
Yolanda, Sharron’s roommate for the past 9 years, says that living with Sharron has taught her to learn the true meaning of support and encouragement. She also says that Sharron has encouraged her to step outside of herself and find the commonality in everyone, as equals who deserve respect. Although she has worked for many companies, Yolanda says that working with Sharron has been very rewarding and that it’s a privilege that someone would choose to share their life with her. Sharron and Yolanda’s coordinator, Joy, says that working with Sharron has taught her a lot. She describes the experience as “switching from a PC user to navigating a map” in that it involves a lot of unlearning and starting over. Joy also says that although she works with a variety of people who have hugely different lives, she and Sharron are “ fundamentally…two women wanting to be accepted for who we are, not what others want us to be, and we are in this fight together.”
Throughout her life, Sharron has fought an uphill battle with her cerebral palsy. She uses a powered wheelchair and struggled to find an effective means of communication for quite some time. However, she has been able to overcome the odds and has been living independently for the past decade. She says “I’m really proud to be a part of an organization that believes in helping individuals use their own voice and wishes to build a life that is satisfying and contoured to individuals’ needs…I have learned so much and I am still learning more every day. We never stop growing. I’m just grateful that I have all the tools needed to reach higher and grow stronger.”
Together Kirk Hinkelman and Scott Shepard share voices of the people they support in the TASH 40th Anniversary Book. Here you can learn more about Sharron and her journey to discovering a voice in this world. Copies of the anniversary book are still for sale at a reduced rate.
Do you have a story like Sharron’s to share? Email balvare@tash.org to submit your story. Stories must be 300-400 words, submitted as a Word document, and are subject to approval. Join the campaign and share.