I am Araceli Garcia-Oczko. Currently I work as a rehabilitation case coordinator in Illinois. Getting to where I am today has not been easy. I would like to describe the difficulties I have encountered in my personal life, starting with the challenges I faced in high school.

High School

It was during the beginning of my freshman year at Curie High when I discovered things were not going to be easy for me. For the first time I was placed in classes with non-disabled students. Most of my time was spent trying to keep up with everyone else. Many of my teachers had never dealt with a visually impaired student, and they often forgot I had special needs.

In some cases the teacher had a difficult time adjusting the way they taught to accommodate my visual impairment. For example, when the teacher wrote on the board, he was supposed to say what he was writing out loud so I would be able to take notes like everyone else. Unfortunately, he often forgot to verbalize the written notes, making it impossible for me to keep up with the other students.

It also was a challenge for me to do my homework without the assistance of reading equipment at home. When I was in the special needs classes in grade school, most of my books had enlarged print so I didn't need the assistance of a magnifier to do my homework. When I got to high school, all of my books had standard-sized print, so I had to rely on my younger siblings to read the material to me. It was not until my sophomore year that I was able to read on my own, thanks to a mobility instructor who helped me get a new machine that magnifies text to a size at which I can read it. At that point my grades began to improve, and I started earning high marks as I was accustomed to getting in grade school.

Things really got better during my senior year. I was nominated to compete in a statewide contest for student of the year. To my surprise, I won. I was invited to a luncheon at the Governor's mansion to receive the award and was interviewed by a reporter from the Chicago SunTimes .

It was also during my senior year when I was introduced my first rehabilitation counselor. He was a very nice, but was slow in getting what I needed to be successful in school or work. Later in life I had better counselors. It is important to make sure your counselor is providing the services you require.

College

When I began college it was a big challenge for me because it was the first time I was away from home. I was the first and only student at Rosary College who had a visual impairment. The school did not have any special equipment that would help me with my studies. I relied on the magnifying machine that was donated to me during high school.

Rosary College ordered assistive technology that took almost a full semester to arrive. During that first semester, I really had to work hard not to fall behind.

Another big obstacle for me was taking a required computer class. A few months before the class began, I had spoken to the professor about my disability and what accommodations would be needed for me to complete the class. Unfortunately, the professor didn't place the order for the assistive technology until the class began. It took over a month for the materials to arrive. Once they arrived, the professor had difficulty installing the program on the computer. In the end, I only had access to the program for less than one-third of the semester. The situation was worsened by the fact that the professor did not seem to understand my need for assistive technology.

Working World

After I graduated from college, new struggles kept appearing in my life, most notably with my attempts to find a job. Employers were often hesitant to hire me because of my disability. It seemed like many potential employers felt that having a blind person on staff would be more of a liability than an asset. They would oftentimes come up with creative reasons about why I was not suited for the job. One hospital, for example, told me that one of the requirements for a psychology assistant position was that I would have to know how to give shots and draw blood. I have several friends who work in this field, some of who are practicing psychologists, and none of them had ever heard of a psychology assistant having to do these tasks. Some suggested I see a lawyer to file a complaint concerning employment discrimination.

Another experience that stands out is when I became employed by the Department of Human Services in Community Operations. It was there that I became aware of how little some people know about working with people who have disabilities.

My first two months at the job, I was not given work because my equipment was not available. During my interview, however, I informed the interviewer of my needs and what equipment I needed. They assured me that everything would be provided by the time I began working. The other people who were hired with me were already well ahead of me in their training by the time my accommodation arrived. Meanwhile, I was given material to read, in small print, so I had to use my magnifier to see it. Finally after three months I was sent out to receive formal training. Again, not all of the accommodations were set in the training facility when I arrived.

I notified my Office of Rehabilitation Services (ORS) counselor of my situation. As soon as I told her about what was occurring she immediately sent someone to my office to evaluate the accommodations. LightHouse for the Blind was able to loan me a magnifying machine and a program called Zoomtext that enlarges print on the computer. I was very excited to be able to work like everyone else.