Discovering Self-Advocacy at Envision’s Level Up Program | Envision Blog

Discovering Self-Advocacy at Envision’s Level Up Program

By Beth Walker • Jul 29, 2024
A photo of Charles standing with the family he made a car for, and a photo of Charles in a suit.

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Charles Mosely attended Envision’s Level Up Program for the first time in 2024. Visually impaired from Retinitis Pigmentosa, Charles originally heard about Level Up through high school from his TSVI (Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments), Mr. Yomi. Though he had known about the program for a couple of years, he was too nervous to consider attending. However, after graduating from Newark Charter High School in May, Charles started to have anxiety about job searching. After talking to Mr. Yomi again, he decided to try out Level Up, as he knew it offered opportunities for career skills training.  

Though the beginning of the program was a bit nerve-wracking, Charles says he quickly grew to become comfortable and made friends. “In the beginning, I won’t lie, I didn't want to be there,” said Charles. “I felt like I wouldn’t make friends. But by day three, I was opening up and having fun and having a great time.”  

Charles participated in career skills workshops with Wichita State University’s GoBabyGo and Envision’s Interface Contact Center, along with attending daily fun activities, Community Day at Bradley Fair, Dine and Dress, advocacy night and more. When asked what his favorite career skills workshop was, he said GoBabyGo.  

“I was already interested in looking for careers that are hands-on, but GoBabyGo was really impactful for me because I got to help others with disabilities, and especially with having a disability myself. It meant a lot to me and I gained a lot from it.”  

While gaining career skills was a highlight of the program, there’s also another thing Charles discovered that he never expected to: how to advocate for himself. 

“I wasn’t great at advocating for myself at all before Level Up,” said Charles. “I was always afraid to feel like I was being a burden or that asking for help or needing accommodations for things were annoying to people around me. But being at Level Up, I learned that asking for help is okay and that showing up for yourself and advocating for being given the tools to succeed is a positive. I was placed in positions where I had to be independent and succeed on my own and that really helped me.”  

Now that Charles is back in Delaware, he reflects on the impact Level Up had on his life. “Attending Level Up was really eye-opening for me,” said Charles. “I thought I was alone with my visual impairment. I had been to a couple camps that focus on vision loss before, but I never made friends. I made many friendships at Level Up and learning how to advocate for myself was such an important thing that I’m grateful I experienced.” 

When asked what he would say to others considering attending Level Up, Charles said, "I would say to not be afraid to take the chance. I was afraid, but I don’t regret going at all.”  

He also thanks Hannah Christenson, Director of Community Service at Envision, and his TSVI Mr. Yomi, who he still regularly talks to after graduating, for being a tremendous support system for him and helping him believe in himself. 

To learn more about Envision programs, visit this link.