Deaf-Blind Simulation. As I temporarily became deaf and blind I immediately didn t enjoy it. I started

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Liliana Wilson
7 years ago
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1 Deaf-Blind Simulation List of Tasks: -going to the bathroom and washing hands -making a snack and eating it -getting dressed (Changing clothes) Part 1 As I temporarily became deaf and blind I immediately didn t enjoy it. I started to think about how it would be if I suddenly lost these two senses. I also started to imagine how someone would feel if they didn t have their sight and hearing. That weighed heavily on my mind throughout the whole exercise. The first task I had to carry out was going to the bathroom. Even though I have lived in my house for almost 5 years and I know where the bathroom is, I instantly became disoriented when I had the blindfold on. My partner led me with his hand on my elbow and was kind of steering me in the right direction. Since I could not hear him he had to direct me where the toilet was and then kind of made me sit down. When we were going down the hall he kind of pulled me a little and I found that I didn t like that. I think that a person who was blind would also not enjoy being pulled. What is important is that the person be guided so that they can learn where things are on their own with the help of an assistant. Washing my hands didn t seem as hard as walking down the hall and into the bathroom. The only thing was that I didn t really know where the towel was but I eventually found it.

2 The second task was making a snack. My partner asked me to make a sandwich. This proved to be a challenge. Although I already knew where everything was I had to really feel around to find what I wanted. I realized how much the other senses kick in; mainly touch. I also realized that we take the sense of touch completely for granted. I was amazed at how much I could figure out just by feeling what it was and what it felt like. I could go in the fridge and feel for a mayonnaise bottle and go in the crisper and find a cucumber. The hard part was being able to spread things on the bread for some reason. I couldn t see how much I was putting on so when I tasted it there was way too much for my liking. The last task was changing my clothes. I think that this is one of the most difficult tasks. Firstly, we as the blind person can t see what we re putting on. Secondly, the person helping us doesn t really know what we like to wear and might not know what looks fashionable or what matches or doesn t. I found it hard that I couldn t hear what I was getting to put on and more importantly I couldn t see what I was wearing. My conclusion was to either find a stylist who could make sure I will look nice when I get dressed or not worry about it. Part 2 As the assistant who was helping the deaf/blind person I definitely had to be thinking of how I could make the tasks easier for the person all the time. I think that I expected him to know where things were and where he was etc. I was talking to him even though he couldn t hear but I think that helped me to help him. As I spoke the words it felt more natural for me to help him. I could see the

3 frustration on his face when he couldn t find the bathroom and when he couldn t make the sandwich the way he wanted to. I think the most challenging part was getting him dressed. Although he knew how to put on all the items of clothing it was not being able to talk to him that made it difficult. I also found that I was very patient with him and let him kind of figure out some stuff on his own. I wouldn t always correct him. I let him feel around for his tag on the shirt to find which side the back was. I also found that I was putting my hands under his for making the sandwich part so that he could feel what it felt like to do things like butter bread. Part 3 This was a wonderful assignment for us to do. I have never personally worked with a deaf or a blind child or person for that matter so it was all new to me. This assignment definitely brought some awareness to me about how challenging life can be when faced with being deaf and blind. Although I will truly never know what it is like unless I ever become deaf and blind, the activity still opened my eyes (no pun intended) to some of the realities of life as a deaf-blind person. I realized that people who are faced with this challenge are people too and that they aren t so different from us. I can t help think what it would be like to be in their shoes. I would imagine for someone who was born deaf/blind that life for them would not be any different because that is all they would know. For someone who perhaps became deaf/blind it would be so challenging for them to adjust to their new life. Although on one hand they would have already had a chance to see what the world looks like and feels like.

4 As an EA I know that I would have to do lots of research on people/children who are deaf and blind. Learning would never stop and there would always be challenges for me as well as for the student. More than ever this is an area that needs EAs in the classroom. The classroom teacher would definitely need assistance having a student who is deaf and blind. My job would be to make sure that this student stays as comfortable in the classroom as possible. I would always be trying to come up with new ways to help them and challenge them. People who are deaf and blind live a completely different life and we need to cater to their needs to make life as enjoyable for them as possible in the classroom. I am looking forward in my professional career as an EA to working with people with all sorts of challenges. Now having done this assignment I am a little more familiar with people faced with deaf and blindness. It will be an interesting journey. Reflection I included this assignment in my portfolio because I wanted to show how important it is for me as an EA to put myself in someone else s shoes. Of course I will never truly know what it s like to be blind or deaf unless I become blind and deaf but this activity was a good experience nonetheless. Also putting the shoe on the other foot was useful. As an EA you re not quite sure how you re going to deal with a person who has a disability until you are faced with a situation. It was valuable to have done this exercise so that I got an idea of how I would handle

5 the circumstances. I will use this activity to look back on if I am ever faced with someone who is blind or deaf.

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