Alumni CreatorsMaking the world accessible

Jewel Sweeney ’07
Physical education major, youth ministry minor
Executive Director of E.A.S.E., Inc., Author

Founding E.A.S.E., Inc.
E.A.S.E., Inc. (Equal Accessibility & Support Everywhere) is a nonprofit bridging the communication gaps between the hearing and the d/Deaf/Hard of Hearing/DeafBlind communities through education, advocacy, and compassionate service. We encourage, inspire, and empower the community at large to join in the work of accessibility and build a more cohesive community. I was in the process of attaining my deaf studies degree from Carolina University with an emphasis on interpreting. Through the time in classes and getting into the local d/Deaf community I saw that we do, indeed, need more qualified ASL interpreters, but we need more than that. Unless someone has been personally affected by a topic, typically they don’t think about it. Accessibility with the d/Deaf community has always been placed on the shoulders of the d/Deaf community. However, if the entire community focused on access and accommodations, the world will be more accessible for everyone. I founded E.A.S.E. to create access when interpreters aren’t around. We provide advocacy through education. My hope is that when we learn more, we’ll do more.

Becoming an author
I look back at my childhood and can see how I always enjoyed writing. I just never thought anyone would enjoy it. It wasn’t until I was married that my husband encouraged me to pursue the idea more.

Figuring out book ideas
My children’s books were easy to figure out. They’re based on my two children. The Adventures of Bugaboo & Ladybug are all about a brother sister duo who take everyday situations and turn them into great adventures. When I was writing the books, I would finish a story and give it to my son. He would read it to his sister. If they weren’t acting out the book within the first 24 hours, I knew it was a flop. Really those books just show the fun my children have had with their amazing imaginations. I was just blessed enough to have the pen and paper ready while they were playing.

My teen fiction is based on the idea that people are multifaceted. When I was in high school, I felt pigeonholed. I was only supposed to be good at one thing and stick to that one thing. I wanted to be more than that. My hope is that when teens read these books they see that they can be good at sports, really smart, and have fun with friends that don’t do the exact same things that they do. Variety is the spice of life, as they say. Also, I wanted to write to the kid who is afraid to step out and be all those things. I want to encourage people to challenge themselves.

For my women’s fiction, I just enjoy a good, easy read. I write what I want to read. I keep things clean. I write happy endings, and not so happy endings. My nonfiction is what God gives me. Something will pop out and smack me in the face. It might be societal/current events or Scripture. I’ll think, if this is eye opening for me, it might be eye opening for others. After some prayer, I’ll follow the Lord in where he leads me in the writing.

Juggling different roles
One day I heard a story, and I wish I could remember who shared it, but a woman was talking about all the balls she has to juggle in her life. She realized at one point that some of the balls were glass, while others were plastic. If she dropped a glass ball, there would be consequences and clean up. However, if she dropped a plastic ball, it might bounce away, but it was still a whole ball. She could add it back to the mix later. That was a bit of my aha! moment. Between being a founder and executive director of a nonprofit, writing books, and homeschooling two wonderful children, I have learned which items are glass and which are plastic. I think a few people in my life would argue that I juggle too much most of the time, but it keeps me on my toes (and I sleep well at night!).

I think learning to balance has been a great gift. If I can manage my time well, keep up with relationships, and eat three meals a day, then I am blessed. It wasn’t my intention to live a life like this. My dreams were quite different when I was younger. But, I was also trying to be who everyone else was telling me to be. Setting aside other people’s expectations opened the doors for me to explore what I want out of life and who God made me to be. I am extremely blessed to have these paths before me. I’m grateful that I can write a book when I have the time and stick it on the backburner when I need to.

Our family
I am married to Charlie Sweeney (received his Master of Education degree from CSU in 2015). I have two wonderful children: Caleb, 14, and AJ,10. We live in Summerville with our rambunctious pup, Jersey.