When Amanda Juetten, a mother of five, went on stage to receive her diploma from Tennessee Tech University on May 9 with honors, she could not see her family cheering and applauding for her in the audience because she is completely blind, but she knows the direction of her life – including the path after leaving school.
According to the Fox News website, 30 years ago, Juetten had just graduated from high school, but she gave up her college dream to earn money to support her family because she had her first child. When she returned to school in 2020, her retinitis pigmentosa had become so severe that she was completely blind.
Before, she learned to live with her remaining weak vision, but she had never learned how to live with complete blindness. Juetten was determined to live independently, so she signed up for an eight-month skills camp held by the Colorado Center for the Blind. “I know that blind people can make lunch boxes for their children and attend parent-teacher conferences at school. All you need to do is spend more time with blind people.”
Jadeton said, “Blind people are not people who sit in the basement and wait to die. They can go out and live their own lives. I want to do the same.”
Based on confidence and determination, she began to study at the University of Tennessee in the fall of 2022, majoring in organizational leadership.
She recalled her student life in the past few years and said: “It’s great. The teachers all asked me what I needed and how to help me. No one ever discriminated against me or asked me: Why do you come to school?”
After graduation, Jueton wants to give back to the society and advocate how to accept and understand the blind. “Blind people need someone to speak for them. I am happy to speak for them. I want to help them find their own voice. We need more teachers and more people to join this industry. I believe that blind people can fully realize their potential.”
Jueton plans to further study in the field of blind rehabilitation and even pursue a doctorate. “I want to provide services in areas where I am good at, such as assistive technology, Braille reading, and vocational rehabilitation for the blind.”
Jedun has been to Washington, D.C., to lobby for the welfare of the blind; she has also been to San Francisco to protest ride-sharing drivers who refuse to serve wheelchair users and guide dogs.
She was the president of the Tennessee Association of Guide Dog Users and is currently a director of the National Federation of the Blind of Tennessee. Her guide dog named Colonel has always been with her.
