MIDLOTHIAN, Va. (WRIC) - Liberty Gratz has been working at the Publix on Hull Street Road since it opened last Fall. Out of all the shifts she has completed, what happened on Sunday afternoon is burned into her memory. 
 
 "All of a sudden, I felt some woman hit me in my back," Liberty recounted through her mom Jeanette Gratz's interpreting. 
 
 Liberty is deaf and says she could not hear the woman asking where to find an item in the store when the scene turned violent. 
 
 Liberty Gratz 
 
 Liberty Gratz 
 
 Liberty, who also has vision loss, remembers kneeling down to straighten out a bottom shelf when she felt the knock out of nowhere. 
 
 "She doesn't have that peripheral vision, so she's really focused on her work," explains Jeanette. "She doesn't always notice the people beside her." 
 
 Liberty, who uses American Sign Language (ASL) with family and friends, communicates with shoppers by writing on a pad of paper. 
 
 After the woman got her attention, Liberty says she pointed her in the direction of what she needed. 
 
 Liberty, however, carried the blow with her. 
 
 "She could still feel it when I picked her up from work," Jeanette says. "How would you feel if you were working and someone just came up behind you and decided to punch you?" 
 
 Jeanette Gratz 
 
 Jeanette Gratz 
 
 Liberty says Publix was overly supportive. Her department and store managers scoured the security footage, but no one could make out who it was. 
 
 "They kept looking again and again and again, but you couldn't see because there were so many people blocking the camera," Liberty signs while her mom interprets. "It was hard for me to really see her face to make sure it was the right person." 
 
 Liberty still does not know who did it. She would love to sit down with the woman and have a conversation with her about being kind to people with and without disabilities. 
 
 Liberty and Jeanette have a message for the woman about what is right and what is wrong. 
 
 "I know hurt people usually are the ones that hurt people," Jeanette observes. "And so whoever it is, they've been prayed for. I will continue to pray for them, and I hope that things get better in their life so they can be better to other people." 
 
 8News reached out to Publix for a comment, but no one has been back in touch just yet. ||||| Liberty and Triton Gratz are 21 year old twins who were born, but it took two years for doctors to diagnose. Although their mom fought to have testing done, that diagnosis was, but over time deafness became a a hurdle that they accepted, cleared, became comfortable with, and evenof. They adopted the attitude ofWhen they were, their mom noticed their bodies were. Theyuntil they were a year old, and theyuntil they were almost two. As they got older, their mom noticed they were having, but every optometrist said they were fine. All of these issues above weresaying, “They’re twins, they do things slower.” Evenof them being deaf wasby doctors saying, “They’re twins. They have their own language. They don’t need to talk to you."Except, all these issues wherethat affects about 400,000 people across the world, and is the mostof combinedThis condition is calledOn January 22, 2018,was found to have this syndrome and waswith Retinitis Pigmentosa—the disease responsible for the blindness portion.(RP) is a genetic disease that causes slow, but. The retina is a tissue that lines the inside of the eye and sends images to the brain. RP causes a gradual destruction of the light sensing cells, far and peripheral vision cells, straight ahead and fine details, and cells responsible for seeing color. There is currentlyfor Retinitis Pigmentosa. Liberty is already experiencingand other symptoms of this disease, and will be going to thelater this month for further testing. Becauses medical history is identical to Liberty’s, he will also benext week.As you can imagine, this diagnoses has sucked the air right out of this family. They are, angry, sad, and confused. They areto finally have a diagnoses, but now they are trying to figure out those next steps, and the things they will need to learn to make sure Liberty (and Triton if diagnosed) has thepossible despite the circumstances.Theis a family of great, and that is what is getting them through these times.is what keeps them going, "I have told you these things that you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble.I have over come the world."More than anything, this family is asking for your; but with their permission and, we have started this page toThere will bemade for furtherthat will costand Liberty has also expressed the desire to go toand do somebefore she goes. We would likemake those trips and dreams happen without it being aWe haveas a goal, and we haveother than letting them know they are, and todirectly to them with whatever comes in. All the funds raised will go directly to the Gratz family for whatever they need.As we all have seen, these pages work when we. A lot of people giving just a little can go away.Join with me, and let's let this family know they are ||||| Liberty Gratz is deaf and she is slowly losing her sight. 
 
 That hasn't stopped her from working. But on the afternoon of April 22, she had an interaction with a customer at the Midlothian, Va. Publix grocery store where she works that will stay with her. 
 
 Gratz was kneeling down to arrange items on a lower shelf when a customer hit her. 
 
 "All of a sudden, I felt some woman hit me in my back," Liberty said through her mother, Jeanette Gratz's, interpreting, according to CBS 17. 
 
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 Gratz couldn't hear the woman asking where to find an item in the store, so the woman became violent, her mother told The News & Observer on April 24. 
 
 "At this point Liberty was stunned, but turned and told the lady she couldn’t hear by pointing to her ear and shaking her head no," Jeanette said. "She handed the lady a pen and paper so she could tell her what she needed, then showed her where it was. She said the lady still acted and looked angry while she was helping her." 
 
 Publix was supportive and management searched security footage, but no one could determine the identity of the woman who hit Gratz. 
 
 
 
 
 
 "They kept looking again and again and again, but you couldn't see because there were so many people blocking the camera," Liberty signed while her mother interpreted for CBS17. "It was hard for me to really see her face to make sure it was the right person." 
 
 Gratz normally communicates with customers using paper and a pen. But her vision loss means she doesn't always see people next to her or in her periphery. 
 
 "How would you feel if you were working and someone just came up behind you and decided to punch you?" Jeanette Gratz said. 
 
 Gratz and her brother, Triton, are 21-year-old twins who were born deaf and had vision issues. The twins have Usher syndrome — the most common genetic cause of combined deafness and blindness, according to a GoFundMe campaign for the family. 
 
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 Gratz and her brother use American Sign Language with family and friends. 
 
 Gratz was diagnosed with Usher syndrome and retinitis pigmentosa — the disease responsible for her blindness. Retinitis pigmentosa is a genetic disease that causes slow but permanent vision loss. 
 
 She already has night blindness and other symptoms. Triton also was scheduled to be tested for RP. 
 
 "This diagnoses has sucked the air right out of this family," the GoFundMe page said. "They are scared, angry, sad and confused. They are glad to finally have a diagnoses, but now they are trying to figure out those next steps, and the things they will need to learn to make sure Liberty (and Triton if diagnosed) has the best life possible despite the circumstances." 
 
 
 
 
 
 The GoFundMe account was set up to raise money for medical and travel costs and for Gratz to go to Disney World and do other traveling before she goes blind. 
 
 As of April 24, the GoFundMe account had raised more than $5,000. 
 
 Jeanette said she would pray for the person who struck her daughter. 
 
 "Whoever it is, they've been prayed for," she said. "I will continue to pray for them, and I hope that things get better in their life so they can be better to other people." 
 
 SHARE COPY LINK Video: Commencement exercises at the Governor Morehead School for the Blind in Raleigh, N.C. on Thursday, June 2, 2016. Robert Willettrwillett@newsobserver.com ||||| Usher syndrome is a condition characterized by partial or total hearing loss and vision loss that worsens over time. The hearing loss is classified as sensorineural, which means that it is caused by abnormalities of the . The loss of vision is caused by an disease called retinitis pigmentosa (RP), which affects the layer of light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye ( ). Vision loss occurs as the light-sensing cells of the retina gradually deteriorate. Night vision loss begins first, followed by blind spots that develop in the side (peripheral) vision. Over time, these blind spots enlarge and merge to produce tunnel vision. In some cases, vision is further impaired by clouding of the lens of the eye ( ). However, many people with retinitis pigmentosa retain some central vision throughout their lives. 
 
 Researchers have identified three major types of Usher syndrome, designated as types I, II, and III. These types are distinguished by the severity of hearing loss, the presence or absence of balance problems, and the age at which signs and symptoms appear. The types are further divided into subtypes based on their genetic cause. 
 
 Most individuals with Usher syndrome type I are born with severe to profound hearing loss. Progressive vision loss caused by retinitis pigmentosa becomes apparent in childhood. This type of Usher syndrome also causes abnormalities of the vestibular system, which is the part of the inner ear that helps maintain the body's balance and orientation in space. As a result of the vestibular abnormalities, children with the condition have trouble with balance. They begin sitting independently and walking later than usual, and they may have difficulty riding a bicycle and playing certain sports. 
 
 Usher syndrome type II is characterized by hearing loss from birth and progressive vision loss that begins in adolescence or adulthood. The hearing loss associated with this form of Usher syndrome ranges from mild to severe and mainly affects the ability to hear high-frequency sounds. For example, it is difficult for affected individuals to hear high, soft speech sounds, such as those of the letters d and t. The degree of hearing loss varies within and among families with this condition, and it may become more severe over time. Unlike the other forms of Usher syndrome, type II is not associated with vestibular abnormalities that cause difficulties with balance. 
 
 People with Usher syndrome type III experience hearing loss and vision loss beginning somewhat later in life. Unlike the other forms of Usher syndrome, type III is usually associated with normal hearing at birth. Hearing loss typically begins during late childhood or adolescence, after the development of speech, and becomes more severe over time. By middle age, most affected individuals have profound hearing loss. Vision loss caused by retinitis pigmentosa also develops in late childhood or adolescence. Some people with Usher syndrome type III develop vestibular abnormalities that cause problems with balance.
– Publix employee Liberty Gratz is deaf and partially blind, so she normally interacts with customers using pen and paper. She's now on the lookout for one customer who she says didn't give her that opportunity. Using American Sign Language translated by her mother, 21-year-old Gratz tells WRIC she was straightening a shelf at a Publix in Midlothian, Va., on Saturday when "all of a sudden, I felt some woman hit me in my back." Gratz says the woman had apparently been trying to get her attention, unaware she suffers hearing and peripheral vision issues as a result of Usher syndrome, a condition Gratz and her twin brother were born with. It's described on a GoFundMe page for her family as "the most common genetic cause of combined deafness and blindness." Though her mother says Gratz "doesn't always notice the people beside her," per WRIC, she tells the News & Observer her daughter was "stunned" by the hit. She "turned and told the lady she couldn't hear by pointing to her ear and shaking her head no. She handed the lady a pen and paper so she could tell her what she needed, then showed her where it was," Gratz's mother adds, noting the customer still acted angry. Gratz says store managers looked "again and again and again" at footage of the incident, but they couldn't identify the woman "because there were so many people blocking the camera." She says she still hopes to get in touch with her, though, simply to teach her about being kind to people, regardless of whether they have a disability.