March 4, 2021 - Molly Peterson was born in South Korea. At nine months old, she was adopted by an American family and brought to Minnesota. Both parents are white-passing and hearing. Molly is the only DeafBlind member of her family; her siblings are all hearing as well. The family is not fluent in sign language but instead uses a system of home signs to communicate with Molly. “The communication part was hard for me.” Molly shares. She started out mainstreaming in school, but the communication between her and her parents became a challenge, especially with her parents’ divorce happening simultaneously. She transferred to the Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf (MSAD). At MSAD, Molly thrived with access to communication. “Before attending MSAD full time, I went to their summer program first to see if I liked it before making that commitment. Which I did, and my parents put me there the following fall.” There, Molly thrived with socializing with other Deaf students and being able to communicate with them.
A few years Molly’s mother decided to move the family to Florida, and Molly transferred to the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind (FSDB), where she remained for a brief period of time. Molly did not enjoy school there and missed home (which was Minnesota). Upon sharing this with her mother, it was decided that Molly would return to MSAD, which she did, and eventually, Molly graduated from MSAD in 1999. Molly then attended Rochester Institute of Technology/National Technical Institute for the Deaf, where she majored in Business Technology, and Metro State University. She focused on business administration, getting a bachelor of science degree. Those studies led to working in business offices as administrative personnel.
In terms of Molly’s identity as a DeafBlind person, it was not the case at first. She grew up Deaf until the school staff diagnosed her with Usher Syndrome (a syndromic cause of combined deafness and blindness) at age ten. “I had no idea - growing up, I knew what Usher Syndrome was, but I didn’t know it also applied to me.” Later, Molly would ask her mother about the diagnosis and, with a friend interpreting the conversation, found out that her parents had known that Molly had it from the start. “You were born that way,” they told her. Molly had thought that the family didn’t know until the diagnosis at age 10, but that was not the case. Molly shares that between being adopted, having limited access to communication, delayed education, and lack of understanding of the situation was what led her to believe that until the conversation happened. “There were challenges in communication which led to misunderstandings on both of our parts.”
Despite that limitation, Molly shares that her mother was adamant that DeafBlindness will not stand in the way of her daughter’s success in life. “Her vision was that DeafBlind people can do it on their own.” That meant being independent, going off to college, get a job, and acquiring skills to use in the person’s lifetime. “That’s what my mom wanted, for me to be on my own, that I could do anything I put my mind to, and be successful in life.” Molly stressed that it was without parental assistance - that it was important for the person to learn responsibility that comes with life, such as paying for college, for example, as a form of empowerment. “My mom wanted to be proud of me, of her daughter.” Molly believes that she has been successful in life thus far.
Molly currently works for the United States Army Corps of Engineers in the St. Paul district. She has been working there since 2012. “Many engineers there have no time to focus on the administrative part of their jobs. That’s where I come in.” Her responsibilities include transferring informational data, timekeeping, and sending out reminders, monetary reimbursements, among other office-related duties. Her duties support the hydraulics and hydrology team. Approximately 45 folks are working in the department to which Molly serves as an administrative assistant.
The most appealing part of Molly’s work is being around people. “All the workplace banter and fun moments - I relish on those moments!” She adds that it’s important to be positive and encourage one another, which leads to higher morale among the employees. With the current coronavirus pandemic, the social part has reduced due to the safety restrictions in place. “I’d much rather be out working and being among people as I thrive from being among like-minded folks.” Isolation has made it a very different experience for Molly, but she hopes that it won’t last - that folks will soon be able to return to work and see each other in person.
One of the challenges Molly faces in the workplace is that English is not her primary language, leading to asking questions about reading comprehension to make sure she and her coworkers are on the same page. She would ask them, or her boss, for clarification rather than assuming that she understood what she read. “That leads to less misunderstanding on both parts, and it’s better to ask for clarification - many times, folks are very flexible and willing to work with me through it.” She also adds that her workplace has been very accommodating to access needs connected to being DeafBlind, naming tools that Molly uses at work, including ZoomText, a larger computer monitor screen, and making sure her access needs are being met. They also ensure Molly can participate in meetings by providing ASL interpreters, which stemmed from a prior meeting where Molly stood up, informing the department that interpreters were needed frequently and not for the occasional meeting to ensure equal participation.
Molly adds that there are six Deaf employees in the district, and those interpreters put them on an equal footing with their (over 500) hearing coworkers, with the communication barrier eliminated. “Sometimes you need to stand up for what you need to get what you need to succeed at work, including your communication access needs.” She encourages Deaf folks to educate their hearing coworkers and bosses about communication options and preferences, Deaf culture history and norms, and share opportunities to learn sign language. Molly has presented these topics to her coworkers, which has led to better communication and increased productivity through teamwork. “Even if just covering the basics, it does go a long way.”
Outside work, Molly enjoys working out to stay fit, such as going for walks or running, socializing with friends, and going out to have good times with them, “to balance live out with work and fun is essential to one’s well-being.” She would like to spend more time with her family, but it’s hard as they don’t live nearby.
Molly offers the following advice: “This is for everyone - whether you are Deaf, DeafBlind - you come first. You can empower yourselves to be successful in your lives. Be sure to share positive encouragement and do not pull each other down. We as Deaf or DeafBlind, we can do anything we put ourselves to, to stand up for ourselves in life.”
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!
