PEOPLE

Students: Stories of Triumph

Meet Erika Garcia


My name is Erika Garcia. It was discovered that I had retinal blastoma when I was 4 months old, but I had sight for 5 years before losing all my vision. Then when I was thirteen, I started losing my hearing. When I was in high school I learned about The Hatlen Center for the Blind from my mobility teacher. It sounded like an opportunity to get away from home and start a new life, so I applied three months before I left high school. I was a rebellious teen, and applying to The Hatlen Center was an act of rebellion on my part. However, when I moved into the Center on September 4, 2010, I became terrified that I would not be able to live up to the expectations of the program and be able to complete a program this serious.

I was really shy, and so was my roommate. In fact, we didn’t speak for the first two months. Which is hilarious, actually, because now we are inseparable. But that wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t overcome my social anxiety. I ended up making a lot of new friends at The Hatlen Center. I also learned how to be more confident when I talk to people on the phone and in person.

At home all I knew how to do was wash dishes and make my bed. Now I know how to grocery shop, cook for myself, and clean my apartment. I learned how to budget my money and pay my own bills. I went to the doctor alone.

Mobility is where I learned a whole lot of stuff. I learned how to let go of my social anxiety and my pride, speak up, and ask for help when I needed it, which is really important for a blind and partially deaf person who can’t always hear cars. At most street crossings, I need to hold up a sign that says, “Please help me cross the street. Tap me if you can help. I am blind and partially deaf.” Finally learning to accept that I needed to hold up this sign has opened up a lot of opportunities for me to be able to travel independently. I’ve had drop-off lessons before, but it was always part of a lesson. But the true test was yesterday, when a friend and I traveled independently, just for fun, to AT&T Park in San Francisco using bus, BART (subway), and MUNI (San Francisco’s municipal railway). We had to cross four streets, and we depended on my sign four times. We got to the Giants Dugout Store, and I bought a baseball hat. I feel so confident, and I have such a great sense of accomplishment.

I’m going back to San Diego, where I’m from, get an apartment, and get a guide dog. No doubt about it, The Hatlen Center was a life-changing experience for me.