Lucia says:
Working at a non-profit full-time, I get asked quite a bit to make presentations about the organization and disability related topics. My first instinct is to say no. Why? I despise public speaking! I know it’s probably a shock to some because I do it all the time! Not by choice per say, but my job duties require me to teach workshops and train others.
I believe there is an art to speaking and keeping a groups attention. I’m always thrilled when I get in that moment. You can see the faces on the heads that were once nodding off; fingers have stopped texting, whispered conversations have stopped without giving the evil eye, and your lips are the only that are moving.
I can talk to a group of teens about how to fill out a job application, business professionals about the dos and don’ts of disability etiquette, but when I talk about having a disability and how it affected my life, that is truly when I have captured the audience’s attention.
Recently, I was asked to speak at the Latin American’s United for Progress (LAUP) youth conference. I could have taken any number of presentations I had done for classrooms and presented, but I wanted something fresh and to keep a group of teenagers attention. I thought to do this I would need to ask for help and I knew exactly who that person would be – Roel.
Roel says:
Lucia invited me to join her to conduct a presentation to discuss the choices we make that lead to our success. The talk was aimed at teenagers from schools all over West Michigan. Our theme was Success is a Choice.
We decided to keep it simple. No power point presentation or fancy gadgets. We wanted the students’ full attention on us. That may sound self-centered, but Lucia and I wanted students to know that success IS a choice and truly up to each individual.
In a nutshell, Lucia and I told students our respective stories. We are two people with disabilities. One of us was born with the disability and the other acquired it at age fifteen. Obstacles blocked our respective paths in our journey toward adulthood. Some obstacles included peers, teachers, actual physical objects, school, employers and life in general. For the most part, we held their attention. I even started the second session with an introduction full of gibberish. It sounded like I was speaking in a foreign language. I did get confused looks. But that’s OK. I got their attention.
Lucia says:
Presenting with someone else can be interesting, and Roel sure kept it lively. We were able to share our stories in our own way. I knew Roel’s story, but seeing him interact and hearing him talk about it to those teens was awesome! Being comfortable with ourselves and vulnerable about our situations and backgrounds helped us really connect with our audience. We had their attention for sure.
The last part of the presentation we ended with giving them 3 steps they could actively work on now toward their own success. These steps were ones that Roel and I had personally done, and continue to do. I talked about the first two, which were setting real goals that you can accomplish and taking accountability for yourself and your actions. Roel talked about the third one which was getting out of your comfort zone.
Roel says:
Getting out of a comfort zone is difficult because we feel safe with who and what we know. Once we’re away from this environment we might begin to feel uneasy, nervous or full of anxiety. Our message to these kids was to aim outside the box. Reach for the stars to make dreams happen. That may mean leaving home and familiar surroundings to head to college. Most times the college or university isn’t located in the same town or city in which students live. Also, part of this message of getting out of the comfort zone pertains to expanding the ring of friends. This causes growth in individuals because people get to experience people of different races, cultures and ethnicities.
Lucia says:
After the presentations ended - we gave two - Roel and I were excited about what had taken place. It was fun being able to share our stories together, and offer the young generation some advice that we learned through our experiences. We treated ourselves to Wendy’s in celebration and joked that we needed to take our act on the road.
Not long after I dropped Roel off so he could teach a class, English this time, and I drove to West Ottawa High School to present about skills to a group of teens. I hoped some of the magic from the morning presentations would rub off for the afternoon. If not, I brought in reinforcement – candy!
Roel says:
We wanted to plant seeds in the minds of students attending the presentations. I know that one presentation won’t cause a great shift in thinking in a person, but if these students can start believing that they can be successful if they step out of that comfort zone then that’s all that matters.
I could have used a youth conference like the one LAUP holds every year. I preached getting out of a comfort zone but when I was a teenager that was the furthest thing from my mind. I was safe living in the ranch in South Texas where I grew up and lived until I was around thirty years old. At the time I was held back by many things, including my vision disability. I saw my disability as a crutch and a big obstacle. It wasn’t until I met my wife Dawn in the early 2000s that things changed and I slowly crawled out of that comfort zone. Eventually I left that comfort zone behind in Texas and moved up to Michigan, where the only family I had was Dawn’s. I had no friends here and no reference for anything and tolerance for snow (well, after this winter, maybe that intolerance is back!).
Part of growing up is stepping out of that comfort zone. Some people do it earlier in life, even as a teenager, while others wait awhile. I wish someone had talked to me about taking that leap and immersing myself in everything new. Well, better late than never.
- Lucia & Roel -
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