Today, I experienced something I have never, well, experienced before.

I was, probably, the only DeafBlind students who attended Simon Fraser University during the last five years before Y2K, heck, I don’t even think there was another Deaf student enrolled at SFU.

While I connected with some students, and a couple of tutors, bumping into them and chatting never happened.

It was, aside from the interpreters, a lonely experience. I preserved, graduated and la-de-dah…

Now, fast forward to 2026, I’m a regular face at the SFU fitness centre, I’m not the oldest, but I’m still DeafBlind, people still don’t approach me, give me a big hug, or frisk me for cannabis. Again, I’m just flowing along, yet, I’m not lonely. I’m not looking for people to chat with, I’m looking for weights to lift and places to work.

But today, not only did I bump into someone I actually knew, that person was Deaf, and she works for SFU!

She spotted me, stopped me, said hi, and asked me how I was… I replied after recognizing the former intervenor. But I was so shocked, having never met another Deaf person on campus, that I quickly assassinated the convo with short remarks, as if I needed to be elsewhere!

Haha!

I hope I bump into that person again!

Thanks for reading…

… yes I need to go, seriously now!