suzanne Weiler

My professional journey has been shaped by an unusual upbringing - I was raised in the county jail where my father served as sheriff for 30 years. He taught me to look at people's circumstances and not judge them, lessons that profoundly influenced my career in vocational rehabilitation. I started in the field around 1974-1996, working with students who were deaf and blind as they were mainstreamed into public schools. When Michigan's economy crashed in 1979, I decided to see the world and ended up in Austin, Texas, where I coordinated vocational services at Vaughan House for deaf, multi-handicapped adults. I was often the first woman in these positions, and I had to learn everything from auto mechanics to welding to understand the fields I was helping people enter. One of my proudest achievements was working at the University of Texas LBJ School of Public Affairs with Dr. John Grinowski, where I coordinated research on employment skills in impoverished districts of Austin. I was on the same floor as the writer of the Social Security Act and Barbara Jordan, and I learned that turning people's stories into statistics could get real attention and create change. After various roles including workers' comp counseling, I experienced health problems and personal losses that made me realize I needed to slow down. I came home to Northern Michigan and transitioned to retail, starting in wineries and then spending 18 years at a hat store where I helped customers find the perfect fit, including special coverings for people going through chemo. When that building was sold, I took my first summer off in 25 years, and last June I started at the Humane Society thrift shop, which has been a blessing. I've made a vow to use the skills I learned in vocational rehabilitation, like sign language, as they present themselves in everyday life rather than as a full profession. Now at 76, I'm still working and contributing, figuring out new ways to adapt as I face my own challenges with arthritis and height loss, just like I used to help my clients do.