 00:02:39.966 In fact, Jessie had a learning disability. 00:02:39.966 --> 00:02:45.776 Her mother saw the warning signals, had Jessie tested independently, and found tutors for her. 00:02:45.776 --> 00:02:48.206 She was Jessie's greatest support. 00:02:48.206 --> 00:02:50.166 She knew Jessie could succeed. 00:02:50.166 --> 00:02:52.756 Certain times, you know, I'd get down, it'd be like, you know, 00:02:52.756 --> 00:02:56.096 I'm just stupider than everyone else; but my mom wouldn't let me believe that. 00:02:56.096 --> 00:02:59.886 She's fantastic, she's always there for me; she won't let me fail. 00:02:59.886 --> 00:03:05.006 I mean, we have the same goal, my success; but even sometimes when I, get down, 00:03:05.006 --> 00:03:08.086 she's always there, you know, she's like, of course you can do this. 00:03:08.086 --> 00:03:11.366 Jessie's mom was coach and cheering section in one. 00:03:11.366 --> 00:03:15.756 She made Jessie's success a priority, even though she had no idea what it was 00:03:15.756 --> 00:03:17.726 like to struggle with schoolwork. 00:03:17.726 --> 00:03:19.216 We're exact opposites. 00:03:19.216 --> 00:03:24.516 She's totally and completely verbal, and she's the kind of person who never had to study, ever. 00:03:24.516 --> 00:03:26.686 And my sister's that way, too. 00:03:26.686 --> 00:03:30.176 So it's hard, she had to imagine what it was like for me and like, 00:03:30.176 --> 00:03:33.446 she was the one who started this whole different approaches, you know, about learning, 00:03:33.446 --> 00:03:38.546 and like spelling, I could never like, write, so we did it orally in the dark, stuff like that. 00:03:43.546 --> 00:03:46.716 With help from her mom and her tutor, Jessie's been able 00:03:46.716 --> 00:03:49.796 to create new learning techniques that work for her. 00:03:49.796 --> 00:03:54.046 She uses a computer with speech recognition software for writing papers, 00:03:54.046 --> 00:03:56.496 speaking the words into a microphone. 00:03:56.496 --> 00:03:59.376 She also uses books on tape to help with reading. 00:03:59.376 --> 00:04:04.486 It's still a struggle, and she still has to work harder than most of her classmates. 00:04:04.486 --> 00:04:08.506 But Jessie feels that the extra effort will pay off when she goes to college. 00:04:08.506 --> 00:04:12.326 I've developed a good work ethic, and I can do it; I can work hard, you know, 00:04:12.326 --> 00:04:16.106 it'll be harder for me, but at least I'll have the skills and all that, so... 00:04:16.106 --> 00:04:19.876 And always, Jessie continues to challenge herself physically. 00:04:19.876 --> 00:04:23.216 She's been on her high school's cross-country team for two years. 00:04:23.216 --> 00:04:28.136 When I run, I let go of everything, and I just focus on running, and you know, 00:04:28.136 --> 00:04:31.816 I kind of clear my head, and it's good. 00:04:31.816 --> 00:04:35.516 She applies a sports metaphor to her academic life as well. 00:04:35.516 --> 00:04:39.856 If you have to climb a hill, she says, you get to ski down the other side. 00:04:39.856 --> 00:04:42.526 If you work hard at something, you'll get it eventually. 00:04:42.526 --> 00:04:46.816 So I applied that to academics, and so I've done it 00:04:46.816 --> 00:04:51.056 in smaller senses, and I know I can do it again. 00:04:51.056 --> 00:04:53.346 If I climb, I'll get to ski down. 00:04:57.346 --> 00:04:59.986 Randy Hammer has been blind since birth. 00:04:59.986 --> 00:05:03.216 He's also the kind of person who expects things to turn out well. 00:05:03.216 --> 00:05:07.136 He works as a computer help-desk analyst in a major corporation, 00:05:07.136 --> 00:05:09.896 a job he started immediately after college. 00:05:09.896 --> 00:05:18.156 My personal opinion is that that silver lining that everybody talks about is there. 00:05:18.156 --> 00:05:19.706 You've just got to know how to get to it. 00:05:19.706 --> 00:05:21.526 And sometimes it takes some work. 00:05:21.526 --> 00:05:22.896 Randy's goals were 00:05:22.896 --> 00:05:26.376 to earn a bachelor's degree and work in the computer field. 00:05:26.376 --> 00:05:31.366 To get there, he used a computer with screen reader software and a speech synthesizer, 00:05:31.366 --> 00:05:34.396 which read aloud the text that appeared on his screen. 00:05:34.396 --> 00:05:39.476 He had to learn to interface his own adaptive technology with a variety of computer systems, 00:05:39.476 --> 00:05:41.936 first at school and later at work. 00:05:41.936 --> 00:05:44.836 I take the same adaptive equipment with me. 00:05:44.836 --> 00:05:49.446 And so I learn a few more tricks about it in adapting to the new situation. 00:05:50.446 --> 00:05:54.686 Eventually, Randy plans to complete a master's degree. 00:05:54.686 --> 00:05:56.716 He has high expectations for himself. 00:05:56.716 --> 00:05:58.816 He learned that from his parents. 00:05:58.816 --> 00:06:02.836 First of all, they mainstreamed me from the beginning. 00:06:02.836 --> 00:06:06.816 And along with mainstreaming, they pushed me really hard. 00:06:06.816 --> 00:06:12.576 They expected the same from me as they expected from my sister, who was without disabilities. 00:06:12.576 --> 00:06:18.116 I did everything that any other student did, and I was basically treated the same 00:06:18.116 --> 00:06:21.016 by my teachers and, to an extent, my peers. 00:06:26.016 --> 00:06:29.146 In his career, Randy is very goal oriented. 00:06:29.146 --> 00:06:30.976 But it's not his whole life. 00:06:30.976 --> 00:06:34.036 Home is important to him, too-- because of Denise. 00:06:39.036 --> 00:06:47.756 She's intelligent, she's quick-witted, she laughs at my jokes... 00:06:50.756 --> 00:06:55.236 Denise and Randy met in high school-- often a difficult time socially. 00:06:55.236 --> 00:06:59.106 With a little less self confidence, Randy might have let his disability 00:06:59.106 --> 00:07:00.586 get in the way of asking her out. 00:07:00.586 --> 00:07:02.896 But that didn't happen. 00:07:02.896 --> 00:07:07.416 Everybody's got their, "oh, they're not going to like me because..." 00:07:07.416 --> 00:07:12.876 and a disability is just one of those things that you kind of use as, 00:07:12.876 --> 00:07:19.516 I'm not comfortable dating because I am afraid it's going to be a pity date. 00:07:19.516 --> 00:07:23.056 But everybody's got those kinds of things. 00:07:23.056 --> 00:07:29.696 I'm not sure everybody's is as extreme as a disability, 00:07:29.696 --> 00:07:32.046 but everybody's got something out there. 00:07:33.046 --> 00:07:36.246 Randy and Denise were married soon after college. 00:07:36.246 --> 00:07:41.276 Once again, Randy credits his parents with planting the seeds of success in his life. 00:07:41.276 --> 00:07:43.226 They taught him about respect for others. 00:07:43.226 --> 00:07:44.646 You want to be equal. 00:07:44.646 --> 00:07:48.876 You want to have both people happy with the relationship. 00:07:48.876 --> 00:07:55.416 You want to have both people enjoying each other, enjoying being with each other. 00:07:57.416 --> 00:08:02.906 For Randy, part of living a successful life is breaking down stereotypes. 00:08:02.906 --> 00:08:06.656 He tries to educate people about how to treat someone with a disability. 00:08:06.656 --> 00:08:10.016 The idea isn't to draw attention to yourself. 00:08:10.016 --> 00:08:16.246 It's to handle the situation quietly, and allow, you know, 00:08:16.246 --> 00:08:20.256 the person to maybe get something out of it. 00:08:20.256 --> 00:08:24.486 Accepting the challenges of life in a positive spirit, Randy expects the best 00:08:24.486 --> 00:08:27.436 out of people--and out of himself. 00:08:27.436 --> 00:08:29.656 He plans to make a difference in the world. 00:08:29.656 --> 00:08:37.476 I figure that if I kind of break down the walls of thinking of one individual, 00:08:37.476 --> 00:08:39.896 maybe it won't change the way the world works, 00:08:39.896 --> 00:08:44.006 but you know what, I can't do anything about that. 00:08:44.006 --> 00:08:48.996 I can maybe help one person think differently. 00:08:48.996 --> 00:08:55.276 And if I do, and that person comes upon another disabled person, maybe they'll look at them 00:08:55.276 --> 00:08:59.846 with different eyes than they would if they hadn't encountered me. 00:09:01.966 --> 00:09:04.146 When Todd Stabelfeldt meets someone new, 00:09:04.146 --> 00:09:07.766 he knows that his disability is probably the first thing they notice. 00:09:07.766 --> 00:09:10.266 So he likes to address it immediately. 00:09:10.266 --> 00:09:11.666 It's a good icebreaker. 00:09:11.666 --> 00:09:15.196 People want to know, this is obviously an attraction; 00:09:15.196 --> 00:09:17.386 they're interested, they want to know as humans. 00:09:17.386 --> 00:09:20.266 And so I find that it's real easy for me to talk about it. 00:09:20.266 --> 00:09:21.936 I'll get it out in the open and get it over with, 00:09:21.936 --> 00:09:23.656 and then we can move on with our conversation. 00:09:23.656 --> 00:09:28.146 I don't mind, you know. 00:09:29.846 --> 00:09:34.266 At Todd's first job interview, he hadn't mentioned his disability over the phone. 00:09:39.266 --> 00:09:43.306 When he arrived, there were some awkward moments as the interviewer rearranged his office 00:09:43.306 --> 00:09:45.006 to accommodate Todd's wheelchair. 00:09:45.006 --> 00:09:49.196 But the interview quickly moved to the important questions. 00:09:49.196 --> 00:09:51.256 And the second question was, well, how do you use a computer? 00:09:51.256 --> 00:09:52.676 How can you program? 00:09:52.676 --> 00:09:55.236 So once I told him about my assistive technology, 00:09:55.236 --> 00:09:57.576 then the third question was, how much do you want? 00:09:57.576 --> 00:09:59.446 And once I told him, it was, You're hired. 00:09:59.446 --> 00:10:01.196 Can you start tomorrow? 00:10:01.196 --> 00:10:02.776 Todd chose computer programming 00:10:02.776 --> 00:10:06.356 because he knew there would be a great demand for his services. 00:10:06.356 --> 00:10:11.276 He also wanted to make money as quickly as possible so that he could support himself. 00:10:11.276 --> 00:10:17.056 From the time he was paralyzed, at 8 years old, his mother nurtured the idea of independence. 00:10:17.056 --> 00:10:20.866 I got home from the hospital and she said, you're moving out when you're 18. 00:10:20.866 --> 00:10:23.596 You're going to get a job and go to school. 00:10:23.596 --> 00:10:26.196 I'm not going to take care of you the rest of your life. 00:10:26.196 --> 00:10:27.786 And you know, she's always been a fighter. 00:10:27.786 --> 00:10:30.086 And that's how she grew up with her mother and her father. 00:10:30.086 --> 00:10:35.546 And she instilled that into me and I took off with that. 00:10:35.546 --> 00:10:36.696 So, we're fighters. 00:10:36.696 --> 00:10:38.766 Todd needed that fighting instinct. 00:10:38.766 --> 00:10:42.316 At three, his father was killed in a motorcycle accident. 00:10:42.316 --> 00:10:46.056 At eight, Todd's childhood changed even more dramatically. 00:10:46.056 --> 00:10:50.366 Todd and his cousin found his father's old guns and started playing with them. 00:10:50.366 --> 00:10:54.246 One gun we were playing with was a bolt action .22 rifle. 00:10:54.246 --> 00:10:58.506 I loaded it and I gave it to my cousin. 00:10:58.506 --> 00:11:03.126 He started playing with the trigger, flipping the safety off 00:11:03.126 --> 00:11:06.236 and shot me right in the chin. 00:11:06.236 --> 00:11:09.156 At first, Todd didn't realize what had happened. 00:11:09.156 --> 00:11:14.996 When it finally hit home, he needed all the support he could get from family and friends. 00:11:14.996 --> 00:11:21.116 We drew in tight and became a big family. 00:11:21.116 --> 00:11:28.026 And so when things started happening, like, Oh my gosh, I can't walk, I'm never going to walk again, 00:11:28.026 --> 00:11:32.516 I'll never be a true man, I'm inadequate, how am I going to provide for my family, you know, 00:11:32.516 --> 00:11:36.636 those things start coming in, and that's when you start getting a little bit emotional 00:11:36.636 --> 00:11:41.916 and going through some serious brain things, as far as what am I going to do. 00:11:41.916 --> 00:11:44.606 His faith and his family helped Todd move on. 00:11:44.606 --> 00:11:49.976 He left bitterness behind, enjoyed high school, and went on to technical school. 00:11:49.976 --> 00:11:55.066 Today, technology is vital to his career, helping him perform a job he likes. 00:11:55.066 --> 00:11:59.486 For one, I obviously can't open the door, so basically, you know, 00:11:59.486 --> 00:12:03.396 you can set up automatic doors off of switches and things, so they set that up 00:12:03.396 --> 00:12:07.186 on my wheelchair, and that's how I open a door at home and at the office. 00:12:07.186 --> 00:12:12.036 And as far as computer working, it's real simple, on-screen keyboard with 00:12:12.036 --> 00:12:15.096 sort of a stick mouse, sip and puff, you know, one puff single click, 00:12:15.096 --> 00:12:17.946 two puffs double click; and that's what I use. 00:12:17.946 --> 00:12:20.736 And then just a simple book stand 00:12:20.736 --> 00:12:24.556 and a mouth wand for magazine turning, paper turning, that's really it. 00:12:28.556 --> 00:12:32.686 Todd lives on his own, pays for his own attendants, and enjoys his work. 00:12:32.686 --> 00:12:37.156 At some point, though, he plans to return to college for a career change. 00:12:37.156 --> 00:12:39.496 He'd like to work with people in some way. 00:12:39.496 --> 00:12:42.476 And he wants a schedule that allows for family time. 00:12:42.476 --> 00:12:44.576 I definitely want to get married. 00:12:44.576 --> 00:12:47.006 I want to be a good dad. 00:12:47.006 --> 00:12:49.116 I definitely see myself in that future. 00:12:49.116 --> 00:12:54.016 I plan to be sort of an independent type, my own boss, make my own hours, 00:12:54.016 --> 00:12:56.286 so I can adjust to that schedule. 00:12:56.286 --> 00:12:58.496 And you also have to adjust to your disability. 00:12:58.496 --> 00:13:02.506 You know, your disability's in control of you, and you're along for the ride. 00:13:02.506 --> 00:13:04.946 You can't tell your body what you want it to do, it tells you. 00:13:04.946 --> 00:13:07.036 And you've got to learn to listen to it and take care of it. 00:13:07.036 --> 00:13:11.486 With his strong determination, there's no doubt Todd will succeed. 00:13:11.486 --> 00:13:12.446 I set high goals. 00:13:12.446 --> 00:13:13.776 I need to set high goals. 00:13:13.776 --> 00:13:18.506 I need to set goals that are so far out there that can anybody reach them? 00:13:18.506 --> 00:13:20.926 And so far I've reached every single goal that I've set. 00:13:20.926 --> 00:13:25.426 And I plan to set every goal and reach them with complete success. 00:13:25.426 --> 00:13:27.306 I don't think anything's going to stop me. 00:13:30.306 --> 00:13:32.596 All of these young people have a promising future. 00:13:32.596 --> 00:13:36.906 And what they all have in common is self-determination. 00:13:36.906 --> 00:13:40.086 They're making their own choices, setting their own goals, 00:13:40.086 --> 00:13:42.886 and defining their own path to success. 00:13:42.886 --> 00:13:45.376 They're learning to be independent adults. 00:13:45.376 --> 00:13:50.346 In your search for success, their suggestions may help you, too. 00:14:32.706 --> 00:14:35.226 Nate, a high school senior, knows a lot about finding support. 00:14:35.226 --> 00:14:38.766 You've got to constantly ask questions, 00:14:38.766 --> 00:14:42.116 you've got to self advocate, like they say, all the time. 00:14:42.116 --> 00:14:43.846 And that's what he does. 00:14:43.846 --> 00:14:48.546 Nate's learning disability makes some classes difficult, like Spanish. 00:14:48.546 --> 00:14:51.356 So he goes to tutoring after school. 00:14:56.356 --> 00:14:59.886 When Nate was very young, it took a while for anyone 00:14:59.886 --> 00:15:02.766 to realize what a struggle it was for him to learn to read. 00:15:02.766 --> 00:15:05.976 Even his family didn't understand. 00:15:05.976 --> 00:15:10.386 They'd be like, "Oh, well, you're faking, you're playing around, 00:15:10.386 --> 00:15:13.016 you're just not trying hard enough or something." 00:15:13.016 --> 00:15:14.856 But I was trying. 00:15:14.856 --> 00:15:18.996 Besides having a learning disability, Nate changed schools several times 00:15:18.996 --> 00:15:21.356 between kindergarten and second grade. 00:15:21.356 --> 00:15:23.256 So it made it hard for me to get things down. 00:15:23.256 --> 00:15:27.246 And I would be missing this and I would be like, "Oh, so how do I do that?" 00:15:27.246 --> 00:15:29.626 and the teachers would be like, "Oh, you don't know that?" 00:15:29.626 --> 00:15:35.526 And then they would just, you know, just pass me or something like that. 00:15:37.526 --> 00:15:39.646 Nate's mom wanted to help him, 00:15:39.646 --> 00:15:43.266 but conferences at his school were discouraging back then. 00:15:43.266 --> 00:15:49.206 I remember one time them saying that he was mildly retarded. 00:15:49.206 --> 00:15:55.176 And I remember just breaking, I mean breaking down at that meeting and saying, 00:15:55.176 --> 00:16:00.306 "You can't put that on his record because my child is not mentally retarded." 00:16:00.306 --> 00:16:06.566 Fast forward past grade school and, eventually, a correct diagnosis. 00:16:06.566 --> 00:16:11.556 Support from his mother, his teachers, and his church kept him trying to succeed. 00:16:11.556 --> 00:16:14.886 And Nate himself began to take charge of his future. 00:16:14.886 --> 00:16:21.086 Once he decided, "I'm going forward regardless of my learning disability," 00:16:21.086 --> 00:16:26.286 he's been going, grades shot up, I mean just tremendously. 00:16:26.286 --> 00:16:31.366 It started in the middle of ninth grade, and it's been like that ever since. 00:16:31.366 --> 00:16:35.386 Nate went beyond going to tutoring and asking his teachers for help. 00:16:35.386 --> 00:16:37.726 He did some research and he found a program 00:16:37.726 --> 00:16:40.976 that would encourage his dreams of a college education. 00:16:40.976 --> 00:16:44.886 I had looked on the Internet, and then my mom, like I told her I was going 00:16:44.886 --> 00:16:51.376 to just see if they had any programs out there or internships that had to do with people 00:16:51.376 --> 00:16:53.946 with disabilities, with any types of disabilities. 00:16:53.946 --> 00:16:57.936 And so I started looking and I looked up and I found DO-IT. 00:16:57.940 --> 00:16:59.900 Nate, do you have something to add to that? 00:17:01.000 --> 00:17:06.000 Just motivating yourself and just trying to improve your weaknesses. 00:17:06.936 --> 00:17:10.326 DO-IT, at the University of Washington, offers Summer Study sessions 00:17:10.326 --> 00:17:15.136 and year-round support and mentoring to college-bound students with disabilities. 00:17:15.136 --> 00:17:20.496 Nate approached his teachers for references, applied to the program, and was accepted. 00:17:20.496 --> 00:17:22.846 The overall program was really challenging to me, 00:17:22.846 --> 00:17:26.166 it just like, it really opened my mind. 00:17:28.166 --> 00:17:30.536 In a DO-IT field trip to observe gorillas at the zoo, 00:17:30.536 --> 00:17:35.726 an instructor shared both scientific knowledge and her own personal story. 00:17:36.000 --> 00:17:40.000 I was born with autism and I had a hard time getting along with human beings 00:17:40.000 --> 00:17:45.000 until I met the gorillas and learned how to get along better socially. 00:17:45.726 --> 00:17:50.046 When she spoke, and when she talked about her disabilities and her life struggles, 00:17:50.046 --> 00:17:53.686 that's what really opened me up, because.... you know, believing in yourself 00:17:53.686 --> 00:17:56.406 and just knowing that you can do it. 00:17:56.500 --> 00:18:02.500 After college, what I want to do is be a real estate agent and just have fun with life. 00:18:03.000 --> 00:18:05.256 Nate looked for support and found it. 00:18:05.256 --> 00:18:09.316 He met inspiring adults and connected with mentors in DO-IT. 00:18:09.316 --> 00:18:13.506 He recognized his own strength, and he learned how far it could take him. 00:18:13.506 --> 00:18:19.136 At the beginning and everything, I never thought that I would be in any type of position 00:18:19.136 --> 00:18:21.796 to even make it through high school at first. 00:18:21.796 --> 00:18:27.616 And so, you know, now that I'm just believing in myself more and you know, 00:18:27.616 --> 00:18:34.596 just having that support behind me, it's just making everything worthwhile to keep going. 00:18:34.596 --> 00:18:38.456 And I may keep struggling, but just keep going. 00:18:38.456 --> 00:18:39.636 And that's the most important thing. 00:18:39.700 --> 00:18:41.500 Rosie! Come on... dog treats. 00:18:42.636 --> 00:18:46.966 You've heard it before: the longest journey begins with the first step. 00:18:46.966 --> 00:18:49.366 Jessie is just getting started. 00:18:49.366 --> 00:18:53.706 I go to Ballard High School, I'm a senior, 00:18:53.706 --> 00:19:03.516 I'm graduating 2006.....I have a sister named Morgan who's tall and who goes to UW, 00:19:03.516 --> 00:19:08.006 and I have my mom Linda and my mom Stephanie; and I have my little dogs, 00:19:08.006 --> 00:19:14.316 that one named Ginger, the other one's name is Rosie... and they like to get in trouble. 00:19:14.316 --> 00:19:19.356 Jessie's mom Linda, a carpenter, built independence into their home. 00:19:19.356 --> 00:19:20.996 This is my bedroom. 00:19:20.996 --> 00:19:26.246 This is called the blue room, 'cause I like the color blue... 00:19:26.246 --> 00:19:37.706 And over here is my sink and the toilet, so I have my own bathroom in my room. 00:19:37.706 --> 00:19:45.156 That's Lauren Jackson, the tallest Storm player in Seattle, and I like her because she's tall 00:19:45.156 --> 00:19:50.336 and she's a really good basketball player. 00:19:50.336 --> 00:19:52.286 As Jessie grew up, Linda found 00:19:52.286 --> 00:19:55.346 that she was helping her daughter more than was needed. 00:19:55.346 --> 00:19:59.236 And letting Jessie explore her abilities was much more stressful 00:19:59.236 --> 00:20:01.116 than it had been with her older sister. 00:20:01.116 --> 00:20:09.526 With Jessie it has felt to me that it was cruel to not help with all the daily tasks. 00:20:09.526 --> 00:20:11.546 It's always felt like that. 00:20:11.546 --> 00:20:18.516 And now I'm trying to retrain myself to feel like it's cruel to not let her go through those things. 00:20:18.516 --> 00:20:23.286 Because she's able to do them. 00:20:23.286 --> 00:20:26.976 It takes a longer time, but she can do them just fine, 00:20:26.977 --> 00:20:29.000 and she doesn't mind doing them actually. 00:20:35.276 --> 00:20:38.766 Jessie took a big step toward independence last summer, when she left home 00:20:38.766 --> 00:20:42.636 for two weeks to attend the DO-IT Summer Study program at the University of Washington. 00:20:45.136 --> 00:20:51.256 It was a new experience, because I've never been away from home that much... 00:20:51.256 --> 00:20:53.716 it's working out fine, though. 00:20:55.716 --> 00:21:00.116 It was quite a challenging experience for Jessie's parents. 00:21:00.116 --> 00:21:01.896 It was terrible. 00:21:01.896 --> 00:21:05.906 I felt like, when I walked out of the room, I felt like I was going to throw up. 00:21:05.906 --> 00:21:09.176 You know, it's so great for her, of course, 00:21:09.176 --> 00:21:12.636 but I just felt that it would be really hard for her. 00:21:12.636 --> 00:21:15.416 Jessie, on the other hand, fit right in. 00:21:15.416 --> 00:21:22.206 It's kind of fun for me to be around kids and grown-ups with different disabilities 00:21:22.206 --> 00:21:26.696 and wheelchairs, because I'm the only one in my family. 00:21:31.696 --> 00:21:34.916 Summer Study was two weeks of classes, discussions, 00:21:34.916 --> 00:21:37.786 entertainment, and learning how to take charge. 00:21:37.800 --> 00:21:39.000 How does that fit into my little scheme here? 00:21:40.000 --> 00:21:45.000 Because then you guys can feel like a big family instead of individuals 00:21:45.000 --> 00:21:50.100 and know who's around you and who's there to support you. 00:21:50.286 --> 00:21:55.316 I really think that DO-IT laid a little charge in her, and it's burning. 00:21:55.316 --> 00:22:01.126 And she came home from DO-IT really excited... and just started doing things for herself 00:22:01.126 --> 00:22:06.006 Like she would rush up and hit the paddles for wheelchair doors before I could get there, 00:22:06.006 --> 00:22:12.206 and started saying, "Oh, no, I want to put my own socks on today," 00:22:12.206 --> 00:22:17.836 and just a lot of things that were different for her. 00:22:24.836 --> 00:22:28.396 The biggest change was that Jessie took charge of her high school curriculum. 00:22:28.396 --> 00:22:30.486 She was determined to leave her 00:22:30.486 --> 00:22:34.166 "special education" program, which wasn't challenging enough. 00:22:34.166 --> 00:22:40.906 I was trying to get out of it so I could do more academic classes, 00:22:40.906 --> 00:22:51.126 so I could have homework...and just be out more in the hallways instead of trapped in one room. 00:22:53.176 --> 00:22:56.346 Jessie's Favorite classes include Spanish and math. 00:23:04.346 --> 00:23:08.896 Sometimes during the school day, when it's necessary, Jessie works with an assistant. 00:23:08.896 --> 00:23:15.006 She helps me get my books out; she helps me in the bathroom.....and she helps 00:23:15.006 --> 00:23:18.756 with getting me to the bus, helping me with my jacket, 00:23:18.756 --> 00:23:27.026 and pretty much just helping me get stuff that's too high for me or I can't do on my own. 00:23:27.026 --> 00:23:27.976 She's a good girl. 00:23:27.976 --> 00:23:32.596 She's got a lot of energy and she's just real happy in life. 00:23:32.596 --> 00:23:34.886 I'm not worried about her leaving school, cause when she leaves here, 00:23:34.886 --> 00:23:38.006 she's going to make friends, she's going to go on in life. 00:23:38.006 --> 00:23:39.596 She's going to do fine. 00:23:39.716 --> 00:23:44.016 Between her assistant and her friends, Jessie does quite well at school. 00:23:44.016 --> 00:23:47.906 But she's very aware of the physical barriers that prevent her and others 00:23:47.906 --> 00:23:50.136 from being completely on their own. 00:23:50.136 --> 00:23:53.946 For example, there are no automatic door openers to get into the building. 00:23:53.946 --> 00:23:58.106 I want to be able to talk to the head of the school 00:23:58.106 --> 00:24:03.196 and see if they can change the school just a little bit, so people in wheelchairs 00:24:03.196 --> 00:24:13.266 and with different disabilities, they could go there and be able to get around and do stuff on their own, 00:24:13.266 --> 00:24:17.136 instead of having other people do it for them. 00:24:17.136 --> 00:24:20.856 Jessie's social awareness is growing in other ways, too. 00:24:20.856 --> 00:24:23.376 Her senior project reflects that. 00:24:23.376 --> 00:24:28.856 My topic is going to be on little people, cause that's what my background is-well, 00:24:28.856 --> 00:24:37.946 one of them-and I want to be able to share that with other people instead of ignoring it. 00:24:37.946 --> 00:24:45.626 And other people, like grown-ups who have kids, get to know what little people are 00:24:45.626 --> 00:24:50.986 and if they have one, they know how to deal with one. 00:24:50.986 --> 00:24:53.446 Jessie's plans include community college, 00:24:53.446 --> 00:24:56.936 a house of her own, and at least one dog. 00:24:56.936 --> 00:24:59.306 And she has advice for other students. 00:24:59.306 --> 00:25:01.286 Do the right thing, pretty much. 00:25:01.286 --> 00:25:09.776 Just follow your classes, do what your dream tells you, and then go do it. 00:25:09.776 --> 00:25:12.996 It's hard, but you can manage. 00:25:12.996 --> 00:25:17.196 And that's what success and self-determination are all about.