Alison Roets started working for Envision full-time in 2021, but her relationship with the organization started long before that when she began seeing an eye doctor at Envision as a young child. She was born with rod cone dystrophy, which affects her retina, and she also has nystagmus, which is rapid eye movement. She is sensitive to light but has terrible night vision, so cloudy days where it might rain are the best days for her.
Quickly after getting introduced to Envision, she began attending events hosted by Envision and Delta Gamma Fraternity, a long-time partner of Envision. She attended Halloween parties, Anchor Splash, pancake feeds and hockey games. She also attended a Christmas party where they made Christmas cards and her card won the contest!
When she was seven, she started attending Heather’s Camp. And then in middle school, we became active with the Level Up program, formerly known as AT Camp.
As she has gotten a little older, her vision has declined. She has always had to wear glasses and needed either magnification or a screen reader. Her doctors aren’t sure if she will ever lose all her vision or not and they haven’t been able to figure out where her vision loss came from.
“The main reason I participated in Envision programs growing up was to make friends who understood my situation and what I was going through,” said Roets. “By attending the Level Up program, I was able to gain the technology and professional skills it takes to go to college and get a full-time job after school. Without the soft skills I learned, I would never have been able to advocate for myself in college the way I did, and probably wouldn’t have finished my degree. The technology skills I learned allowed me to be proficient in daily tasks in school, work and my personal life.”
Alison started working at Envision as an intern for the Workforce Innovation Center in the fall after her college graduation. When her internship ended, she started full time in the Call Center as a Customer Care Specialist. “It’s comforting to work with people who understand your day-to-day struggles and get advice from them on how to solve problems,” said Roets.
In January 2022, she started with working at Meritrust Credit Union as a partnership with Envision and was then eventually offered a full-time position in their call center. But Alison will always have a home at Envision. She regularly participates in Envision events such as various fundraising events and the Envision Arts Gallery exhibitions.
“I still look up to my mentors that I gained through the Envision programs today. I also hope that I was able to influence some of the participants that came after me in a positive way. Envision will always be a part of my life,” said Roets.
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