I have just always been the positive person.
People don't think I could be this positive because I wasn’t supposed to live past two.
And then it was four, and then it was six, and then 8, and it just kept going on and
on.
Now I’m twenty and I’m still here and I'm rocking it.
I’m blind.
I can’t walk.
I also have really low muscle tone.
I face kids not wanting to be my friend because of what I am and who I am, but it’s me and
I love being me.
I feel like chances have been limited for me, but now that I have power chair I’m
not afraid to say if you don't give me a chance, I’m going to run you over.
There's very few places where you can see a child with significant special needs at
work contributing.
Project Search is the program for young adults with significant disabilities who are transitioning
from high school right into the work force.
The underlying purpose is to create a workforce that better represents the patients and families
that we’re serving.
Destinee applied to the Project Search program in the spring of 2015.
Truthfully we had some big concerns.
We just didn’t know if we had a place for her and we didn’t want to bring her into
the program and not be able to provide her with something meaningful.
Those of us who don't have those things working against us, we can rise above those, you know
we can prove other people wrong because we’re likely given the opportunity to do so.
But the danger is that these young adults might walk away with the idea that I haven’t
been given this opportunity because I’m not capable of doing it.
And then they live a life that is compromised because they haven’t really been able to
contribute fully and fairly.
Young people with significant disabilities have more abilities than they don't, but it’s
our awareness and our perceptions and our expectations that are too low.
Or our lack of creativity in how they can come in and contribute.
I was approached by the Project Search program and I was eager to find a way to make it work.
I would like to think of myself as a pretty open, accepting person, but I’m human like
anyone.
There are judgments I make or perceptions that I have that this experience has caused
me to dig a little deeper.
I imagined how she had probably met with a lot of no’s in her life and I wanted to
be someone who said yes.
I think one of the most notable things that Jay has done is he is actively looking for
the talents in Destinee.
She had certainly surpassed my expectations that first week.
I started to get to know her and realize how smart, how sharp, how funny, how enthusiastic,
um how normal she was.
I say that because of those human jump-to-conclusion things that we all have that here she is not
normal because she’s not like us, or like me.
Destinee’s been a patient at Children’s Hospital and she thinks it’s really special
that you know at one point she might have been on the receiving end of those blood donations.
What a special moment it is for her to be on the employee side, getting those people
in the door.
She’s brought a light to the blood donor center.
We are going through an expansion and we are going to add new positions and I would like
to see Destinee apply for it.
Uh we have finished interviewing and checking references for the administrative professional
position that you applied for.
Okay.
And I am happy to say that we have selected you for the position and we would like to
hire you
*cheering*
How does that sound?
It sounds like oh my god!
We think you're the best candidate for the job and uh we are looking forward to having
you join our team.
Cool!
That’s awesome!
It’s not like this world’s totally a terrible place.
Find people who will let you be you and don't discriminate other people.
I’m a strong believer that if you have the right people that you talk to then your day
is going to go great, your week is going to go great, your months going to go great, and
pretty soon your whole year is going to go great.