Miss-Delectable
New Member
- Joined
- Apr 18, 2004
- Messages
- 17,160
- Reaction score
- 7
The Deaf and Blind
Imagine a world with no vision and no sound; this is a situation that hundreds of deaf blind people suffer every day. Suffering from just one of the disabilities is problematic enough; coping with both is something most of us could not begin to comprehend.
I was lucky enough to work with a deaf blind lady during my time as a nanny. Normal sign language is of no use in this situation and I had to learn a completely new language where every letter of every word is laboriously signed onto their open hand.
She is the most incredible woman, despite everything she lived alone and had a young baby who, despite my presence as her nanny, was cared for completely by her devoted mother. They had a bond beyond anything I have experienced with my own children. She knew instinctively when her child was crying, a phenomenon I do not understand to this day despite having witnessed it on numerous occasions. Her daughter, though barely two years old, understood that shouting or playing up for attention was never going to get her anywhere and was the most impeccably behaved child, patting her mother lightly on the hand and leading her to the juice cupboard or the biscuit tin rather than issuing the stubborn “I want...” that I have heard so many times from my own rapscallions.
On our frequent outings to the local shopping center, she would be constantly tapping away on my hand, asking if there were any handsome men about, what people were wearing and if she herself had actually managed to dress in clothes that matched for once. Being deaf she had no idea of the volume of her laugh and if my reply amused her she would erupt with an immense raucous laugh that would have anybody close by convinced she was laughing at them, whilst I tried to hide in my handbag out of sheer embarrassment, something that I know was a constant source of amusement for her.
That lady taught me so much; she battled to be allowed to live alone, fought for the right to keep her own child and ended relationships with dignity intact when it became apparent she was being taken advantage of. In the face of such adversity I was humbled at how much more of a strong, independent woman she was than I.
Imagine a world with no vision and no sound; this is a situation that hundreds of deaf blind people suffer every day. Suffering from just one of the disabilities is problematic enough; coping with both is something most of us could not begin to comprehend.
I was lucky enough to work with a deaf blind lady during my time as a nanny. Normal sign language is of no use in this situation and I had to learn a completely new language where every letter of every word is laboriously signed onto their open hand.
She is the most incredible woman, despite everything she lived alone and had a young baby who, despite my presence as her nanny, was cared for completely by her devoted mother. They had a bond beyond anything I have experienced with my own children. She knew instinctively when her child was crying, a phenomenon I do not understand to this day despite having witnessed it on numerous occasions. Her daughter, though barely two years old, understood that shouting or playing up for attention was never going to get her anywhere and was the most impeccably behaved child, patting her mother lightly on the hand and leading her to the juice cupboard or the biscuit tin rather than issuing the stubborn “I want...” that I have heard so many times from my own rapscallions.
On our frequent outings to the local shopping center, she would be constantly tapping away on my hand, asking if there were any handsome men about, what people were wearing and if she herself had actually managed to dress in clothes that matched for once. Being deaf she had no idea of the volume of her laugh and if my reply amused her she would erupt with an immense raucous laugh that would have anybody close by convinced she was laughing at them, whilst I tried to hide in my handbag out of sheer embarrassment, something that I know was a constant source of amusement for her.
That lady taught me so much; she battled to be allowed to live alone, fought for the right to keep her own child and ended relationships with dignity intact when it became apparent she was being taken advantage of. In the face of such adversity I was humbled at how much more of a strong, independent woman she was than I.