My daily supports consist of my faith in God and my husband.
• Without my faith in God, I would’ve given up on life a long time ago. It gives me hope and purpose in my life.
• Every morning I wake up to a loving husband who never leaves the house or goes to bed without an “I love you” and a kiss. I rely on him for so many things I wouldn’t begin to have enough room to write them all. Not having my husband in my life would be devastating. It would turn my life upside down and I would have to begin anew. It would be scary.
My weekly supports consist of my family, my church family, and my colleagues. I benefit from all of them in different ways.
• My parents are the most loving and helpful people I know. My parents try to make sure they are available to help in whatever way they can.
• My church family is unique. At my parent’s church, I’ve grown up before the eyes of many of the members. To them, I am one of their little girls. To me, they are like an extended family. I’ve moved on to a different church and have built new relationships where I’m still greeted and treated like family.
• My colleagues…I could not and would not survive without my colleagues. My teammate and I collaborate together on curriculum, student behavior, and so much more, while simultaneously building a personal relationship.
Supports that I use in my daily life to make it easier are electricity, running water, household appliances, tools, TV, computer, and my car. Without many of these daily factors, my life would be dramatically different. Things would take much longer and I would accomplish fewer things during my day.
Challenge
If I were hearing impaired, I would want to be able to communicate with my supports. I would want them to speak or sign to me. I would want a hearing aid or other devices to amplify sound.
My faith in God would not change. However, I might like to have a written version of the sermon on Sundays so I could follow along, or better yet an interpreter. My relationship with my husband would not be challenged as long as the communication was working. My communication with my parents may transpire to written communications versus using the phone. If I still had some hearing, I would want a phone that amplified the sound. Depending of the severity of my hearing impairment, I may consider finding an alternative setting for teaching such as a school for the deaf.
It would definitely be a challenge to transition from no disabilities to having a disability. Maybe I’m wrong in stating this, but if you’re born with challenges I believe you begin adapting to the world around you and they likewise begin to adapt to you. I think of my relationship and supports that I’ve built with my parents. They would’ve done whatever it took to make sure I was happy, safe, and successful.
