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Meet Pauline Lamontagne
Born in Sanford, Maine, Pauline attended public schools which was highly unusual at that time and graduated as the Valedictorian of her Senior class. She has been legally blind since birth, with no vision in her left eye and limited vision in her right eye. Five years ago, she lost all of her sight in both eyes.
Pauline started using reel-to-reel tapes in 7th grade, although it was sometimes a challenge to get her schoolbooks recorded on time. After her Junior Year of high school, The Iris Network had a staff member work with her to learn braille, as she believed it would be important for her to know.
Pauline had to work very hard academically, and while in high school, she began to use a white cane for mobility. She loved sports, and even though her high school football team lost every game her senior year, she made sure she attended all of them. As a child growing up, she always tried to participate in everything she could; a counselor from the Division of Blind and Visually Impaired encouraged her parents to allow her to do anything she wanted to, although she was not allowed to ride a bicycle.
Pauline knew she wanted to attend college and was accepted at the University of Maine at Farmington as one of only 3 students with a severe visual impairment in its history. Her parents were very supportive, and she was the first generation in her family to attend a post-secondary school. She exceled at college with a 4.0, majoring in Rehabilitation work. Pauline wanted other visually impaired individuals to know they could achieve a college education.
After college she worked as a Rehab Teacher at The Iris Network, then as a visual handicapped child counselor for the Division for the Blind and Visually Impaired and next as a consultant with the Bureau of Mental Health and Mental Retardation. In 1981, she was accepted by the University of Maine School of Law, where she hoped to help empower others and perhaps change some laws. Pauline studied hard and graduated in 1984, making her the first legally blind student to graduate from the University of Maine School of Law. She passed the bar and was admitted in 1985.
After graduating from law school, she worked as an advocate for the Department of Corrections and then as an attorney with Advocates for the Disabled. From 1989 to her retirement in 2016, Pauline worked for the Department of Education as a certification attorney and then as a Due Process Coordinator for special education.
Pauline has been a strong advocate for accessibility for individuals with disabilities. She knows there are more employment options and opportunities now for students with disabilities, however, she states, there needs to be equal pay and not a “sub-wage” for those with disabilities. She believes that transportation for those with visual impairments is a huge need, and she will continually advocate for improvements.
Pauline served on The Iris Network Board of Directors from 1985-1994 and has rejoined as of 2021.
Pauline met her husband, Gil, at the Department of Education in 1989 and they were married in 1992. They live with their dog, Ava, in Portland.
Thank you for all you do, Pauline!
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