this blog and me

Yesterday, I posted a blog about what I will not being doing this
weekend because I couldn't find a ride or SSP. That blog was
not meant as a complaint. I did say that I willingly sacrificed
my plans for my father and son. I also said that I understood
about my SSP having to cancel. Believe me, if I had wanted to
complain, the blog would have been written with a very different
tone. I also would not have mentioned the upcoming poetry
reading, which is something dear to my heart.

The main reason I wrote this article was for awareness. I
wanted to show the non-deaf-blind public how difficult it can be
for us to get out of the house and do things. In my case, I was
talking about a meeting, social events and volunteer work.
Other deaf-blind people struggle to get to the bank post office,
pharmacy and grocery store. This really is a serious issue.

Think about it. You are at home. There's not much food in the
house. You don't want to cook. So you jump in your car and head
to McDonalds. A deaf-blind person can't do that.

Let's say you are having a craving for donuts. You drive to
Dunkin' Donuts and pick out half a dozen to take home. A
deaf-blind person can't do that.

Or maybe you are leaving class and feel the need for some
coffee. On your way home, you go through Starbuck's drive thru
to buy some pumpkin coffee. A deaf-blind person can't do that.

I just lost a friend over yesterday's blog. She's been telling
me my entries are full of hate and prejudiced against people who
can see and hear. She finds it offensive that I once said, "most
hearing and sighted people don't understand what it's really like
to be deaf-blind." Apparently, last night's article was too
much for her. She made it clear that our friendship is
over.

I just don't understand her feelings. I don't see the hatred in
my blogs. I'm just writing about my life - the good and the
bad. I use my experiences as a way to promote awareness of what
it's like for people who are deaf-blind. I don't mean the
comment to be offensive, but I suspect that most people truly
do not understand the impact of being both deaf and blind. So I
write about it.

One more thing. I'm a person, just like everyone else. I have
good days and bad days. I get happy and I get angry. Sometimes
when I'm excited, I want to tell others. Sometimes when I'm
mad, I want to vent. The point is, everything I write here will
not always be heart-warming, beautiful and inspirational. What I
write about is real life - my life.