Image Description: A close up photo of a man wearing a green hat and sweater. He is smiling and signing with his hands. An interpreter can be seen standing behind him with hands on his back.
Roger Poulin has been with The Lighthouse since 2013. A fifteen-year veteran of the federal government where he worked as a computer programmer, Roger now uses his technical skills to teach others as an instructor at the Technology Training Center (TTC). The TTC provides instruction in assistive and mainstream technologies to DeafBlind employees and community members. The TTC program provides comprehensive training and support in computers, mobile computing, and related technologies.
The course of study is highly individualized, and emphasizes computer and assistive technology tools to be used in the workplace and for community and informational access. Class structures are primarily 1:1 instructor led, with occasional group classes.
“I support people to use the computer for everyday life online, doing email, banking, the internet… The goal is not to have to rely on friends or family, or to get other people involved, but for each person to be able to do whatever they want on their own,” he says. “There isn’t one curriculum that works for everybody.”
After his years with the federal government, Roger completed a hike of the entire 2181-mile Appalachian Trail, which he did over the course of four years.
“It was my intention to show the DeafBlind community and the population at large what a DeafBlind person is capable of,” he says.
Roger talks about the level of community he feels at The Lighthouse. “I feel so fortunate to be here. There are other programs out there, but the Lighthouse really is the best. There is so much here that doesn’t exist anywhere else.”
