Bruce’s Perspective on the Value of Connection

Sep 30, 2020

[Subtitles available in English & Spanish | Subtítulos disponibles en español y inglés]

Video Description Link: https://tinyurl.com/ya2ydhto

(DESCRIPTION)
Text insert appears: Bruce’s Perspective, on the Value of Connection. A man with a beard is laughing, sitting next to an interpreter. They are using tactile signing. He signs.
 
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The journey of a deafblind person is a difficult thing. There is no perfect answer how to navigate it. It’s an individual thing.
 
From my experience, I think the key is to develop partnerships with the faculty, with your roommates, with your club membership. You have to really make those connections so that you will know who you can rely on. For example, if you are struggling to walk alone at night, find someone who can walk with you. It’s a process of deciding which people you like so you become partners through the quarter.
 
Social events pose the same problem. An event may not be in an ideal location with bright lighting or something like that. I would look like a friend who could help check in on me from time to time. I would build a strategy on how to feel safe.
 
I was in a fraternity in college and we were active with drama, parties, meetings, and politics. Again, I followed that same principle: there are some people who aren’t so great and others who are excellent people. Those are who I would build a partnership with.  It was the key to building a connection with a few allies.
 
Some faculty members in college are great and some others are absolutely awful! I would just sit in and bear with it. You have two choices: You don’t have to stay with that teacher. You can just drop and take a different class, but if you want to graduate quickly, you have to bear with it and make it through the class.
 
Building connections with your community is the key. Really, that skill applies to everyday life anyway, so it carries over well.
 
(DESCRIPTION)
NDC Logo appears with the text reading: National Deaf Center dot org. This video was developed under a jointly-funded grant through the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) and the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) #H326D16001. However, the contents do not necessarily represent the positions or policies of the federal government. IDEAS that Work Logo. TA&D Network Logo. Department of Education Logo.

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Topic(s): eLearning
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