"Champion" takes care of meeting guest needs

LOCKPORT—Teresa Fernald Howard, who works at Lockport’s Holiday Inn on South Transit Street, is the huge hotel chain’s first legally blind “Guest Experience Champion” in the country.

Howard has juvenile macular degeneration, also known as Stargardt’s disease, the most common inherited form of the condition.

“Macular degeneration refers to an abnormality of the part of the eye that’s responsible for our sharpest central vision,” explained Howard, who also lives in Lockport.

The condition doesn’t stop Howard from living a full life, and making sure that Holiday Inn guests enjoy their stay. Job requirements include “good time management” skills and putting “the guest first.”

“[Howard] has exemplary customer service skills, a wonderful sense of humor and a can-do attitude that we haven’t seen in our hotel for many years,” said Terri McDonald-Gale, marketing director at the local hotel.

Tell us about your family.

I’m from a family of six children. The first three children were not affected by this condition. The fourth child, Ken, was diagnosed with JMD when he was around age 7. I am child No. 5 and was diagnosed shortly after my brother Ken. Child No. 6 was unaffected.

And your parents?

We were blessed with two wonderful parents, Wayne and Patricia Fernald. They were devastated at first to find out the news that two of their children would become blind, and the fact that there wasn’t any treatment or cure for JMD. They took my brother and [me] to different specialists, and they ran many tests. After the initial shock, they decided they would do everything they could to

help us lead as normal lives as possible.

How?

Instead of telling us we couldn’t do things, they told us we could. They’d assist us when we asked for help, but they would let us try things on our own first. Unbeknownst to them, this was the best gift that they could have given me.

Is there a cure for JMD?

Unfortunately, at this time there still is not any treatment or cure for JMD.

I can’t drive a car, so I must depend on someone else for any transportation. I have some vision, but I cannot read normal text. I use large print and magnification tools to assist in this.

I can’t see myself in the mirror.

How do you fix your hair?

I apply make-up and style my hair by touch.

My most recent setback is losing my ability to differentiate colors. I need to ask, “What color is this?” Or use a color detector. My husband, Jason, and children have been a great help with these challenges, by reading things to me—they are excellent readers—helping me with colors, and other little things I need assistance with.

What’s a color detector?

The color detector is a device that “speaks” the color of the item you put its lens on. It is not 100 percent accurate. It once told me my black-and-white dog was olive green. Also, in the right light, my skin is called “orange.” You must have a sense of humor to deal with some of the technology.

How did you come to live in Lockport?

My husband’s job brought us to this area almost four years ago. I grew up in Tampa, Fla., until the age of 14, and then moved to Binghamton. I graduated in 1987 from Chenango Forks High School near Binghamton.

Tell us about your job.

I’ve always loved working with people. My background’s in the customer service field. Last year, I attended the National Statler Center for Careers in Hospitality Service. This is how I came to be where I am to-day.

Part of the curriculum was completing an externship. Mine was at the Holiday Inn in Lockport. From the moment I arrived at the Holiday Inn, met the staff and my on-hands training began, everything fell into place, as I felt that I had truly found the job for me. Here, I was able to actually spend time with a customer, seeing that all their needs were met in a friendly, courteous manner.

What’s the difference between good and bad service?

Hospitality is all about making guests feel like they matter, and that you’re not in a hurry to move on to the next person.

How do you like your job?

I can’t tell you how refreshing it is to wake up and look forward to going to work. Mycoworkers have been so helpful and non-judgmental. I think they appreciate my attributes and look beyond my handicap.

Who and what inspire you?

My parents, family, close friends, and my faith in God have influenced and inspired me, especially my mom, dad, sister and brothers, who encouraged me to take on challenges and not to let my vision hold me back.

Now I’m trying to teach my children to not be afraid of a challenge. I also feel God doesn’t give us more then we can handle. That’s why I was blessed with twins, a daughter, Chelsea, and a son, Cameron, who have just turned 12.

What advice do you have for readers facing challenges?

Something I’d pass on to others in a similar situation would be: Shine at what you’re good at, and allow others to notice that about you. Learn how to do things in your own way. If the end result is the same, it doesn’t matter how you got there.

And for others?

Don’t judge someone until you’ve walked in their shoes. Look beyond the handicap. Give someone a chance. You might be surprised how much they can do.