Born profoundly deaf, Lynnette Simas certainly foraged a unique path through life and it has brought her much success!

Lynnette taught herself to lip read at a young age and her mother and brother taught her to speak without the usual recognition of the tonal inflections used to identify most deaf individuals.  Despite her lack of hearing, Lynnette successfully attended mainstream school and never required special training.  She eventually acquired hearing aids at 52 years of age.

Lynnette was incorrectly diagnosed with epilepsy during high school.  This diagnosis was corrected in her mid 30’s to General Torsion Dystonia, a disorder characterized by painful muscle contractions resulting in uncontrollable distortions.  This disorder affects her entire body; her form is progressive and incurable but, thankfully, not terminal.  After three years of treatment, the Dystonia forced her into medical retirement and a 100% disabled categorization.  Within the past few years, Lynnette has also been diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, a viral disease of the immune system characterized by fatigue and flu-like symptoms, and Fibromyalgia, a disorder characterized by excessive muscle and connective tissue pain.

Regardless of these setbacks, Lynnette has spread much good to the world.  She greatly enjoys singing, having learned through using her hands to match the vibrations of a piano with the vibrations/pitch of her vocal chords.  As a recent graduate of William Jessup University, with a dual major in Christian Leadership and Bible Theology, Lynnette also participates in extensive volunteer work.  She spends time working with the Placer County Law Enforcement Chaplaincy, serving traumatized students, and their teachers and staff.  She is specially certified through the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation to work with children.

Following the independent course of her life, Lynnette’s service dog, Max, is also privately trained.  Max acts as a therapy dog in her volunteer work.  His assistance in her work is essential; Max proves over and over again human beings’ extraordinarily quick trust for animals compared to their belief in strangers.

Lynnette, one of our newer volunteers, explains her attraction to ATOU is two-fold.  She enjoys seeing people utilize their disabilities to their advantage, as opposed to dwelling on their difficulties and seeking sympathy.  Lynnette draws on past experience, explaining, “Growing up, I would have to put up with being patted on the head and called, ‘a poor little thing.’  But there is nothing poor in the fact I was loved, well-cared for and encouraged to achieve all of my dreams.”

Secondly, she appreciates ATOU’s message that though certain challenges may face some individuals, people are all the same on the inside.  Children want to play, enjoy company, have hobbies, as well as, watch some of the same movies/cartoons as audience members.  Since one of Lynnette’s close childhood friends had Muscular Dystrophy, she understands that exposure to differences as a child makes acceptance of disabilities much easier.  It has caused her to focus on her talents and not her setbacks.  Lynnette is certainly an awesome asset to the ATOU team!