A Beautiful Story: A Dream Realized through the Power of Natural Supports and Faith in Oneself

Main Article Content

Anona K. Napoleon
University of Hawaii

Cindi Sherman
Center for Disabilities Studies, University of Hawaii

Keywords

postsecondary education, natural supports, transition to employment

Abstract

At a very young age, Shirley Doneza was diagnosed with developmental delay and a learning disability.  Her parents, Ed and Martha, recall the obstetrician telling them in the vaguest of terms: “Something is wrong with her.”  However, Ed and Martha knew the person that Shirley was becoming and never doubted her potential to work hard and realize whatever dreams she might hold dear.  With their faith and support, Shirley passed through the grade levels in school apace with her peers and ultimately graduated from college with a degree as an Educational Assistant.  Today, she has achieved a high quality of life with a competitive, and exceptionally gratifying, employment and a high quality of life.  Her story is a model of the power of natural supports—defined as the people surrounding a person, not as professionals but as personal associations, i.e., family and friends who believe in the person (Stodden & Leake, 1994) —to impart self-confidence and self-efficacy, and the success that that belief can bring.

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References

Multicultural Disability Advocacy Association. (n.d.). Ethnic communities and disability. Retrieved March 15, 2004, from http://www.mdaa.org.au/ethnic/filipino/general.html.

Stodden, S. A., & Leake, D. W. (1994). Getting to the core of transition: A re-assessment of old wine in new bottles. Career development for exceptional individuals, 17(1), 65-76.

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Published
Dec 24, 2014

Article Details

Issue
Vol. 1 No. 2
Section
Forums

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Author Biographies

Anona K. Napoleon, University of Hawaii

Anona K. Napoleon, Ph.D. is a recent graduate of the College of Education, University of Hawaii.  She was a leadership trainee in the area of Disability Studies.  Her research areas of interest include Hawaiian Studies.

Cindi Sherman, Center for Disabilities Studies, University of Hawaii

Cindi Sherman has been a high school teacher, and is currently a senior writer/editor with the National Center for the Study of Postsecondary Educational Supports at the Center for Disabilities Studies at the University of Hawaii.