From as early as grade school, Terri Howell knew she wanted to be a preschool teacher. She’s always loved working with children and thanks to her employment specialist, Wendy, Terri is working her dream job at Holy Family Daycare.

“When I was a kid, I always said I wanted to be a preschool teacher,” Terri said. “Even my second-grade teacher remembers me talking about it when I was in her class!” 

Terri has glaucoma and is legally blind. When she first moved to Cleveland she became involved with Cleveland Sight Center to meet new people and create friendships.

Since then she has visited our clinic for exams and glasses, received employment training, and completed a Community Based Assessment (CBA) through Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities (OOD).

In a CBA, Cleveland Sight Center makes an agreement with an employer to allow a client to test his or her skills as a worker. The client then works for 40 hours over a two-week period, during which a job coach guides and assesses the client’s work readiness. During Terri’s CBA process, she worked at Petco and the Salvation Army.

Once her CBA was completed, Terri started working with Wendy to find a job, connecting often over the phone to make sure she was ready at each stage of the job search process.

“She helped me with interview questions and how to make sure I had the right clothes for the interview,” Terri said of working with Wendy.

Terri uses RTA’s paratransit to get to work and back home every day. Once she’s at work, Terri does everything from putting the kids down for a nap, to making copies and cleaning.

With Wendy’s help, Terri is working a job she loves. Terri recommends Cleveland Sight Center for anyone with a visual impairment.

“It's the best place that helps people with disabilities,” said Terri.