Summer, Let’s Get Started
I’m excited about summer. It’s been hard social distancing this spring. I miss my family and friends. I think I’m getting tired of being home too. Mom and I explore lots and we haven’t done that in a long time. We go for walks, but it’s not the same. I think I’m getting tired of the long wait to go exploring. I love it. Mom teaches me about plants and insects. I really like when we see the birds up close. She does too. Yes, I think she’s a bird person. I just think I need to explore a bit again. We will soon. Oh, standup paddle boarding too. I sit on the front of the board and mom stands and paddles. I like my feet and hands in the water. I feel like I’m floating. I think it’s awesome. Mom points out jellyfish and seals I can see them if I'm close enough. Sometimes the jellyfish go right under the board. It’s cool. I like the ocean the best because you see more things close to the board. Lakes are peaceful, but I don’t see much - things are too far. My dad goes too, but the board he’s on is often far away. He takes lots of pictures for me to look at so I can see what I missed. Pictures really help me. I can look at them closely to see what was out of my vision at the time.
My mom just got a nice pair of roller blades. She loves skating. I was going to try, but my feet don’t go flat, so I can’t put my feet in skates. I’m having surgery to fix my ankles and make my feet flat, but it is postponed because of the virus. It’s ok, I get it and I’m healthy so that is good. It will happen.
Swimming is something I love and I’m a good swimmer. My grandparents have a pool. I think it’s awesome. So much fun. I swim with my family lots. Before, I was terrified of water. I didn’t understand what happened to people when they jumped in the pool. My vision didn’t allow me to see where they went. I got scared. Mom tried really hard to help me understand, but I didn’t get it until one day I got it. I just thought, "oh I know people are having fun, and they come back, so it must be ok". I think I just put the pieces together. It was just me having to get it all worked out. The things I can’t see or hear, sometimes confuse me. I think I’m getting better at asking and figuring things out that I miss. I’m not great at it, but getting better.
Oh, I’m sure you are not really feeling like trying a deafblind simulation. But if you do it will give you an idea as to how deafblind people live as problem solvers.
Thank you for reading again.
June is deafblind awareness month in Canada.