Elizabeth’s Experience at HKNC

Elizabeth shares how the training she is receiving at HKNC has changed her life.

My name is Elizabeth. I would like to talk to you about my experience at the Helen Keller National Center. I want to become a chef one day, a successful one. But in order to do so I need to learn a lot of skills. I need to learn how to get to and from a job i.e. using a cab. I also need to develop my cooking skills. In Independent Living I have been working with Maricar, who is also deaf-blind.

(An image of Elizabeth working with her instructor Maricar in the Independent Living department. She is learning to use tactual methods to cook on the stove. The two are communicating through tactile sign language). We’ve spoken a lot about what it will take to succeed as a deaf-blind adult. As a result I’ve realized I need to enhance my skills in a number of areas too, like technology, orientation and mobility and independent living. It’s important to make adaptations based on my vision which is kind of blurry. I really need to learn keyboarding and short cut keys to navigate the computer. It’s amazing working with teachers who have so much experience working with deaf-blind people, teachers with a positive attitude working with us. I feel like my life is taking a different course, a positive successful path and I cannot believe how much my life has changed since my arrival. [End of Transcript]