Dear diary...Well it does seem as if I've created an open diary with this blog, and every time someone reads it and shares it even though it's mostly uneventful, and somewhat badly written it still acts as an outlet. everyone who knows me also knows I grudgingly accept being disabled but don't do it quietly, at least not while there's so much I can explain to people about dual sensory loss. I hope one day to get sponsorship to allow me to speak to medical undergraduates, everyone in the health profession and every other spectrum that deals with the public. Its not easy to reach out and get people to listen but those who do and those who read this diary, the thought that anyone is willing to show interest in the restrictions of dual sensory loss is a huge boost.
Like everyone else with disability I've experienced those instances when strangers have made rude remarks, treated me like an idiot or laughed as I pass by. I don't hear the insults or see the faces but still know instincivly when someone is sending out negative vibes. Its peculiar in a way because there's no sixth sense yet a lot of disabled people particularly those with high sensory loss really seem to be able to access vibes and emotions of those round them far better than the average person.
I've mentioned a deaf/blind mute man before and met him again yesterday. He's selective about who he likes to use dual finger maual onto his hand. He'll brush people away if he doesn't feel compatiable to them. He senses even before they touch his hand that he doesn't want to communicate with them. Its an amazing use of senses and something thats overlooked with our high dependency on vision and sound.
Touch and smell play a huge part in daily life yet most people don't give these senses a second thought. I easily distinguish the different vibrations of a bus, car, lorry or bus passing on the main road a short distance away and it's the same with planes, knowing if they are coming into land or have recently taken off. In a small way touch and vibration compensate for loss of sound.
Smell is remarkable. In the early pre speech days of homosapins smell and touch were vital assets. It wasn't looks wealth and certainly not chat up lines that attracted. More often than not it would be smell. With todays modern assortment of body sprays, perfumes and household substances you'd think the ability for natural scent detection would be over powered. Not necessarily so, I think it's that inbuilt sence of smell that lets me know when someone has been negative towards me and how the deafblind mute man can accept and reject people automatically.
Knowing we have other unscathed senses that though can't replace missing and damaged ones can help compensate just a little. If ever you were to meet me outside and my nose twitched it wouldn't be me impersonating Bewitched or having an itchy nose, it would be my automatic senses at work!!
I tend to write about so many different things because there are some days when I don't have the chance to participate in society so simply writing this such as; 'got up, waited for vision to settle, got burnt cooking, banged head on cupboard door, turned on PC, tripped over cats sat talking to self and waiting for someone else to communicate with me, and waited for the clock to complete its cycle,' all sounds so bland but the truth is...they and yet more things are the bland, dull and frustrating events of every day life for the deafblind...
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