Five-Star Disability

Hi there all my readers!

Finally I’ve cleaned up my desk! (It became over-messy! I will be blogging with regular alacrity that should be nothing short of spectacular!

Did you google alacrity? Betting you did!

I want to tell you: recently I attended a Deaf event, Deaf Deaf World, hosted by Vancouver Community College’s ASL & Deaf Studies program.

It was a blast! First time in TWO years due to, well you know why, won’t bore you with that.

It was so good to meet, chat, socialize and catch up with old friends and new friends… and people in-between!

I also brought my two sons (one hard of hearing, one hearing); they had a blast!! I was, still am, beyond proud that they were signing, chatting and even discussing my hair loss, with other Deaf people! I didn’t even need to encourage them to participate! Well done!

What did I learn? Oh, I learned a very important thing!

I’m now shorter!

When I stand, I’m about 5 foot 9, but when I am using CJ-3, I lose a foot in height. Instead of being at par with most people, I am now under par!

This shortness also led to more eye strain; I am looking up, a new vantage point that could change the syntax of an ASL sentence. I might misinterpret a sign, as I did a few times recent Deaf event, that threw a snag into the flow of things! And the lighting didn’t help!

For the first time, I was doing more tracking signing than I normally do. Tracking is when a Deaf-Blind person puts their hand on the wrist of the person they are chatting with, so that they follow the signs, fully. Before now, I rarely use tracking, even at night.

I really like it when people sit and chat with me when I’m using CJ-3, not lord it over me like a king to a cowering peasant! Let’s be equals, in height, if not goals!

So, not only was the Deaf event a breakthrough for social gatherings, it helped my kids become more attuned to Deaf culture, and I learned to e respect the shorter individuals!

Thank you for reading, liking, sharing and donating!