Project RISE: From Low Expectations to High Impacts

By Lizzy Schoen

Resilience, Independence, Self-Advocacy, Employment: that is what the RISE in Project RISE stands for. Going into the program, I had low expectations; everything I had done so far had not prepared me for what I got. The power of Project RISE is not in the curriculum, though it is extremely beneficial, it is in the people who you meet and the lives the mentors are willing to share with you and teach you to attain.

From a young age, a blind person is taught two universal truths that, though probably not said out loud, are said by actions:

• Your blindness is something to be ashamed of and
• We don't have faith in your ability to succeed.

These messages were things I latched onto and I still find myself fighting them. With these messages in my head, I still worked hard. I did my school work and participated in extracurricular activities and when I was told an accommodation was unreasonable, it didn't happen whether my grades suffered or not. I smiled, waved, never showed that I was suffering from the pressure of being perfect and normal and not blind anything but blind.

That lack of acceptance was growing and becoming more of an issue now that I wanted to be independent. I wanted to take the bus, but I couldn't see the bus numbers, and from the times of 8am to 7pm I couldn't travel outside alone. Then, right when my frustration was beginning to boil to the surface and my friends got their driver’s license: I got my cane.

Well... I got my cane in middle school, but I didn't use it until Project RISE because when I got there I saw adults who went to school and lived alone and had office jobs. I learned that Braille might be, something to pursue and I met some of the most influential people in my life today.

The mentors helped me realize that what I was thinking wasn't productive or healthy. They helped me realize just because I could see minimally doesn't mean I could see well, or I should act like I can. It has been almost a year since I started using my cane and 6 months since I was elected Vice President of the Virginia Association of Blind Students. I am still learning, I am still growing and still realizing that not everything is my fault.

None of this would have happened without the help of my mentors and friends. People like Kathryn Webster, who has encouraged me and pushed me since day 1. She teaches me that whatever stage you are at you can still pull yourself up by the bootstraps and make it through, both successfully and resiliently. Evelyn Valdez encourages me to be myself and not let anyone push me around. Jeremy Grandstaff and his infectious personality and love of pep-talks that don't only inflate your ego but help teach problem solving techniques. None of this would have happened without the support of the NFBV, and with the support of thousands of blind people I know that my future may not be certain, but it is bright.