Transition and Adult Life Success Stories
The stories below highlight best practices related to self-determination, access, and family engagement for transition-age students and adults who are deafblind. Each story provides a glimpse into the possibilities for these individuals.
The stories help enrich our vibrant network and highlight one of our shared values, “together we are better.”
Categories on this Page
Career
College and Work: A New Phase of My Life
Alex Steinbrick first wrote about his transition experiences for NCDB in 2018. Two years later, he provides an update about his career and college experiences after high school. He discusses the many skills he learned, the importance of supportive colleagues, and how technology has helped him along the way.
Isaiah is Ready
This 2:42-minute video, produced by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI), is about a teenager named Isaiah. It includes interviews with Isaiah, his mom, and his team members as he prepares for employment and living on his own. Thanks to the Wisconsin Deafblind Technical Assistance Project for sharing this video.
David's Journey
This story about a young man named David was written by his mother, Gwen. In it, she describes how she and David's father advocated for educational services that would help him have a good life. Most of the article focuses on transition planning and activities beginning at age 14 that prepared him for post-school work and community participation. Their goal for him was the same as for all their children, to "Learn, be happy, be engaged in your community, find something that you love, and do it!!"
Jason's Story
Jason is a young adult who chooses to take advantage of every opportunity that comes his way. His transition journey is filled with examples of how to overcome obstacles. Jason enjoys advocating and providing hope for other individuals who are deafblind.
College
Alex's Journey
Alex Steinbrick, a 19-year-old with CHARGE syndrome, describes his transition journey within the public school system and discusses how he learned advocacy skills and the importance of a great educational team. The article includes six important lessons for all students and their teams.
Community Life
His Best Life: Malik Morris
Malik's mom, Djenne-amal Morris, wrote this incredible article about his transition journey. He began his education at Perkins School for the Blind, but the family later made a difficult decision to move south due to Malik's health and his need for warmer weather conditions. There he attended the Eastern North Carolina School for the Deaf. This article describes the exploration, planning, collaboration, and effort in which Malik and his family engaged to craft a meaningful adult life for him.
Planning a Full Adult Life: Alex Black
Alex lived a full and happy life for 22 years. This article, published on the National Family Association for Deaf-Blind website, focuses on the numerous vocational experiences and services he had during his transition years that helped him learn valuable skills and have rich, meaningful interactions in the community. The article was written by Alex's mother, Molly Black, a family engagement consultant for the Pennsylvania Deaf-Blind Project and current secretary for the Pennsylvania Partnership for the Deafblind.
Destiny Home
Destiny Home is New York State’s first community residence for individuals with deafblindness and additional disabilities. This article describes some of the experiences of the individuals who live there and how they have embraced a life in which they are very much a part of the social fabric of society and contribute to it in meaningful ways.
Deafblind International Youth Network (DbIYN)
This article is an overview of the Deafblind International Youth Network (DbIYN) and its activities. DbIYN provides a platform from which young adults (ages 13 through 25) with deafblindness throughout the world can inspire others, share their views, develop ideas, and influence policy makers.
Technology
Covid-19 and Digital Equity for Deaf-Blind Learners: My Experience and the Importance of Self-Advocacy
Ava Bullis was looking forward to starting high school when Covid-19 hit, forcing her and her family to completely rethink how she would have access to new teachers and classes. Although adjusting to online learning was a challenge for nearly everyone, Ava has Usher syndrome, so she needed to find ways of incorporating different technologies and systems that would provide her with both auditory and visual access. Hear how the challenges of the pandemic not only led Ava to pursue technology training, but also taught her the importance of self-advocacy.
Transition Planning
Jack Barker's Transition To Adulthood: It Takes a Village
Jack is 22 and in his final year of public school. He has CHARGE Syndrome and is deafblind and non-verbal with significant and complex needs. His parents have worked hard to successfully navigate the labyrinth and real-world challenges of medical interventions, services, supports, and the public education system, but the journey has been an arduous one with many roadblocks and detours through fragmented systems. Like all parents, we have striven to educate ourselves in order to cultivate and exhaust all possibilities to enable Jack to obtain as many tools for his toolbox as possible and achieve the most optimal outcome.
Miranda's Journey
In this article, Suzanne Fitzgerald relays the journey a young adult named Miranda, her family, and her educational team took to build an effective communication system and prepare Miranda for work after high school. She also describes the challenges they encountered and the tenacity of this amazing young woman.
Jacob's Journey
Jacob Jones' North Carolina-based team had an opportunity to participate in HKNC’s Deaf-Blind Immersion Seminar (DBIS), an assessment and training program for individuals who are deafblind and have intellectual disabilities. His dad, Emrick, wrote this story about the experience.
Self-Determination Videos
"What does self-determination mean to you?" Several young adults answer this question in the video clips linked here.
When you decide and make decisions for yourself, you know what you want, and you know what you need, not another person. – Ashley
