TOSHA’S STORY
“where do i belong?”
Tosha was born in Cleveland and adopted at four by parents who moved her to Florida. She was born with a detached retina that left her visually impaired with some sight. She grew up in a large family with five siblings on the outskirts of Jacksonville, Florida. She went to public school from Kindergarten through 2nd grade and then 5th through 7th grade. She was severely bullied for her visual impairment so in the 4th grade her parents took her out and tried putting her in the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind hoping that would resolve the issue. It just exposed her to a whole new set of problems. She was severely bullied there for her race. Tosha is half African American and half Caucasian. While her visual impairment was a huge disability, the bigger struggle for Tosha was that she felt she didn’t fit in anywhere. Everywhere she went she felt rejected by her peers. “Where do I belong?” was the question that would run through her mind throughout her life.
As a teenager trying to figure out where she fit in, knowing her race is separating her from the other students but not understanding why, created a lot of confusion for Tosha. Her adopted parents are white. She felt like an outsider torn between two different cultures. She dove deeper into depression. The one constant was the structure school created for her. She loved to learn and enjoyed the coursework. She learned to read Braille in public school. Her drive for independence came from the teachers at public schools encouraging her to do things on her own. She made friends at the Deaf and Blind School. Some of them she has to this day. Tosha’s determination that was built inside of her as a young child carried her to graduation, gaining her diploma with a grade point average she could be proud of. She accomplished the goals set before throughout school. Then fate stepped in and the last of her sight left completely at age 17. Tosha was completely blind physically but also blinded in every other way. She didn’t know what to do. She felt lost, paralyzed with fear and stuck without any hope.
She got involved in a relationship with a guy who moved her to California. He was an abusive alcoholic that tried to isolate her from everyone and everything she knew. This began the series of abusive relationships. Her constant desire to fit in and belong drove her to seek love in the wrong places. She fell into one bad relationship after another. She moved back to Florida and found herself homeless and in the hospital struggling with mental issues. That was her rock bottom. She had endured verbal and physical violence. Her heart was broken. Her mind was broken and she was tired of living this way. She knew she had to do something different. That is when she remembered what she learned back at the School for the Blind and Deaf about World Services for the Blind. She asked the social worker to reach out.
We were able to bring her to WSB in the pre-vocational training program on scholarship. She did so well in our pre-vocational life skills program that she has now moved on into career training. She is currently enrolled in our customer service program. She says that WSB has built confidence in her that she has never had. She is a happier person. She feels like she has a fresh start, a new beginning. Coming to WSB gives her hope of a new life but also has broken the cycles of the old one. She is ready to embark on her future with hope and excitement. She believes life is summed up by the relationships it is built on and you treat others as you want to be treated. Tosha has found that safe place where she can share mutual respect with others and finally have healthy relationships. At World Services for the Blind not only is she finding a career path but also finding a place to belong.