Her childhood bouts with detached retinas, cataracts, and then glaucoma left her blind. Subsequent nerve damage rendered her nearly deaf. Desperate to be accepted in the "sighted" adult world, Jeri went on a twenty-year journey that led her through the world of drugs, alcohol, and bad relationships. By the age of forty-fi ve, she'd been married four times and her life was a mess. But then, upon awakening from surgery in 1994, she surrendered to God and His plan for her life. She nicknamed herself "the prodigal daughter" and set out on a mission to help others who'd experienced dual sensory loss as she had. In 2017, Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin signed into law the Jeri Cooper Act, appropriating funds to support service providers (SSPs) of DeafBlind Oklahomans. In 2021 Jeri realized her dream of establishing her own nonprofi t organization, Jeri's House, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Two residential homes—one for women, one for men—off er members of the DeafBlind community a place to become independent. Residents are taught alternative techniques and skills for everyday tasks and learn practical ways to interact with the world around them. Jeri says, "The more we can do for ourselves, the more fulfi lling life is, and the more we want to improve, achieve, and do for others. Everyone is diff erent and capable of doing so much more if only we are given the skills and opportunity. At Jeri's House, we turn stumbling blocks into steppingstones, and obstacles into opportunities!"
