“I grew up in Hueytown, Alabama on the Warrior River. I am legally blind, have brain damage, epilepsy, and cerebral palsy.  I adapted. I am still adapting.  My mom raised me to stay positive and not let my disability define who I am as a person. She taught me to turn negatives into positives. My senior quote in high school was, ‘Everyone has a disability, you just can’t always see it.’

High school was a challenge. Most of it was mainstream, and it was hard to fit in. I made some friends, but many saw me for my disabilities. Some called me names or worse. On my first day at a new middle school, a boy stuck his foot out as I walked by. I didn’t see it. I fell and everyone around got a good laugh, but I was the one hurt from it. 

I learned if someone has a problem with me to put it on the back burner and keep moving forward. It’s not always easy. 

I have been working at the AMC Theater in Daphne for ten years. My name tag says that The Land Before Time is my favorite movie; The Terminal is another favorite. This is my first and only job, and I love it. I greet guests and scan their tickets as they enter the theater. Our slogan is: ‘we make smiles happen.’ Making people smile is my job. I have weekly regulars, and they tell me that I brighten their day or people write about me in our guest surveys. 

I live with my mom and younger brother. One of them takes me to work and where I need to go. I want to be more independent, but public transportation in Baldwin County does not run during nights or weekends, and Uber costs $23 for a one-way ride to work. 

When COVID started, I wanted to do something positive to keep people engaged. Puzzles are my passion, so I started a Facebook group for puzzles: word puzzles, trivia questions or Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune. I have monthly drawings with prizes—usually small gift cards to Starbucks or the movie theater that are donated by group members. The puzzle group started as a small idea two years ago and grew into something more. 

I lost my dad in 2020 to stage four kidney cancer. Two weeks later, I lost my stepdad to a heart attack. A year later, I lost my best friend to COVID-19. Losing them has been hard. There are days when I don’t want to keep going, but if I just lay in bed, then what is life? Life is about getting up and doing something, even if it is just going for a walk, calling a friend, or doing TikToks.  

I do TikTok videos for disability awareness to let people know that those of us with disabilities and limitations should be treated with respect just like everyone else. We have the same dreams of working, getting married, and being independent. Creating videos of encouragement is also therapy for me. 

My advice is this: ‘if you find something that you want to do, don’t let anything get in your way. Just push forward to it. No matter what you are going through, love others, but especially love yourself’.”

Dalton