"If I, deaf, blind, find life rich and interesting, how much more can you gain by the use of your five senses!" - Helen Keller, 1928
What a day! Well Shevon and I had an appointment with Mr Ashford Joseph and his team. Mr Joseph was my music teacher and I do credit most of my musical and holistic development to him and his school - Joseph's School of the Arts (I think the name has changed now). He is a blind man yet very active, ambitious and productive. I exposed to PAVI - People Associated with the Visually Impaired through him. I supposed all these experiences were preparing me for where I am today.
Well, Mr Joseph and his team were working on a filming production in association with National Disabilities week and the Ministry of Social Development. I don't think that I mentioned that the Spelling Bee Competition is also part of this national call for disability awareness. Anyway, when he contacted Agape to assist in this production, I was amazed at how I've come full circle!
Added to this, one of my friends from school - Crystal Sylvester - was also involved in this project with Mr Joseph. I could not help but laugh because Crystal and I have lead a similar academic and even leadership journey and it was amazing that life would take us to this moment where we were serving the Deaf and Blind together lol. Wow! lol
Anyway, Shevon and I as well as Crystal acted out two scenes. One demonstrating the incorrect way to deal with a Deaf person and the other one demonstrating the correct way this should be done. It was a good experience although I am not particularly fond of the video camera.
Mr Joseph treated us to lunch after this. It was such a different experience to sit alongside four hearing people, one deaf man and another blind man. Shevon (deaf) could have been non-existant to Mr Joseph (blind) if no one was there to describe his expressions and interpret his signs. It was easier for Shevon to look at Mr Joseph and read his facial expressions together with me interpreting what Mr Joseph was saying. Mr Joseph told me that he always wanted to learn sign language! I thought that was cool when I first heard it but now on further thought he would not be able to see the Deaf person's signs. Wow! He will still need an interpreter.
Mr Joseph treated us to lunch after this. It was such a different experience to sit alongside four hearing people, one deaf man and another blind man. Shevon (deaf) could have been non-existant to Mr Joseph (blind) if no one was there to describe his expressions and interpret his signs. It was easier for Shevon to look at Mr Joseph and read his facial expressions together with me interpreting what Mr Joseph was saying. Mr Joseph told me that he always wanted to learn sign language! I thought that was cool when I first heard it but now on further thought he would not be able to see the Deaf person's signs. Wow! He will still need an interpreter. When you stop and take time to consider the daily challenges and the creative ways that they are overcome you begin to realise that hearing, seeing, and 'abled' people take so much for granted! As I said before, sometimes if we pause we would see that our 'ableness' has also made us 'disabled' to the natural beauty, simplicity and purity of life.
It is said that when one sense is non-existent the others are amplified. My view is that God has placed these Precious people in our lives so our sometimes dull senses may be intensified. My senses have definitely been quickened!
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