January 3, 2023 - Maya Larson was born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She was mainstreamed in Minneapolis Public Schools, and she recently graduated from Grinnell College in Iowa with a bachelor’s degree in English and French.
Maya was born at a hospital that offered newborn hearing screens, which was rare in 2000. After her newborn hearing screen, Maya’s parents learned that their daughter had a severe hearing loss. Like many other hearing parents, they were overwhelmed, confused, and unsure about the best path forward. They decided to get Maya hearing aids and began to raise her with American Sign Language (ASL) and spoken English.
Maya received hearing aids by the age of 4 months, and she began to pick up spoken English as she got older, causing the ASL to unfortunately fall away. Maya had a fantastic team of Deaf/Hard of Hearing teachers from her school district from age two to eighteen who helped her become a strong self-advocate and taught her about her hearing loss.
When Maya was fifteen, she learned that she has a retinal disease called Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP). RP causes progressive vision loss, first in peripheral vision, then central vision. Her combination of RP and hearing loss is caused by a genetic disease called Usher Syndrome. “At this point, I have about 20-30 degrees of vision depending on the lighting. I use a white cane or my guide dog to navigate the world. While my identity has shifted over the years as I’ve lost more vision, I now identify as deafblind.”
Maya is incredibly grateful to have recently started as the Administrative and Communications specialist at the Minnesota Commission of the Deaf, Deafblind, and Hard of Hearing! Her responsibilities include working on general admin tasks, social media, communications materials, and whatever else the team needs support on.
“I’m still relatively new to the Commission, but so far my team and our mission that we’re working towards are my favorite parts. Working with caring, smart, and strong Deaf women is such an honor, and I feel lucky to be learning from them every day. The mission of advocating for communication access and equal opportunity for Deaf, Deafblind, and hard of hearing Minnesotans keeps me passionate and inspired, even in the more mundane tasks.”
One of Maya’s biggest challenges is transportation. Due to her vision loss, she can’t drive. Her commute to work on public transportation is over an hour; it’s particularly difficult for her guide dog on cold days while they’re waiting for the bus or light rail. The Commission has supported Maya by allowing her to work remotely a few days a week and helping her with transportation to events.
“I think my advice would be to be honest and have clear conversations with your supervisor about your needs. Creating a space of open dialogue where there is recognition that needs may change based on the situation has been very positive for me. Consider reaching out to other supporters to help with those conversations—such as brainstorming needs before meeting with your supervisor. For example, my State Services for the Blind Counselor helped me think about what type of accommodations I needed for work and how to communicate my needs.”
Outside of work, Maya’s hobbies include reading science fiction and fantasy books, going on walks with her guide dog, lifting weights, and drinking lattes at coffee shops!
“One of the most beneficial parts of my self-advocacy and self-acceptance journey has been connecting with other hard of hearing, legally blind, or deafblind people. Finding friends and mentors who understand your lived experience is so beyond special. While our hearing friends and family can be wonderful support, there’s something unique about connecting with someone who just gets it.”
The #CanDoAnything campaign showcases people who are deaf, deafblind, or hard of hearing at work, giving them an opportunity to share what they do at their jobs and explain how communication access works for them. This campaign shows what our community can do, which is anything!
