DeAnna Quietwater Noriega, Author at ConnectCenter

My Mother, the Wind Beneath My Wings

Posted on May 10, 2023 - 6:18 am by DeAnna Quietwater Noriega

Collage with Cover of Deanna's book with her and her Guide Dog and Picture of Deanna on left and her Mother on right

Editor’s note: It is fitting that for Mother’s Day, we revisit a post that Peer Advisor DeAnna Quietwater Noriega wrote in May, 2013, as a tribute to her mother. This post marked the inaugural post for the Peer Perspectives on Vision Loss Blog—now called “Visually Impaired, Now What?” Diagnosed with Congenital Glaucoma My mother was […]

Tools You Can Use to Find Employment

Posted on October 19, 2022 - 1:17 pm by DeAnna Quietwater Noriega

The poster is rectangular in shape with a black colored chalkboard background overlaid with mathematical equations. In the center of the poster, on a diagonal, is a black rectangle bordered by small teal, yellow and red rectangles. It features the 2022 NDEAM theme, “Disability: Part of the Equity Equation,” along with an equation composed of several graphics: a circular photo of a woman in a wheelchair working at a computer with colleagues, followed by a plus sign, followed by a square image of a woman who uses crutches viewing a document with a colleague, followed by an equal sign, followed by a light bulb icon. Across the top of the rectangle in small, white letters are the words National Disability Employment Awareness Month. Along the bottom in small white letters is the hashtag “NDEAM” followed by ODEP’s website address, dol.gov/ODEP. In the lower right corner in white lettering is the DOL seal followed by the words “Office of Disability Employment Policy United States Department of Labor.”

Editor’s note: In honor of National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), DeAnna Quietwater Noriega shares tools she has used to find employment as a person who is blind. Any person who is blind or low vision and who has sought gainful employment knows how difficult this can be. Let’s think about the tools you can […]

Getting a Dog Guide at Over the Age of 70

Posted on August 23, 2022 - 12:50 pm by DeAnna Quietwater Noriega

I was 19 when I boarded a flight for the first time to fly to The Seeing Eye Inc. a dog guide school, located in Morristown, New Jersey. I had always loved dogs. Back then, I was a petite, shy girl who looked about 12 years old. This past July, I made that trip for […]