Debbie Sommer
The Sound of Success
by Cindy Van Winkle
Debbie Sommer is a shining example of the strong DeafBlind community presence at The Lighthouse for the Blind, Inc. Like many deaf and DeafBlind people, Debbie’s parents did not realize at first they had a daughter who could not hear. When her parents finally realized at the age of one that Debbie was deaf, they moved from Nebraska to Colorado, where Debbie attended public school and was encouraged to speak and lip-read. At age 13, she started learning sign language.
It was during her high school years that Debbie began losing her vision. At that time though, she really didn’t know what was happening, and those around her didn’t know how to communicate the diagnosis with her. The fact is, Debbie was going blind.
Of the six siblings in her family, Debbie and one sister were born with Usher Syndrome, an inherited condition affecting hearing and vision. In Debbie’s case, she has Usher Syndrome type 1, causing her to be born deaf and lose vision in her teens due to Retinitis Pigmentosa.
As a young adult, Debbie attended the Helen Keller National Center for a year-and-a-half. There she learned how to function as DeafBlind, learning tactile sign language.
In 1982, Debbie came to Seattle for a DeafBlind conference sponsored by the American Association of the DeafBlind (AADB). There she was introduced to the Lighthouse in Seattle. She moved to the Puget Sound area in 1985 and has worked for The Lighthouse for the Blind, Inc. ever since.
Throughout her 32 years of employment with the Lighthouse, Debbie has worked on numerous jobs, from easels to canteens. She is proud of her ability to learn new skills and to use a variety of machines. Making a difference every day by her contributions on the manufacturing floor, Debbie is one of 30-plus Production Workers here at the Lighthouse who are DeafBlind.
In her spare time, Debbie enjoys going out to dinner with friends, watching sports, and traveling. In fact, she lights up when she speaks of her three-week trip to Europe for her 60thbirthday and hopes to go back again sometime soon. Although she does not yet speak of retirement, maybe a trip to Europe will be the perfect gift to herself?
Although some of Debbie’s success can be attributed to the many programs and services offered to our employees here at the Lighthouse such as community classes and interpreters for those who are DeafBlind, as well as technology, braille, and safe travel instruction, Debbie’s success is only enhanced by these. It is her fortitude, strength of character, and positive attitude that accompany Debbie each day.