Hannah, who was born blind without eyes due to bilateral anophthalmia, asks Dad if she can do the self-checkout at Safeway, our grocery store. Other than the inaccessible parts, such as the screen lookup for green onions (scallions) and the credit card machine, which is also non-accessible, she handles 99% of the self-checkout process without assistance. And of course, she is very proud of herself and can’t wait to tell Mom how she has applied the life skills taught to her by her job coach. We were shopping for items needed to make bulgogi, a native Korean barbecue made with flank steak.
Hannah, who is now 24, was adopted at age 2 from Korea, and is employed at a local coffee and chocolate shop, where young adults with disabilities are coached in job skills and in independent living skills.