From Classroom to Classroom: Adah Wahl's Envision Journey Comes Full Circle

The smiles are what Adah Wahl notices first. 

As a teaching assistant at Envision Child Development Center (ECDC), she spends her days helping children learn through play, encouraging them to try new things and celebrating each new accomplishment. Most of her time is spent with the Transition 2 classroom, where children ages 2 and 3 are discovering the world around them. 

"My favorite thing is how excited my kids are to do new things," Adah said. 

For Adah, the classroom is more than a workplace. It's where her own journey began. 

Around age 2, Adah began attending ECDC after her mother learned about the program while looking for resources and support for her daughter. Instead of relocating to find specialized services, her family found them close to home through Envision. 

Looking back, Adah remembers teachers who made learning fun and a classroom where she felt supported. She also received fine motor interventions through Envision's rehabilitation clinic, helping build skills that would prepare her for school and beyond. 

Teresa Houston, director of ECDC, still remembers those early years. 

"Adah was the one who would say, 'I'm not doing that,'" Houston said with a laugh. 

But she also remembers something else. 

"I've enjoyed watching her grow up," Houston said. "I love the mission, and this shows how the mission really works." 

For Houston, Adah's story reflects what happens when children and families receive support over time. 

"We take care of the whole person, not just that one issue," Houston said. "We missed nothing with Adah." 

As Adah grew up, Envision remained part of her life. 

She attended Heather's Camp, participated in Envision Arts, volunteered at Envision events and is now in her fifth year of Level Up, Envision's transition program that helps participants prepare for college and career readiness. 

One of her favorite parts of Level Up has been staying in the residence halls alongside other students. 

"It made me more independent," Adah said. "I got to connect with other people who were also blind or visually impaired. Envision helped me understand that just because I'm blind doesn't mean I can't do what everyone else can." 

Those experiences gave Adah confidence, but they also helped her discover what she wanted to do next. 

In the summer of 2024, she began an internship at ECDC, working alongside teachers in classrooms throughout the center. Before long, she realized she had found something she loved. 

"Oh, this is what I want to do," she said. 

That realization brought her back to ECDC as a teaching assistant, where she's now helping children who are just beginning the same journey she started years ago. 

Houston believes that shared experience makes a difference. 

"She'll be more encouraging because she's lived it," Houston said. "She can empathize because she's lived it." 

Adah hopes families feel that understanding from the moment they meet her. 

"I'm going to do my best to make sure their child has a good education and a good experience," she said. 

For Houston, watching Adah return isn't just rewarding because she's back at ECDC. It's rewarding because of everything that happened in between. 

"Adah, the one who said, 'I'm not doing that,' has done everything," Houston said. 

Today, she's encouraging a new generation of children to try new things, celebrate new milestones and discover what's possible. Just as others once did for her. 

One of her favorite parts of Level Up has been staying in the residence halls alongside other students. 

"It made me more independent," Adah said. "I got to connect with other people who were also blind or visually impaired. Envision helped me understand that just because I'm blind doesn't mean I can't do what everyone else can." 

Those experiences gave Adah confidence, but they also helped her discover what she wanted to do next. 

In the summer of 2024, she began an internship at ECDC, working alongside teachers in classrooms throughout the center. Before long, she realized she had found something she loved. 

"Oh, this is what I want to do," she said. 

That realization brought her back to ECDC as a teaching assistant, where she's now helping children who are just beginning the same journey she started years ago. 

Houston believes that shared experience makes a difference. 

"She'll be more encouraging because she's lived it," Houston said. "She can empathize because she's lived it." 

Adah hopes families feel that understanding from the moment they meet her. 

"I'm going to do my best to make sure their child has a good education and a good experience," she said. 

For Houston, watching Adah return isn't just rewarding because she's back at ECDC. It's rewarding because of everything that happened in between. 

"Adah, the one who said, 'I'm not doing that,' has done everything," Houston said. 

Today, she's encouraging a new generation of children to try new things, celebrate new milestones and discover what's possible. Just as others once did for her.