June 24, 2016
Contact: Jill Drury, Communication Specialist
jedrury@dps.k12.oh.us
For Immediate Release

                                        Destinee Dunn does not allow hearing impairment to slow her down

(Photos attached above right: Destinee Dunn; bottom left from left: Destinee Dunn, Dawn Ellison, Destinee’s mother, and Jodi Skrovan, DPS audiologist/Photos: Jill Drury)

Graduation is the culmination of mastering required coursework, participating in extracurricular activities and forging new friendships. Destinee Dunn is well on her way to success, but there were bumps in the road along the way. Destinee has an auditory learning disability.  Her brain won’t allow her to process sound correctly. Everything sounds jumbled.
“I hear everything at once. I hear other people’s conversations and my mind gets confused,” Destinee said. “I have to watch the teachers closely to understand what they’re saying. I also pick a certain seat in the classroom and stick with it for the entire year, so that I can hear as well as I can.”
Another strategy Destinee uses is a well-thought out plan. Oh, yes, the plan! She graduated from Stivers School for the Arts in May and will attend Sinclair Community College in the fall to pursue an associate’s degree in applied science. Then, it is off to Wright State University for medical school, and after that, the pursuit of a veterinary science degree from Cornell University in New York. She ultimately wants to work at a vet clinic and open an exotic animal rescue.
Destinee started at Dayton Public Schools at seven years old at the former Franklin Montessori, now known as River’s Edge Montessori. That is where her plan was born, and her mother’s been with her every step of the way, acting as her advocate.
“I was there as her back-up to make sure she understood everything going on around her. If it wasn’t for the Montessori teacher who stuck with us and helped us discover Destinee’s issues, she could have developed a serious learning disability,” Destinee’s mother Dawn Ellison said. “I can’t say enough about the intervention specialists. They’ve been wonderful.”
Educational audiologist Jodi Skrovan has worked intensely with Destinee since elementary school. When Destinee’s senior year rolled around, Skrovan decided to put Destinee’s life plan to the test using the “Plan After High School Project.” As part of the federally funded project, Skrovan had 11 students districtwide, including Destinee, take part in an online initiative called MapIt.
“MapIt gives the students a game plan for successfully transitioning to college or work after graduation,” Jodi Skrovan said. “It walks them through scenarios that they will encounter in the real world like applying for a job, taking part in an interview, and general life skills. The goal is that they will advocate for themselves.”
   Most students go through the online program slowly over the course of many months and have specialists assisting them, but not Destinee. She took it upon herself to work through the program on her own, using her plan as a guide. She was anxious to see if it would really work. She reached a satisfying conclusion after learning a lot about herself in the process.  She believes, now more than ever, that her goals are achievable and she has the real-world tools to succeed.
“It supported my plan and made me get even more in-depth about what I want and how to make it happen,” said Destinee.
“I’m very proud of her. She became her own person and I want to keep in touch with her and support her in the future,” Skrovan said.
PepNet 2 (Postsecondary Educational Programs Network) is the developer of the MapIt online program. It assists deaf and hard of hearing people with their educations, careers and life choices. MapIt is available through Community Services for the Deaf, other Centers for the Deaf across the state and Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities.

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