Being a member of several minority groups, such as being Latina, female and a person with a disability, can present numerous barriers toward accomplishing one's goals and dreams. Many people struggle with these barriers and sometimes it can be very difficult to move ahead.

Eleanor Gil-Kashiwabara is an example of someone who pushed through many barriers to get where she is today. Eleanor has a hidden disability. She is partially deaf, with total hearing loss in her right ear. The doctors believe she acquired it when she had German measles at age two. Throughout her life she didn't let her disability stop her doing what she wanted and being who she wanted.

Eleanor's Youth

Growing up in New Jersey, Eleanor broke many barriers in order to accomplish her goals. One of these barriers was discrimination because of her ethnicity, (Puerto Rican/Cuban). She found herself struggling with the ideas people from other cultural groups had of her, such as thinking she could not achieve as much as everyone else. Eleanor always found ways to help herself hear well in classes and when in large groups. She didn't generally focus on her disability, but it was during college that Eleanor became aware of the impact her disability was having on her life.

Eleanor learned, for example, that some people believed she was "stuck up," "air headed," or "flaky" because they assumed she was not paying attention or ignoring them when they spoke. In truth, she simply did not hear what they were saying. This is when she realized her disability affected her life and people's ideas about her more than she realized. This was a very powerful moment for Eleanor, and she started thinking about what life was like for Latinos who had visible disabilities. She realized that Latinos have different definitions of disability, and these definitions impact the way in which the disability is addressed in the family, how services are accessed, and other important issues. She also realized that service providers often did not consider Latino cultural attitudes toward disability when working with people.

Working to Help Disabled Latina Youth Today

Eleanor, 32, has a doctorate in psychology. She works at Portland State University's Regional Research Institute in Oregon. Eleanor is the principal investigator for an early career project funded by the US Department of Education called "Helping All Latinas Achieve (HALA): Understanding the Educational Experiences and Transition Needs of Latina Girls with Disabilities."

HALA is examining the needs of Latinas with disabilities who are preparing to transition out of high school onto post-secondary education or employment. Eleanor understands that adolescence is a critical time in all young people's lives. It is even more so for Latinas with disabilities who often do not have supports in place to plan goals for their future and achieve them.

Eleanor initiated this project to get data about the needs of Latina girls and their families. In the first year she is doing a survey that includes questions that have not been addressed. Eleanor mentioned that many people are not aware of the increased risk for unsuccessful outcomes of low-income transition-age Latina women. For example, statistics show that Latina girls have the highest teenage pregnancy rate and a very high drop out rate. Eleanor wants to tie this data together and find out how this all affects Latina girls with disabilities.

Doing research to help support Latinos/as with disabilities is Eleanor's passion. Eleanor is working to raise awareness on how disability is defined within the Latino community and to help increase sensitivity among educators, administrators, service providers, and policy makers to disabled Latinos' needs. In the second year of the HALA project Eleanor will conduct focus groups, and, during the final year, she will take all the information and compile a booklet of formal guidelines for providers, administrators, and policy makers about the needs of Latina girls with disabilities and how to work with them. She feels that this will help to lay a foundation for future studies and start to get the information out there. Her goal for this grant is to bridge the gap between the communities by starting a dialogue about these issues.

Mentors to Model Success

In addition to encouragement from her mother, a major key to Eleanor's success was mentorship. Eleanor said that without mentors in her life she would not have accomplished what she has today. Eleanor was fortunate to have people around her who told her she could succeed when she didn't believe in herself. In particular, a Cuban professor who instructed Eleanor during college encouraged her to get her masters degree when she felt that maybe she should stay at home. The professor knew Eleanor might not finish her education, and she didn't let Eleanor lose the opportunity to move ahead and work toward becoming a successful highly educated professional. Eleanor also said she had fabulous mentors at work who encouraged her to apply for an early career grant and provided support while she was writing the grant proposal. Eleanor feels fortunate she had support from key people at crucial points during her life.

Today Eleanor works as a mentor and role model to other disabled Latinos/as. She mentors a young Latina who has a hidden disability. Eleanor and her mentee have a lot in common.

Eleanor believes youth with disabilities should not be afraid to ask for help from teachers, family members and friends who can offer support. For example, a teacher might be able to tell a student how to get in touch with financial aid resources. Mentees should look for professionals with similar interests to them who are willing to share their experiences, mistakes and accomplishments.

Another word of advice that Eleanor gives to any Latina that finds herself in the position that she was in years ago is, "Sí se puede!!" (Yes you can!) Eleanor said, "There are real barriers, and if there is anybody who has information that could help you overcome these barriers, don't be afraid to ask questions to get answers that can help direct you and support you."