Take a moment to get to know Kailey Couch – an advocate, a friend, a leader, a sister, a person with a visual impairment, a go-getter, an encourager, a student, an inspiration!

1. Tell us about yourself. I am from Sikeston, a small town in Southeast Missouri. I attend Missouri State University as a freshman, majoring in social work with a double miner in psychology and disability studies, along with a certificate in advocacy writing.

I am one of six children. I have two younger brothers, two younger sisters, and an older sister. In the line up, I am the 2nd oldest, so I get to play older sister and younger sister. I also have three cats and three dogs, my own kitty Oreo, being my favorite. I love to travel, read, spend time with my family and people who make my heart happy, and going to Taco Bell.

I’m super close with both of my parents, and I also enjoy giving presentations and speaking to groups to spread awareness, advocate and educate for those with disabilities.

2. You have a visual impairment. Can you tell us about living with a visual impairment?  I was born blind. I have a condition called Optic Nerve Hypoplasia (ONH), which means that my optic nerve did not fully develop before birth, resulting in my optic nerve being smaller than normal. For me specifically, my condition is just a birth defect. I got diagnosed at 6 months, underwent four eye surgeries throughout the first 10 years of my life. My eyesight is not supposed to improve or deteriorate, the eye surgeries were meant to be stabilizing.

My family is and always has been my core support system. My mom has encouraged independence, advocacy, and always surrounded me and my siblings with love, kindness and has always encouraged us to follow our hearts. My siblings are honestly some of the best people I know. They take every opportunity to educate anyone about my world as a sibling of someone with a visual impairment. They also are great guides, describers, Ubers, and sports when I could potentially take up more attention from my parents. My entire family is full of amazing humans and I’ll always be so thankful that God chose them to be mine.

3. Tell us about your experience in K-12 school. I attended public school for K-12. I had a plethora of great teachers, reg-ed teachers, TVI’s (teachers of the visually impaired), and O&M (orientation and mobility) instructors. Growing up, I had great friends, participated in gymnastics, horseback riding, and choir throughout my years of school.

My mom is a special education teacher in the same school district that I attended school in, and because of that, she knew from the beginning what I was legally obligated to in terms of accommodations and modifications. In high school, I was involved in Red Peppers (a pep club), FCA (Fellowship Christian Athletes), Link Crew (orientation leader), NHS (National Honors Society), and our concert chorale (advanced choir).

I won’t say that my experience in K-12 was a dream, but for the most part, people were kind… at least I was pretty much left alone, no bullying, there definitely were crazy and wild rumors started about me and my lack of vision, and people always have an opinion, but overall, it was a decent experience. I’ve heard stories from other students with disabilities about their awful experiences in school, and mine are nothing compared to what others have experienced.

I also had a paraprofessional for all 14 years of school, and she is 100% the most amazing human I know. She’s half the reason I am who I am today, and I would not be who or where I am today without her. It’s literally almost unheard of for a para to stick around for that long, but I’m so lucky and so blessed that she did, lord knows she NEVER got paid enough.

4. I would guess that you go through a range of emotions from time to time, living with a visual impairment that people don’t understand or choose to understand. Can you talk about that? I’ll admit that having a visual impairment has never been easy, or that it’s easy to survive and thrive in a world that wasn’t made to be accessible for me, but I’ve never known a world without it. I experience a lot of things due to my disability daily: sadness, joy, curiosity, exclusion, loved, cared for, distant, alone, and kindness.

I choose to take every opportunity to use my experience to advocate and educate. Because of my openness and transparency about my disability and what I experience because of it, I’ve met so many amazing people and made so many amazing connections. This can be a lonely road but also a rewarding one, and one I wouldn’t trade for anything.

5. As I have gotten to know you this year, I don’t think that you have let anyone stop you from doing anything. You are very active on social media, posting pictures and always with a smile, sharing inspirational messages. You hang out with your friends all the time.    How have you maintained such a positive outlook on life? I have to attribute my positive outlook on life to my mom and paraprofessional, Miss Connie. They both have loved, encouraged, supported, and cared for me with the most compassionate, positive outlook and heart. They surrounded me with tough love, always gave me the opportunity to explore any idea and/or dream I had, and they always encouraged my independence. No matter how hard things got, they both always taught me to love others, trust God, and to show others and myself grace and compassion.

6. Since coming to Missouri State, you’ve attended Ursa, joined a sorority, and gotten involved in a lot of other things at Missouri State. How has involvement helped you settle into college? Why do you think other students should get involved on campus?  Becoming involved at MSU has been one of the best choices I could’ve ever made for myself. I am involved in Tri Sigma where I serve as their inclusive excellence manager. I’ve began work on starting my own organization on campus that is geared towards spreading awareness and promoting advocacy on campus for our community of students with disabilities, and also creating a safe space for our students with disabilities to feel seen and heard.

I also got involved in Fellowship Bible church where I participate in their Young adults ministry, access ministry, and two life groups. I also have gotten so many opportunities to speak to different groups on campus about disability awareness and inclusion such as: the University Ambassadors, a disabilities studies class, other chapters in Greek life, and several other groups.

Due to my involvement in all of these areas on and off campus, I have made so many friends and connections, along with keeping myself busy, therefore avoiding the bulk of homesickness. Students should try their best to get involved in activities and groups that align with their beliefs and hobbies. My experience with involvement has no doubt impacted my university experience for the better.

7. You have recently started a new organization on campus. Can you tell us about that and why you started this group?  As I mentioned earlier, I am in the process of getting an organization started on campus that is geared towards providing a safe space for our community of students with disabilities and those that ally with our community, along with promoting and spreading awareness and education about disabilities and inclusion. I began this process of getting this going because I know how lonely and isolating living with a disability can feel. I am no stranger to being in leadership roles, and I felt like I had the passion, drive, patience, and the personal experience to pilot this organization, while still maintaining my understanding and awareness of the needs of the community.

8. What, in your opinion, needs to be done to educate people about working with/getting to know people with disabilities? I am a firm believer that people fear what they don’t understand. We’re not taught about disabilities or what it means to be aware or inclusive when we’re growing up, unless you are connected to someone that lives in the special needs/disability world.

I think it is so important to plant that seed of knowledge and awareness young. Begin the conversations of inclusivity young and incorporate inclusivity in your daily life. Never be afraid to ask questions, even if you’re afraid of being offensive. Nine time out of ten, we’ll appreciate your wanting to know and be educated.

9. Is there anything else you would like to share with us?  I’m so thankful for this opportunity to share and connect with your readers. I just want to remind everyone to enjoy every moment of whatever season in your life that you’re in, and to always treat others the way you want to be treated. Just because we have disabilities, doesn’t mean we’re not human. We want connection too.