Jennifer Lowe is a graduate of Edinboro University where she obtained her degree in Specialized Studies with concentrations in Special Education and Writing. She presently has two jobs, one as a mentor at a nursing home and, secondly, she serves as the lead ambassador for the Pittsburgh Ambassador Program. At the nursing home, she is responsible for befriending residents and arranging community outings for them. She advocates for them as well assists them in obtaining assistive technology to enhance their life. She also provides support to the residents who have the potential of moving out of the facility into an independent lifestyle.

As a lead ambassador, she communicates using e-mail or in person, to individuals who use augmentative communication devices and provides them with technical support as well just being their friend. In addition, once a month she facilitates meetings with AAC users at Semantic Compaction Systems.

Jennifer contributes her success to her DeltaTalker. "What can I say, it has given me voice! With my voice, I was able to get through Edinboro and gain a job. In short, it opened the world to me. It made people realize that I had intelligence and that I wasn’t going to settle for just sitting down in front of the TV all day!" she stated. She also believes she has achieved success in her life by having the right attitude and looking at situations from all sides. "It is important also to know your limitations and be a well-rounded person," she expressed.

Although she prefers to use her device for communication, she also has a backup communication system for use in situations where her device is not practical or possible to use. "You can’t get me down, even when my device is down" she says. One memorable experience was when she was trying to communicate after back surgery. She developed a way to communicate that is similar to Kermit the Frog’s "letter writing in the air." Kermit began to write letters with head motions to spell out words. This method was very challenging for Jennifer but she made it work.

In the near future, Jennifer’s mentoring job will be ending and she is beginning to look for another job. She would like to present on the topic of employment issues concerning people with disabilities for public schools, universities, and/or PRC. Although, Jennifer says that if she ever won the lottery, she would start her own business – helping other non-speaking individuals. "I would encourage them to pursue their dreams . . . they can do anything they set their minds to. I would explain to them how I did it and encourage them to do the same," she says. For personal fulfillment, she would buy a new van with a hydraulic lift, and pay her personal attendants $10 per hour.

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