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Aziza Rodriguez A Role Model for Youth Who Lives To Serve Others

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Women On The Move | Aziza Rodriguez

Contents:

Editor’s Note:

Aziza Rodriguez’ Mama told her when she was growing up that she could try anything and do anything she wanted. This philosophy and her mother’s belief in Aziza molded her into the person she is today. I admire this young woman’s tenacity and compassion for other people.

Below the Aziza’s YouTube video is the transcription which has been edited for clarity. Enjoy!

Beyond Sight Magazine Cover

Beyond Sight Magazine Cover

YouTube Video

Transcription

Introducing Aziza

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Aziza in a fuchsia-colored dress

Hi, my name is Aziza Rodriguez and I am super excited to be part of Bold Blind Beauty’s blog for this month. My service dog Marta is walking away, she’s like “I don’t, I wasn’t a part of this.”

I’m 29 and I live in Denver. I work as a respite and personal care provider, mostly for little ones with different disabilities. It’s really fun and I learn a lot of stuff. I’m able as a blind person to be a role model for not only the little ones but also their parents. I show them that independence and, maybe jobs that people wouldn’t normally think someone with a disability could do are possible. So it’s really great.

A little bit about me, I was born and raised in Southern California, I am adopted. So everything that I’ve learned and been able to accomplish in my life is due to my Mama. Hi, Mama. I am just so grateful for her giving me the outlook, that I could try anything and do anything. And that’s a big part of why I’m able to do the job that I do now.

A couple of other things: I moved to Denver, about six years ago, no, eight years ago. My service dog is 11 years old, she came from Guide Dogs for the Blind. And she’s given me a lot of confidence in my travel and just being able to get out and do the things I love to do.

Community Service & Advocacy

So some other stuff that I am involved in, I serve on the Denver’s Mayor’s Youth Commission. This is where adults help youth to meet the goals that they set for themselves to change things they see wrong in their community. So making changes in their schools and in their neighborhoods.

It’s really moving to see youth taking an interest in their future and in the lives of their fellow youth. It’s also really an honor to serve and give them a disabled perspective. And to be able to teach them a little bit about what inclusivity and accessibility look like. Because that isn’t something that is talked about openly by everyone, and it should be.

So you know, saying, “Hey, while you’re looking at this project, why don’t we talk about how to make sure this information is disseminated in an accessible format?” Or, “while you’re targeting your target audience, why don’t you remember to include your disabled classmates and peers.” So that’s really important to me.

I really enjoy traveling and reading, that’s kind of how I spend my free time. Looking into small businesses and fun things that we find around Denver. It’s a really fun place, you will always find something to do unless it’s blizzarding, then you do nothing.

I have a YouTube channel, it’s a fledgling channel. So if you head over please be kind is called The Blind Take. I do unboxing videos of different subscription boxes and products that I receive. It’s really interesting to be able to give a perspective of a blind consumer.

  • How am I using these products?
  • How do I identify these products?
  • Label these products?

To be able to give companies this kind of feedback, because it’s really important. Beauty, self-care, and home decor, all of these things are things that blind people and all disabled people have interests in as well. So they should be accessible and that’s why I started my channel.

Reaching For Her Dreams

Some of my personal goals. I want to further my work with the disabled community. So one thing that I’m looking into is the concept of becoming a CNA (certified nursing assistant) which I actually recently got in touch with a blind person who is one. So that’s pretty exciting because it’s been difficult to find information about how that would be possible.

I’m also playing with the idea of a podcast and/or a blog. So if you’re interested, you can check out The Blind Take, which is where I would announce anything that came up with either of those ideas. The blog would probably just be about my travels and my experiences in the world with my service dog as a blind female. And the podcast that I’m toying with is more of an advice column from a disability perspective. So that’s a little bit about me.

I want to once again thank Bold Blind Beauty for this opportunity, and my girl Natalie for nominating me. If you don’t know Natalie, you should go check out her podcast Fashionably Tardy. It’s amazing because fashion and beauty and things of that nature are things that we should have access to. And so spreading the word and the accessibility options and the people who are interested in making that possible is a goal and a cause that I’m super behind and you should be too so go check them out.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai

Aziza Rodriguez’ Bio

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Aziza Rodriguez was raised in Southern California but now lives in Denver with her boyfriend, roommate, and service dog. She is totally blind due to Bilateral Retinoblastoma. She is 29 years old and works as a respite and personal care provider, working with mostly children across the Denver area who have cognitive and developmental disabilities.

Aside from striving to be a role model for parents and kids with disabilities, Aziza makes an effort to bring inclusivity and accessibility discussions into less considered areas with:

Image Descriptions:

  • The header photo is a headshot of Aziza, a smiling dark-haired beauty, on a beach with the ocean in the background.
  • Beyond Sight Magazine Cover contains the same photo as in the header. The text reads Aziza Rodriguez | A Role Model for Youth Who Lives To Serve Others.
  • A glamorous-looking Aziza has her long dark hair pulled back and is wearing a fuchsia-colored dress with a deep v-neck.
  • Author bio photo of Aziza is a headshot of her wearing a blue scoop neck top.

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