Adam’s Career Journey Begins
Learn about Adam's background, his career journey and how Helen Keller National Center assisted him in developing his career goals.
On-Screen: Dark text on a white background reads: “HKNC Success Story: Adam’s Career Journey Begins” with the Helen National Center logo on the bottom. The scene than changes to a young man wearing a dark blue button down shirt and white suit coat, sitting in an office, speaking.
Adam: My name is Adam Cruz. I’m 27 years old. I’m from California, and I have Usher syndrome, type 2. It is one of those rare eye disorders, and hearing disorders that really changed my life, in a sense that I have been very limited to what I can do— What I’m capable of doing. Being able to travel at night has been very difficult, and communicating with my friends and family and peers is also a challenge. It’s really hard, and it’s something that not everyone can cope with, but at the same time, it’s something thatI have to go through on a daily basis.
On-Screen: The scene changes to a white background with black text that reads: “How did HKNC assist you in developing your career goals?” The scene then changes back to the man speaking.
Adam: What I wanted to do at first, was become a politician. That was my main drive. But eventually, when I came here, I had a change of heart. I realized that there are people here that need a lot more support. After I completed my training here, I went back home, with a clear mind that you know what— I need to do something that’s going to be impactful. I want to impact people’s lives positively, I want to support them, I want to be able to provide them with some sort of resource, some sort of guidance. And, to go into the rehab counseling field, to look into that profession, was an opportunity that I felt was best suited for me. but I couldn’t figure that out without the help, support, and the work experience that Helen Keller National Center really provided me.
On-Screen: The scene changes to a white background with black text that reads: “How did HKNC assist you in developing your career goals?” The scene then changes back to the man speaking.
Adam: My experience: This program worked, because I was able to finish college. I have a dream. I have a passion of working with people with disabilities.
On-Screen: B-Roll footage of Adam wearing a gray t-shirt standing over a young man wearing a blue sweater typing on a computer, a left to right panning shot of Adam wearing a gray sweater sitting at a round table with a group of three other adults, and Adam wearing a gray t-shirt standing, assisting an older woman wearing a pink jacket preparing sauce in the kitchen.
Adam: And to be able to give back means a whole lot because the staff really gave me the drive, the support, and now that I’m back here, makes me want to work more with the DeafBlind population. If I met somebody who was DeafBlind and didn’t really understand what it meant to be DeafBlind, if they didn’t know what to do, I would tell them:
On-Screen: B-Roll footage of Adam wearing a gray t-shirt standing over a young man wearing a blue sweater typing on a computer, a left to right panning shot of Adam wearing a gray sweater sitting at a round table with a group of three other adults, and Adam wearing a gray t-shirt standing, assisting an older woman wearing a pink jacket preparing sauce in the kitchen, an exterior shot of the Helen Keller National Center, a shot of a group of women speaking using sign language, a shot of a man in a gray sweater (left) using a BrailleNote as a man wearing a black shirt (right) watches, a shot of a woman wearing a white sweater (left) holding her hand with a man wearing a gray sweater and cap (right), and a shot of a group of six people and a tan dog standing outside.
Adam: “Don’t give up, because there’s an organization that is going to work with you; There’s a group of people that want to work with you. They work together as a team. Whatever you need, whatever you want, they try to make it possible.” So that way, after you’re done, after you’ve finished with training, you can go out and become the independent individual that you want to be, to be successful. You can become this human being that you always dreamt of being.
On-Screen: The scene changes to a shot of Adam wearing a gray t-shirt standing over a young man wearing a blue sweater typing on a computer. White text reads ““The possibilities are endless for me” – Adam Cruz”. The scene then changes to a white background with dark text that reads: “Help us Bridge the Future! Learn more at www.helenkeller.org/hks/get-involved” with the Helen Keller Services Tri-Logo on the bottom. [End of Transcript]
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