How are all of you this morning? Here in Vancouver, BC, we got blasted with a bunch of snow last night and freezing temperatures this weekend!

While it is brisk and chilly out, right now it is -12º, I can truthfully say that I’ve done far worse. -38º to -44º is about the lowest I’ve experienced. And, it would not be a cold snap, as in done in two days or so, but I’ve experienced winter lasting several months, from November to March… brrrr!

Thankfully I don’t live in that clime anymore, and I won’t visit that area of the country when it is that cold! No thank you!

We’ve all experienced cold weather before, what is the coldest temperature you’ve experinced? Time to brag!

To the blog in question, today I will tell you about an event that happened in November of 2023.

I had an early morning botox appointment in a city that is notorious for a lot of things: Indian cuisine, gangs, beautiful buildings, transit, disrespect for mobility device users…

Having motored to the Outpatient clinic in 15 minutes of freezing weather, my gloved hand was frozen to the joystick! Painful! Not a fun trip there!

So, after being pricked 7 times with botox, I decided to grab a bus back to the skytrain. Not getting frozen again!

A bus arrived quickly enough, the ramp extended welcomely, I board, tap (my card) and park without a problem!

I am right behind the driver, basically we are “back to back.” I am facing everyone else on the bus, a spot I’m not too keen on.

I always turn off CJ-3, then give a Thumb Up with my left hand.

This gesture informs the driver that I am parked and ready to go. I do this because, well obviously, I’m DeafBlind, right… I never say anything on public transit.

Most drivers understand the gesture, if they even see it, as “Go Ahead” and we are going ahead…

Not this driver…

We haven’t moved yet.

I am not paying much attention to what’s happening other than notice we haven’t moved. Candy Crush is so mind-boggling! I can’t put it down!

Vaguely, between switching candies, I look up and wonder why the bus hasn’t moved yet. I guess at least 10 minutes has elapsed since I stuck my thumb up.

At that moment, a young adult (a university student maybe?) approaches me, uttering something; his lips were moving, but I couldn’t understand… “Deaf” I gesture. He flashes understanding like a mirror flashes light! Offering no more discussion, he heads towards the front of the bus, while I gaze back, forlornly, at my device, I just failed a level.

I am trying again to beat that level, I think it was 5569, again my focus is on my screen not the scene…

We are still idling, at least 13 minutes has elapsed by now.

I didn’t even notice the driver was now standing beside me! Until I looked up mid candy-swap…

She had a grumpy demeanour, one that said “I’ve been driving since 5 AM!” Don’t mess with me!

With a thin veneer of professionalism, she shows me her phone… Ah yes, she uses technology to speak with me, nice.

As the message is small, I can’t read it, with practiced patience, I activate my iPhone’s magnifier, using that to read her message, which says:

“Is your power off?”

I look up at her with incredulous shock etched into my blue eyes!

I reply with a powerful voice that brooks no argument: “Holy shit! You mean to tell me that we’ve been sitting here for 15 minutes when you were calling me, yelling, demanding to know if my power was off! I guess you could not get your head around the notion that Deaf people can use mobility devices? Instead of getting out of your fucking chair to ask me yourself, you continued to yell and yell! All these people are late because YOU couldn’t deign to even consider a Deaf person using a power chair! What the fuck do you think the Thumb Up was for? Did you actually see that? Or did you think I was hitching a ride? For fuck’s sake! Yes, the power has been off for more than 15 minutes! Let’s fucking GO!”

Hahaha… that was hilarious! Just to set the record straight; No, I did not say that… I really wanted to!

My ataxia and the shock of being asked this idiotic question caused me to flutter a lame-o reply: “Yes… off for 15 minutes…!” But, my lack of loquacious reply was not without steely gaze and assertive posturing! I know I had a profanity on my tongue, but it got muddled, probably came out as ducking. Anyways, the driver got her response and scurried back to her drivers seat. Moments later we were rocketing to the Skytrain terminal!

What is all the commotion about? If it isn’t obvious, I’ll elaborate:

The driver of the bus was trying to determine if my power chair was off, she did this by verbally calling out. She made no attempt to approach me, until AFTER someone else determined that I was Deaf. Why was she putting that onus of responsibility of someone else?

Instead, she should have done the following: Called out to me, when I did not respond, then she should have gotten out of her enclosure and approach me. Using a device to communicate is perfect! Then, I would have conveyed, with dignity and cheerfulness, in the affirmative that the power was off.

Sure, I should have been more cognizant of my surroundings, putting the device away.

Imagine, the year is 1997, I’m engrossed in a Clive Baker novel, and I’m riding a late-night bus from university to my apartment. The bus stops for an overlong period of time. I don’t even notice, Mr. Baker writes some scary shit. Suddenly, my shoulder is tapped roughly. Naturally, I scream! Could it be at that exact point some gory detail was being expertly elucidated, and I transferred that to the real world! Heart pounding, I look up to see the driver standing there, standing a few feet away, defensively, gesturing “go out.” Then I realized we were motionless and I was the only passenger, and then I understood that the driver was telling me to get off the bus. I stuffed the book in my backpack, sheepishly went out the back door, probably muttering “sorry.” I tried to quell my pounding heart!

Oh hell, don’t imagine that, it really did happen!

That analogy was to demonstrate that no matter the decade, I can become so focused on something that I would not notice someone calling me.

That is Deafness for you, and add DeafBlind to that mix…

Moral: don’t wait, approach, tap my shoulder.

I hope you enjoyed this blog as much as I liked writing it