Success Story: Kimberly “Kimmy” Blagg
Age: 30 (at time of interview; now 31)
Hometown: Redding, PA (but raised in Albuquerque)
Interviewer: Dr. Aaron Kelly Anderson w/ UNTAPPED
June 13, 2024
This story of successful employment is a prime example of breaking down barriers on the journey towards independence. Miss Blagg, who goes by “Kimmy,” has had to navigate certain aspects of her disability and the process of supported employment in realizing her dream of working with kids. She has proven herself very capable and talented as she has performed wonderfully at a Montessori campus here in Albuquerque. Kimmy’s job coach, La Dawna Pea, also joined us in the conversation.
Aaron: “Tell me your current job, and who is it that you work for?”
Kimmy: “I work at Springstone Montessori. I’m a visiting teacher, so I go into every classroom, give them bathroom breaks, actual lunch breaks, give them stuff, then go out, clean a little bit, go in there if they need it.”
A: “Okay, cool! And how did you learn about – so, just to check, you receive services through DVR, correct?”
K: “Mm-hmm.”
A: “So, how did you first learn about DVR, and how did they guide you to us at LSG?”
K: “Um, so, actually, I heard it through my sister, because my sister did DVR as well. And then, they actually paid me to go to school to get the child care certificate that I needed. And then, I got another daycare job in Child Care Services, and then I got laid off. And then, I got that one job, and that’s how I knew about DVR – it was through my sister, because she went to the same college I went to.”
A: “Okay, cool! And I understand that you are now receiving long-term support through DD Waiver?”
K: “Uh-huh.”
A: “And how did you first hear about LSG?”
KB: “LSG...”
La Dawna [to Kimmy]: “So, when you left ARCA, when you said, ‘Hey, I wanna go look for a job,’ did you and Tina [Kimmy’s guardian] sign paperwork with DVR to choose my agency, or did Tina choose it for you?”
K: “I think Tina gave me a couple, and I think we came up with yours. But I didn’t know you were working there at the time.”
LD: “Right.” [to Aaron] “So, I think her guardian helped her just choose us, out of just maybe not knowing who we were, and got lucky.”
A: “Okay, cool, yeah! And so, how would you say these agencies that you’ve worked with so far – first DVR, then DD Waiver, and now the UNTAPPED team at LSG – how have all these agencies been helpful in helping you to search for a job, secure a job, and so on?”
K: “So, ever since I was a kid, I always knew I wanted to work with kids. And then, when my sister went to [audio cuts out], that’s how I knew: ‘How am I gonna pay for school? How am I gonna pay for everything?’ And so, the school I was in, called Access, they were actually the ones who helped me get into DVR and all that stuff. And then, you guys helped me get my dream job!”
A: “That’s awesome! Yeah, La Dawna does such amazing work for sure; it’s great to hear that she also helped you to find something—”
K: “I have to say: 100% on that! I think my whole team would agree with me.”
A: “Yeah, for sure, and it’s really great that she found something that you were already very excited and passionate about.”
K: “Yeah!”
A: “And so, what would you say your long-term goals are for working in your current position?”
K: “Um, to work more days, more hours. In the longer term, like the near future, it probably would be the Lead Teacher of the baby room we have at work.”
A: “Oh, very cool! What kind of activities do the teachers get to do in the baby room?”
K: “So, we were doing something for Father’s Day: They were doing their little handprints on paper, and it says ‘Happy Father’s Day,’ but the dad is, like, separated, and it’s their handprint. And the teacher writes ‘Happy Father’s Day’ on it and stuff.”
A: “Oh! That’s pretty cool. Yeah, that does sound like it’d be pretty fun!”
K: “Yeah.”
A: “So, next, what is your disability, and how would you say it affects your work? Or doesn’t affect your work?”
K: “Hey, La Dawna, you might have to step in, because I don’t know what my disability is.”
LD: “Um, Kimmy is pretty self-sufficient. She really does great with learning tasks at hand and does learn best if somebody can model that for her. She does great with being able to read visuals and reading words, so I would say Kimmy does best with repetition. Um, it’s not really specifically her disability, but I think that Kimmy just needs a little bit more detail and somebody who’s willing to be patient and kind to teach her the things. Um, but she does pick up on things pretty fast.”
A: “Okay.”
LD: “Does that sound about right, Kimmy? Did I miss anything else?”
K: “Yeah. And then, I’m thinking the disability is the learning part too.”
LD: “Learning disability? Yeah.”
K: “Mm-hmm. ‘Cause that’s what I always tell people, but then I’m like, ‘There’s probably more than that,’ so...”
LD: “But, I mean, Kimmy can tell you how to navigate the entire city on the bus city route all by herself. Like, she’s super-smart. She’s super-brave, and she’s the definition of Miss Independent, in my words. But, um... Kimmy also does need a little bit of guidance to take a little more initiative, um, but when she’s comfortable, she’ll start doing it on her own.”
A: “Okay! Yeah, makes sense, for sure. Thank you for that! And actually, I did have one other quick question I wanted to throw in here, because I had heard something about how you’re also involved in a dance company. Is that correct?”
K: “Yeah!” [to La Dawna] “Does he mean Keshet?”
LD: “Yes, tell him a little bit about Keshet!”
K: “Oh, okay! So, they are an... organization... When did they open? Like, I wanna say 1997; they are around there. And their model is unlimited possibility. They have a disability class where it’s for people like me, people who are in wheelchairs, people who are deaf, people who are blind. Anybody who has a disability can dance there. And also, we go to, like, the 18-and-younger, um... Juvie! They go to Juvie and teach people how to dance there, and like, we did a big show.”
A: “Oh, that’s pretty cool! Yeah, that’s interesting ‘cause I had only heard a little bit about Keshet before. I didn’t know a lot of that about them.”
K: “And I’ve been there since I was five.”
A: “Oh, okay!”
K: “So, they’re like my family to me.”
A: “Oh, wow! That’s really amazing. So, you’ve been dancing for a while, then.”
K: “Mm-hmm. Practically all my life.”
A: “Well, that's really great! So, the last question: How do you see yourself in the future? And it could be in the future for your career or just your everyday life. How do you see yourself, um, some years down the line?”
K: “Still working at this daycare, being the lead teacher, and living on my own. Right now, I live with some roommates and stuff, so I’m ready to walk away from roommates and just live on my own when I’m ready and when my team thinks I’m ready.”
A: “Become more independent, huh?”
K: “Mm-hmm.”
A: “Okay, excellent! Those are good goals to have. Well, thank you so much again for agreeing to the interview!”
[photo by La Dawna Pea]