G'day Everyone.
Just about everyone in life may or may NOT want to go back to see their former high school classmates that you graduated with so long ago.
Would you go or would you not? I'm going to leave that up for comments from the community.
For me, it was 30 years ago that I graduated from an experimental mainstream program for the deaf in my high school. I was the first deaf to be in it, but does Fairport High School care about it after 30 years? In their own opinion, they really don't care who comes to their school. Deaf, hearing, or handicapped. They're only getting their tax dollars worth to educate the future students that make up our society out there. When I graduated 30 years ago, it was in the PRE-ADA days. It would be another 10 years before ADA happened.
30 years. We all meet up at this wonderful country club (a golf club) that looked rich and lavish. But we were outside,under a tent and sweaty in the heat. Drinks kept flowing like cooling mists in glasses for people. Yes, people did get drunk a bit. But how many got home safely, I don't want to know.
I meet up with friends that I did know. I had to take my hearing aid off due to the heat. So we shouted over the music to make each other heard. One or two people knew finger spelling (which is cool). I connected with one person who knew of a job possibility for me. (Thanks, CJ!).
I sat and observed all my friends, their wives and partners. Some came out being gay. Most were straight. Most came from other classes that wanted to take part of the event in support of our classes. We talked about friends not there because of work or economic hardship. We talked about those that were gone (died).
Some asked me why I didn't make use of the ada laws that I could have interpreters at the reunion. I told them it wasn't necessary for me. We all found a way to communicate. We sat around year books to sign, talk about the life events we went through.
But one point of the evening was this: seeing my ex-girlfriend. She was the most wonderful girl I ever saw in my whole life again. I knew one thing: God answers prayers for me. We didn't talk at that reunion. There was no need to. We just looked at each other and realized by staying quiet, nothing needed to be said but a prayer. We had our pain 29 years ago. We blamed a deaf pastor for that and still do. But, God has been kind to my first girlfriend for my sake because she helped me through high school.
Near the end of the evening, I decided I had enough of observations, chatting, and drinking. I got up and stuck my hearing aid in my pocket and joined the blasting of the music on the dance floor. Friends said I still can cut a mean rug on the dance floor, just like I did when I was in freshman, soph, jr and senior high school dances. I still got the groove move. I may not be the best looking guy out there, but it was life of being social again among my hearing classmates.
Sadly, I found out I still have an enemy who still doesn't like me in life. What the hell and what reason for? He wouldn't say. Before I walked away, I told him " I'm sorry but, God help you, my friend, because I will leave you in God's hands". It was a sad end to the reunion, but the best move too because he was drunk and looking for a fight. God will deal with that person for me.
As I look back 30 years. I still want to reach back to 33 years ago. It was when I was declared a deaf man in a court setting for me. I wasn't there, but some one did it for me. Should that have opened the doors for me to attend a deaf school? Yes. If my parents knew it, why didn't they take it?
Only one reason: They followed the advice of audiologists and psychologists. They said I'd be better off in a hearing society than a deaf society. HOW WRONG THEY WERE!
I've been given the best of both worlds in my life. But both are just as bad as they are.
I wouldn't wish my life on anyone. But if there's one thing I would wish for someone in a mainstream program for the deaf is this: some one to really practice sign language with. That would have made the biggest difference of all for me.
One other message I'd like to send today: To my former deaf pastor who I meet in 1982: Do me a favor: Go stand before God, you bastard! Because you were never a real pastor and still is not either! God will strike you down one day and everyone will see your life revealed to all! God help you!
That's all for now. Till next post, I'll clue you in later.
No comments:
Post a Comment