Stephanie
Watt is a freshman student enrolled in the Dakota College Bottineau Passport
Program offered at Minot State University. Stephanie is working towards a
degree in Veterinary Medicine. Stephanie was born in Idaho, but
her father’s occupation in the military allowed the family to live around the
world, in places like Japan and England. Stephanie spent her early grade school
years at Lakenheath AFB in England, where she first started to notice her
disability. In the 2nd grade, she would be taken out of the
classroom to play learning games and take tests. She also noticed it would take
her hours to finish her math homework. Stephanie would occasionally wander away
from her classmates, which caused the entire Air Force base to be shut down
while people searched for her. Around this time, she received the diagnosis of
Attention Deficit Disorder.
Stephanie and her family moved to
Minot when she was in the 4th grade. Throughout her school years at
Bel Air Elementary school, Ramstad Middle School, and Minot High School, Stephanie
attended her Individualized Education Plan (IEP) meetings, which granted her
access to the resource room. This allowed Stephanie to have readers for tests
and extra time to finish homework. While attending Minot High, Stephanie had
the opportunity to take part in Independence, Inc.’s BEYOND Program. This youth
transition program promotes self-advocacy, self-determination, and disability
pride. Stephanie enjoyed the program and remembers learning about IEPs,
careers, community resources, and support systems.
Stephanie’s participation in the
BEYOND Program presented her with an opportunity to attend the Association of
Programs for Rural Independent Living (APRIL) Youth Conference in Albuquerque,
New Mexico in October 2014. She was able
to meet peers with similar disabilities and stories. At the APRIL awards
banquet, Stephanie remembers, “I did something that I really don’t do, I stood
in front of 400 people and handed out IPADS.” She read out names and joked with
the audience. Stephanie says, “I didn’t have time to be nervous.”
Stephanie graduated from Minot High
School in May 2014. Apart from attending college, Stephanie has been employed
at a retail store and is currently working at a coffee shop. She says she likes
working because “it’s how you get anywhere.” In the future, Stephanie hopes to
work with exotic animals in a zoo. She confesses, “I love snakes.” This summer,
Stephanie plans to move to Utah with her family, where she will continue going
to college. However, after living in Minot for nine years, Stephanie promises
she will be back.
Ultimately, being a person with a
disability has opened many doors for Stephanie. She has met new people through
participating in the BEYOND program and attending the APRIL conference. Her
experiences at the APRIL conference left Stephanie feeling inspired to help
people. She feels comfortable telling other people about her disability, and
advises, “don’t apologize for your disability.”