Theresa

Recently the Lighthouse coined the phrase: “Keep Theresa Working” and has been using it in interviews, proposals, and on our website. Theresa works in the WebStore, which was our first Lighthouse employment initiative for persons who are visually impaired and blind. Some might be wondering ‘who is this Theresa person’ and ‘why do we need to keep her working’? This is Theresa’s story.

Theresa Santana grew up on a farm in Maryland. As a child, she was a tomboy and very athletic. She experienced many falls and crashes as she played. Theresa was diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP) at the age of 13. RP is a degenerative eye condition that causes gradual blindness. Theresa continued to play sports vigorously, however she finally had to quit when she was hit in the nose with a lacrosse ball in high school.

Theresa finished high school, took some college courses, and then entered the workforce. She worked at Martin Marietta in security, payroll, benefits, and scheduling. After 3 years, she moved to Maryland General Hospital and became a benefits/insurance coordinator. Her vision loss had become more pronounced; it was difficult to see the numbers on spreadsheets. Her employer was very accommodating and provided her with magnifiers & improved lighting. When she could no longer do her job because of her eyes, they moved her to another position until the business closed its doors.

In 1996, Theresa met Dan, a sleep disorder technician/father of one. Theresa started to work with Dan as a sleep study patient coordinator, and then they got married. Theresa continued to lose more vision, and after much contemplation, they moved to Florida to be close to Dan’s parents. When Theresa started to look for work in Florida, she thought she could no longer do computer work because she could not see print. Theresa looked for other types of employment and got a job at Walmart, where she worked in various departments. Unfortunately her day shift changed to night, and because Theresa had no night vision/could not travel in the dark, she decided to leave. Theresa, always industrious, and with a need to feel useful, started volunteering. She devoted herself to the Nature Coast SPCA, and also to the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office.

Then Theresa learned about the Lighthouse. Theresa’s vision rehabilitation program at the Lighthouse helped her develop independent living (IL) skills, and taught her to travel safely using a white cane. Theresa appreciated learning how to live life with more independence, however she didn’t want to use the white cane. She disliked drawing attention to herself and wanted to avoid provoking feelings of pity. Theresa admits now, three years later, that she is more comfortable using her cane and appreciates that it prevents people from running into her. After Theresa’s training, she returned home to care for her family.

In 2010, Theresa was contacted by the Lighthouse about employment. Theresa was reluctant to begin working for many reasons. This is not an unusual reaction for persons who are visually impaired. Obstacles to employment include stigma about vision loss, negative stereotypes, inaccessible workplaces, a lack of awareness about accommodations available to employers & employees, and the risk of losing hard won and much needed government benefits. Theresa was counseled by Kyle Kiper, Lighthouse’s Vocational Programs Manager, and with a new understanding about vocational programs and workplace accommodations, she joined the Lighthouse family.

Theresa is our WebStore worker extraordinaire. As the only employee of the WebStore, Theresa does it all. She receives donated books, music and movies, sets a fair price based on research, enters each item into the database/Amazon WebStore and then she stocks the shelves. Once an order is placed, Theresa does all the shipping and provides exemplary customer service. Business at the WebStore started off slow but it is increasing. Music CDs are a huge success. Items are being shipped locally and also around the world. Theresa loves her job and appreciates being able to once again work on the computer. She also loves working with people and interacts with Lighthouse clients, answers phones and helps her coworkers. Theresa enjoys fundraising too. Her efforts have led to Target donating shelves for the WebStore, and several pizzerias donating pizza for the job fair that was held in the Hernando office recently.

Theresa gave up her license in 2000 when she became fearful of driving. According to Theresa “I thought not driving was going to break me”. But her family reassured her that this would be nothing, that her life would go on as it should. Theresa started using the bus, car pooling, and her husband gladly drives her where she wants/needs to go. She says “Dan lets me be independent, but he’s there in case I need a soft spot to land.”

As Theresa looks forward to the future, she aspires to keep working, and to get more merchandise donated and uploaded in the Lighthouse WebStore. Theresa has always enjoyed working but after not working for almost 10 years, she says “I feel so useful. The WebStore increases my self esteem and it’s very rewarding to do something for others that helps me at the same time.”