In 2009, while in college at Delta State University, three
days before her 20th birthday, Micah Morgan looked at her test and
couldn’t read it. The teacher wouldn’t allow her to leave the classroom so she
had to finish the test not being able to see it. One year later, Micah was legally blind.
Her brother, who has the same impairment, was a big support. He had received VRB services as well so Micah
was familiar with the program and with counselor, Kathy Bowman. “Kathy was so
responsive to my needs, it made it easy for me to reach my goal of becoming a
teacher,” Micah states.
During college, as soon as she got her schedule, she would
go to meet her professors and explain her disability. She found them to be more than helpful and
accommodating to her needs. The hardest
part of adjustment during college was taking all of her necessary equipment to
the various schools and classrooms while she was completing the observation
work requirement for her degree. She had to carry a CCTV to all of her classes
and people looked at her differently. “I
had to learn to look past it. For every person who made you feel uncomfortable,
there are twenty who are understanding and are there to help.”
When she began her job hunt, she stressed over whether to
self- identify to her potential employers.
She went on several interviews and chose not to disclose her disability,
however, she did tell her boss when offered the job at Sudduth. “I just wanted to prove to everyone that I
could do it.” The teaching staff at her
school offer a tremendous amount of support as well, especially during staff
meetings.
Micah’s disability is one reason she decided to become a
teacher, and she states there are many students who have impairments that need
extra help and who better to understand than someone who has experienced it
first-hand, “I’m not disabled, I’m just differently abled.”
On her experience with MDRS and VRB services, Micah states,
“They are just one call away. They will
help see you through. Adjusting to
vision loss is not an easy walk, but people will accept you and there are
people who can help.” Micah’s message to
employers, “Have faith in me, I can do it.
Sometimes having a disability gives you an inside perspective that is
beneficial to doing your job successfully.”