Hey y’all!

Ready for some mind blowing discussion?

So, I’m deafer than a doorknob in a Buster Keaton Silent Movie, I’m also sporting low vision, I can’t see, unless I’m six inches away, the TV. I’m the world’s most unreliable witness!

And yet, I graduated from Simon Fraser University, I accomplished that feat 26 years ago!

(Cue fanfare, wave the flags, beat the drums!)

Now, you all know I’ve been trying to finish a trio of novels right…

In early May I decided, finally, to enrol in some Continuing Studies at SFU.

I did a search and found a couple of great classes that I immediately signed up for. One class had 8 of 20 seats taken. Not sure about the other class.

I contacted Continuing Studies, who told me to contact Centre for Accessible Learning (CAL) to get the required services, i.e., interpreters, that I need to take the two courses.

CAL said: I need to do three things first before they can provide services: Open my student account, Submit documentation that I am DeafBlind, See an Advisor. CAL recently added a fourth, Fill out a service request. I’ve completed 3 out of 4, I see the advisor this upcoming Tuesday.

You still with me?

So, about two months have passed, right… one class now has 19 students, the other 11. I haven’t officially registered because I am waiting for approval from CAL, and that they can find the appropriate interpreters.

What I am trying to say is that Able-Bodied persons can easily enrol and learn from the hundreds of Continuing Studies classes, they don’t need to go thru a three-ring circus just to gain some knowledge, whereas, a person such as myself, needs to complete a myriad of forms just to get interpreters.

That is ableism!

And don’t get me started on “virtual” classes, which I will never consider… too many issues! Again, how can I learn online when … oh I can’t even think of the small fonts, the quick discussions, the side projects… No.

Thank you for listening!

I’ll let you all know if I got into the 19 seated class!