Texas DARS Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services Success Stories
JOHN
Sometimes a DARS vocational
rehabilitation counselor comes across a consumer who strikes a
note at the heart of DARS’ mission. John struck that note when
he came to DARS requesting help.
John is a man with a mission…literally. For the past seven
years, he has been a saxophonist who plays solo or in a band as
part of his religious ministry.
Imagine that music is your life and soul. You make sacrifices
and choices that create a path toward your dream. Now imagine
that your dream is slowly taken away from you. You realize you
may have to give up something that brings you joy and a mission
that helps support your family and provides a community service.
This is what John experienced when his hearing began to
deteriorate.
As a father, a husband, and a musician, John's hearing is vital
to his life. When he began having difficulty hearing and
understanding his family and his fellow band members, John knew
he had to seek help. He had worn hearing aides since 1991, which
he purchased out of his own pocket. Since then, both his hearing
and hearing aids had begun to fail. Self employed, he had health
insurance that he paid for out of his pocket, but which did not
cover the cost of new hearing aids. On top of rising insurance
premiums, family medical bills, and the price of gas, the cost
of obtaining new hearing aides seemed out of his reach.
Family and friends tolerated his miscommunication due to his
hearing loss, but he knew his business contacts would not. In
October 2006, his Callier Center Audiologist referred John to
DARS for help.
John's case was taken by DARS Counselor Dana Dobbs, who said
that she was intrigued and impressed by him. “It was the first
time in my experience as a counselor that a consumer provided me
with CDs of his recorded performances as part of establishing
his self-employment information,” Dana explained.
Dana reviewed his case with Deaf and Hard of Hearing Specialist
Angela Feltner and DARS Area Manager Bob Dann to ask their
opinion about John's case. All agreed it was apparent that
without some high-tech hearing aides, he could not maintain
employment. As part of her guidance, Dana told John he should
begin saving money for future hearing aides because they will be
ongoing life expenses.
Once their children reach school age, John's wife plans to get a
part-time job to help add to the savings plan for his next set
of hearing aids.
Dana described John as having “excellent communication skills
and appears to interact well with others. People attach and
engage with him easily, and I can see how his ministry would
thrive.”
With a strong family support system, a group of friends, fellow
ministers and musicians, and his new hearing aides purchased by
DARS, John plans to continue his career as a minister and
performer. When we last heard from him, John was on tour around
the United States and was recording a new CD.
Texas DARS Rehabilitation Services
JANE
Jane joined the Army in 1977 when she was 20. Before joining
the Army, she was studying to be a dental assistant in her home
town of El Centro, California.
She enlisted for the standard three years, and for the first two
years she took a dental assistant assignment. While on active
duty, Jane suffered a terrible injury that shattered her elbow,
hand, and wrist. Army surgeons placed a metal plate in her arm,
along with several pins and screws. Because of her injury, her
officers reassigned Jane to work as a records clerk.
After serving her three-year enlistment, Jane was discharged
from the Army and received a medical disability rating of 25
percent and a lifetime monthly pension of $275.
Jane’s small Army pension did not cover her medical bills or
living expenses. Although she worked several jobs, she lost them
and eventually found herself homeless. She sought help from the
Dallas Veteran’s Administration and took temporary shelter at
the Veterans Domiciliary.
The VA referred Jane to the Department of Assistive and
Rehabilitative Services. In collaboration with the Veteran’s
Medical Branch in Dallas, DARS provided Jane with counseling and
guidance to help her understand her limitations and how they
would affect her career.
While the VA took care of coordinating Jane’s medical needs, her
DARS vocational rehabilitation counselor arranged services she
needed to find a job. Jane received assistance in learning
résumé writing skills and developing interviewing skills. These
lessons taught Jane to accentuate how she could apply her
abilities to a trade and overcome the limitations of her
disabilities.
DARS also helped provide Jane with a suitable wardrobe for job
interviews and daily work. With much encouragement and support,
Jane was hired as a customer service representative and has
gained new confidence and found her independence. With a good
job and her enthusiasm, Jane lives independently in her own
apartment, and is a contributing member of her community.
