Five-Star Disability

Continuing my series dealing with Principles of intervenors; thank you for returning!

Today, we’re going to look at life without an intervenor.

Even Mae Brown, Canada’s Helen Keller, did not have an intervenor 24/7.

And I’m very sure Haben Girma did not have support every single moment within Harvard Law.

Those three figures, had support to empower them to succeed, yet they also had personal space and did things on their own, without an intervenor.

While an intervenor is super important to empower DeafBlind persons, it is not expected that an intervenor should work with DeafBlind persons everyday.

While there are agencies across Canada and around the globe that do provide access to intervenors 24/7, the consumers still have their own space and privacy.

I have 6 hours a week of intervenor services; which is fine with me. I do want more, but not everyday.

I have my habits and routines, as every other DeafBlind has, that I don’t need an intervenor’s assistance with.

I have, and so has other DeafBlind persons, developed ways, techniques, to overcome barriers when an intervenor is not present. Here are my tricks, yes they are mostly tech tricks:

• Magnifier on iPhone & iPad (this is so powerful that I can read the licence plate of the car in front intervenor’s car, in the rain!
• Zoom tool on iPhone & iPad
• Speech to text app
• Reader on browser (which sets font & text size on Safari browser, eliminates ads)
• White cane
• Vibrating crosswalk signals
• Large Print & Braille bus stop pole displays
• Captioning on TV, which I can now adjust
• Etc etc… I am always interested to learn what other DeafBlind persons use to overcome barriers, let me know!

Most intervenors have a vehicle, so I like to use the intervenor to travel distant places, to explore areas, unique areas. I’ve explored the vast beautiful chaos at the Vancouver Flea Market, explored the inner workings of Gastown, went to a hatchery, got my wife some amazing birthday flavours, explored my Alma mater’s new student union building, discovered a great place to.get free wood…

I’ve used intervenor to chat to Flea Market vendors, to find out about another event. I’ve bartered good deals with other Hot Wheel collectors. I learned about hatching coho, pink and other salmon, I’ve fondled salmon roe. I’ve explored temporary tattoos. I’ve found, gone too, several hidden vintage stores to sell Hot Wheels, old vinyl records, comics. I’ve made contact with a vintage store to keep an eye out for certain things. Etc etc…

I did all this with intervenors…

If I didn’t have an intervenor, I would not have found that vintage record store, would not have made $218. I also wouldn’t have had made.$435 from old comic sales, and I wouldn’t know how to bring my kids to the same store!

The intervenor empowered me to make the choices to do these things; but I’ve also done quite a few things myself, without an intervenor…

I’ve found great places to buy Hot Wheels, I’ve figured out how to use McDonald’s app on my phone. I’ve negotiated several times, successfully, with my bank. I’ve joined my alma mater’s psychology student union, I’ve also used, many times, gym facilities locally and at university. I’ve shopped for everything from bagels to deodorant to underwear to shoes to birthday cakes to steaks without help. Of course, I always keep the receipt!

But what if I want to something risky? Will an intervenor empower me then? Tune in tomorrow for more another awesome blog.

Thank you for reading, liking, sharing and donating!