Theresa is an incredible person. Her light-hearted and very genuine personality strikes you as soon as you meet her and leaves a lasting impression. Theresa is much more than an interesting person with a fascinating story; underneath her warm personality, is a resilience that shines through in her every word. This resilience points to her strength and determination. Not only has she overcome struggles, but she has arrived at a peaceful calm: a calm that defines her and helps her accomplish her dreams.
During childhood, Theresa was diagnosed with a neurological disorder called dystonia. Dystonia affects muscles and muscle groups throughout the body. Each individual is affected differently. For Theresa, this resulted in trouble moving, muscle weakness, fatigue, and occasional spasms. Neurological conditions stemming from the brain and dystonia have impacted Theresa this way, too. She is dyslexic and it affects her speech, but it has never affected her ability to understand.
Growing up had its challenges, but Theresa had great supports to help her unlock her potential. "My Mom, Joanne, is my number one cheerleader. She was my advocate as a child and taught me how to advocate for myself as an adult." In addition, Theresa had her Dad, Al, who refused to let a diagnosis limit what his daughter could do. "The doctors said most people with dystonia don't learn how to ride a bike, don't learn how to drive…My Dad taught me how to do both." Theresa says this with an almost gleefully palpable satisfaction; deservedly so. Her parents instilled confidence and demonstrated to her the strengths of persistence and determination. "My Mom always said, you are going to be successful. It wasn't a question!"
Theresa attended Cheektowaga High School where she was a highly successful student, but even this wouldn't have been possible without her determination. "Unfortunately, people [with challenges] can get pushed aside!" This is true, especially when it comes to education. "People take one look at you and ask: What do we do with this child?" It isn't in a helpful tone, but one of confusion. Most able-bodied people struggle to fathom it. Luckily, Theresa's teachers saw her potential, and supplied her with the services she required. She received speech therapy and assistance with reading and writing. This allowed Theresa's great intelligence, and passion for learning to flourish.
Theresa was more than qualified for ACCES-VR and enrolled as a senior in high school. One of the ACCES-VR counselors gave a presentation overviewing the program at her school. This was helpful, as Theresa was already looking for ongoing services, since she knew she wanted to go to college. ACCES-VR helped her financially during her studies at Daemen College where she earned her Bachelor of Social Work. They paid for her classes and books. Most importantly, they gave her the technology to help manage her dyslexia. They provided her with Dragon Naturally Speaking—a software that let her dictate to her computer to help her write. They provided a scanner to put her books into the computer, and three different types of software to read to Theresa. "It's crazy I need one to read books, one to read pdfs, and a separate one to read email." This helped enable Theresa's success. After completing her undergraduate degree, Theresa continued on to the University at Buffalo to earn her Master of Social Work.
After earning her degree, Theresa started working as a Mental Health Therapist at Best Self in Hamburg, New York. This was a job that she loved and was well equipped to perform. Besides her training as a social worker, her life experience made her a superior therapist and an exemplary employee. The job at "Best Self" made Theresa realize how much she enjoys helping others. It was also a great opportunity for her to discover how much she likes working with kids! "Broken…you could just see it. I could help heal them and get them through life, the same way I had. That gave me immense satisfaction." Disappointingly, for Theresa, Best Self went through some changes and she was laid off in August of 2019. This was the first time that she had been unemployed in her life. "It was hard starting from the beginning again," she says.
Theresa got in touch with her extremely helpful ACCES-VR counselor Melissa Jackson, who in turn, put her in touch with Andrea Todaro and Innovative Placements. "Andrea was so hands on! We met for coffee and just discussed what I was looking for." After that initial briefing, Andrea helped tweak Theresa's resume and cover letter. Then Andrea supplied her with a glowing letter of recommendation and served as one of her references; the positive feedback from this made Theresa feel good. Andrea and Theresa remained in weekly contact, and Andrea made many follow up calls to employers on Theresa's behalf. Right away, calls started coming in for Theresa and she was granted interviews.
"You can tell," says Theresa, "you can tell when they are judging you based on your disability." It is a disheartening reality, but sometimes people with disabilities are singled out, and never given a chance. "I would get frustrated and very upset! And I just wanted to tell them 'haven't I proven myself enough?' I knew that I was more than qualified, and I had the experience. There shouldn't have been a problem." What those people don't realize is that being rejected fuels doubt, and that doubt hurts.
Theresa did extensive interview practice with Andrea's coworker, Andrea Samra, to make her feel more comfortable with the interview process. Eventually, Theresa's tenacity, and Andrea's mentorship, paid off when Theresa was hired as a home healthcare coordinator in January 2020. Theresa was eager and enthusiastic to get started working in that type of position. Unfortunately, that sentiment wasn't matched by her employer. "It just wasn't a fit. I tried moving to another department and they were not accommodating at all." Theresa is extremely confident, and quite unflappable, but that experience unnerved her.
Throughout her life Theresa has surrounded herself with supportive people. After turning in her two weeks, Theresa returned to Innovative Placements. Andrea picked up right where they left off—no questions asked. You wouldn't expect any less of either of them. Fast forward a few months, and Theresa is happy at her new position as the Mental Health and Disabilities Coordinator for the Head Start program across Niagara County. "I love my new job!" Theresa says with a big grin. She's in charge of making sure that the children in the program, who qualify for services, are given those services. Theresa's main responsibility is putting the families of students in touch with their school districts and initiating the creation of an IEP. The first step is observation and intervention. This is when she holds a Child Profile meeting to connect with the parents of the child and identifies what interventions may be required. "This can be very scary for parents and where I can be a big help. I can share that once I was that child, and now look…See the amazing and successful person your kid can be. It's understanding. I can share my story and transform a family."
As of January 2021, Theresa has been in her new position for several months, and she is already making an impact. Head Start underwent a management change, and the old management took all of the infrastructure with them. Theresa had to rebuild the department from the ground up; all on her own. Of course, she did it with aplomb.
Theresa took a pay cut when she took her new job, but her newfound satisfaction has made up for it. She has a wonderful boss that makes sure Theresa has everything that she needs. "She is there to support me, and it is so amazing! It feels like a family, working there." One perk for Theresa is that Head Start follows a school schedule, so she has time off during the holidays built in. Someday she hopes to gain employment working for a school district. Working for Head Start sets her up, quite nicely, for that repositioning. In the meantime, Theresa plans to stay where she is and continue helping people in a positive way. "It's hard to find a great work environment, and when you do; you don't want to leave," she says contentedly.
Theresa is very proud of her accomplishments. In addition, she acknowledges the support, which helped her along the way, especially ACCES-VR and Innovative Placements. "It's the best program you can be in; from education to employment, it has been a constant support." Theresa doesn't like the word disability but prefers to use the term 'challenges' to describe her life. To anyone with challenges she says, "You can't let them win. You can't give up!" She continues, going one step further, with an invocation. "You have to get comfortable sharing [your struggles], instead of hiding them," she says with the weight of experienced vulnerability. "Some people are just afraid, and it's our job to educate them." Here, Theresa is speaking with an accumulated wisdom of understanding. One, that a life of doing—of living—has allowed her to see and embrace. There is only one word for that: inspiring!
— Martin Kilroy, Writer for Innovative Placements