My name is Burgon Jensen. I am a 31-year-old teacher, artist and motivational speaker from Draper, Utah. I live with my guide dog, a standard poodle named Lucia. I was born with retinitis pigmentosa, a progressive disorder that led to my eventual blindness. I’m also deaf.
From disconnected to iCanConnect
For a while, I lived in New York and attended the Helen Keller National Center. I started to feel isolated because it wasn’t easy for me to operate my old smartphone and it was challenging overall for me to use it to communicate with my family and friends. It had a small keyboard so I would use the voiceover function a lot, which often led to miscommunication. It was almost impossible to do something simple like check my email or text messages.
That’s when someone referred me to iCanConnect, the National Deaf-Blind Equipment Distribution Program. After I applied and was accepted into the program, a representative met with me to review my distance communications needs and goals. Through the program, I received an iPhone, a Focus 14 portable braille display, and a MacBook Pro at no cost – as well as training on how to use the new equipment.
A life-changing connection
iCanConnect has been life-changing. The equipment I received through the program has made a huge difference in how I communicate. I email and text with my family and friends. I participate in social media. I even use video chat to teach remote ASL lessons twice a week.
I opened an Etsy shop called Little Foxx Designs a few years ago and iCanConnect has helped me to be able to run my small business. I can easily communicate with all of my customers, which is really important to me.
In my spare time, I’m a motivational speaker at schools, businesses, church functions, and more. I use the equipment to capture my speeches and then use my braille display to help deliver the speeches remotely.
About the author
Burgon Jensen is a 31-year-old teacher, self-taught crochet artist, and motivational speaker from Draper, Utah. You can visit her Etsy shop, Little Foxx Designs, or follow her on Facebook and Instagram.
About iCanConnect
iCanConnect is a national program with local contacts that provides free distance communication equipment and training to qualified individuals who have significant combined hearing and vision loss.
For more information about iCanConnect, or to see if you or someone you know qualifies, visit www.iCanConnect.org. You can follow iCanConnect on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and YouTube. To learn more, watch this video:
