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Lorem Ipsum Dolor Spring 2016
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Growing up deafblind was not easy, but luckily I was correctly diagnosed at 3
½, when my patched good eye for lazy eye did not work. The doctor suspected
Usher's Syndrome because I definitely had a hearing loss. At 3 years old, I was
already receiving excellent intensive speech-language therapy in a preschool for the
deaf and hard-of-hearing in Kansas City, Missouri. When I moved to Minnesota in
1986, my diagnosis of retinitis pigmentosa was confirmed.
After that diagnosis, I progressed through school with some major hiccups,
stalled movement in my progress in the early years, but by the time I was in 11
th
grade, I was thriving. What was one of the big reasons? I finally had an educational
sign language interpreter/intervener. She was a certified interpreter who acted as an
informal intervener. I didn't have to focus all my energies following what the teacher
said and matching it with the visuals that I couldn't see at the same time. I now had
copies printed for me and I could read the tactile sign that interpreter translated. I
didn't have to wonder where people were in the room; I could ask my intervener.
She kept me informed of new information posted on the walls and helped me know if
other students were paying attention to the extremely boring movie playing. This
allowed me to know that I could slack off, too. I could meditate! Of course, she
would inform me immediately if the teacher looked upset or reprimanded me. I
trusted her to be my eyes and ears. I could fully focus on being me for the first time
in my educational life and not struggle on, being just "hard of hearing".
I also began taking some college classes at the University of Minnesota in
eleventh grade. My interpreter/intervener would help me there, too. While my
Jamie
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