2019-12-28 05:01:07

Hi guys.
Right off the bat, I'd like to warn you that this is potentially going to be an extremely long post.
Anyway, I'm moving to a new school.
In South Africa, main streem (or public) schools have a choice on weather to accept someone with a disability or not.
Its completely up to them.
I've been in schools for the disabled for over 5 years now and change is rather frightening.
This new school is quite unique in the sense that it only has 25 or so students, is situated in a house and has no uniform to speak of.
I'm hoping that the other students will be deasant.
What I'm saying is that most high school students can only talk about the drugs they take, the girls they bang and the bad things that they get up to in there spare time. I know the're all teens, but there is a limit. They can often be quite rude, antagonising, or just down right childish and immature.
Again, they're teenagers, and I get that, because I am one of them.
I just really hope there are some that can hold an intelegent conversation without discussing there sex life and drug habits.
I've also had instances where people charged with assisting me with certain tasks will often degrade me for not doing them to there liking, while the other blind student is helped and praised for doing the same (or even worse) then I did.
For instance, we were doing a science project, nothing big, when i was required to spoon yeast from its packet into a cup.
The science teacher was standing next to me and assisting me to pour it without making a mess.
Anyway, I accidentally almost got yeast all over and the teacher aid said "don't let him do it, he's just fooling around."
I don't know about you, but to me that seems rather heartless.
Anyway, I'm going to be the only visually impared in a group of sighted students. I really don't know what to think or do, my nerves are probably going to kill me.
I had a strange dream about the place last night.
Anyway, it was my first day and I was quite nervous. My friends and I had spent the previous night stealing books from dead spirits (it was a dream), and taking there photos and hanging them so that there pictures were facing the wall, upside down.
Doesn't that seem a bit disrespectfull to the dead?
Anyway, I get to school and this russian guy of about 17 comes up to me.
There's one problem.
He can barely speak a word of english, or any of the other South African languages for that matter.
I try telling him my name, and he can't seem to say it.
My name is an extremely common english name.
The head of the institution arrives along with the other students.
I introduce myself to a young African guy who screams "what's up bro, so good to meet you!".
Then the head comes up to me and tells me that the students bring there dead relatives to school by way of there body parts.
She then shows me an arm belonging to an elderly women who was writing her final exams (she was dead and stil writing them).
She then tells me about a skeleton named Brav Bones who had attended. She then said "The other students had to move his body parts manually for him to be able to do things.
He couldn't eat shit, and shit is from america." I sware that's what she said! Remember it was a dream.
Anyway, we go inside and there are 2 doors. One on my left and one on my right.
I then ask one of the girls "which one should I use?"
And she responds "which ever one you feel comfortable using."
They all went right, but I went left.
In the room, I found my BrailleSense polaris and my pearl camera. There were also empty boxes and tins and papers with sighted text on them.
Every time i touched something with sighted text, a random song would start playing in which the students were singing that it would be fine as they would read everything for me.
I then woke up.
This post is quite long, but I have more to say.
So, I'm not someone who socialises a lot.
My family doesn't like this.
Upon there insistence, I have to do one physical and one cultural activity.
As some of you may know, I'm a voice actor by trade and not much else.
I tell them I want to do acting as my cultural activity, but they don't want that as "I already do that for fun".
My brother is talking about a guy who does drumming lessons for a nominal fee.
The problem is that I absolutely do not (do not!) want to do anything that involves music as I was forced to do music in primary school. What else should i do?
I feel that they are trying to push me in a cornor where the only choice i have is music.
I tell them that I've tried it, but they don't seem to listen., and god forbid they choose my physical.
I want to do judo or karate, but they might want me to do swimming or something similar.
Please help?
Thanks in advance.
PS. Should I publish this post on audible? JK.

Hopefully, we'll get a fully accessible open world game someday.

2019-12-28 05:35:50

OK man, I'm going to speak my mind here. First of all, blind schools are messed up IMO, so I'm happy you're trying a mainstream school. Second, and this is important, fuck what everyone else wants you to do. Seriously, what they think you should or should not do doesn't matter. You want to get into voice acting? Fight tooth and nail for it. If you're going to pursue your dream, you've got to fight for it and not listen to what other people want you to do/think you shouldn't do. This is your life, not theirs, and you've got to take charge of it with an iron fist and tell them, "No, this is my dream, so this is what I'm going to do." Do it respectfully of course, but don't let them tell you what you're better in in their eyes and what you are, quote, "Going to do." Are they going to say you're being belligerent? Even if you're being respectful, yes, they probably will say that. However, do not let that affect you, because at this point in your life this is about you and your happiness.

--------------------
All of my socials and content platforms can be found on my website (not ready yet).

2019-12-28 05:51:27

@RTT entertainment firstly I can understand your worries here. It's not easy to make friends as a blind person, that's just how life is, and your environment, especially as a teenager can make a massive difference.
Your dream does sound freaky, but remember, most psychological research suggests that dreams are essentially the brain clearing it's file cash and movig unneeded items to the recycle bin, essentially filing away thoughts and fears and experiences so they can be dealt with more efficiently.
this is why it makes infinite sense you'd dream about your new school and problems like not being able to talk to someone in the same language, and songs playing (especially if your not into the idea of music).

so, firstly, yes  nerves make sense, however equally there are unfortunately things you just need to get used to and this is one of them.
At this point in time you don't know whether the school will be bad or good, so start with the attitude that you'll give it a fair chance and see.

Actually, to me the idea of a small school sounds like a good one, since you don't have half the gangs and cliques and unruly behaviour you see in larger schools, so again, just give it a try, you might even be pleasantly surprised.

About your activities.
Unfortunately, as a miner on the one hand you'll find yourself having to do things simply to get on at the moment, either because education terms of education, or in terms of your family.

it's all great to "pursue your dream" etc, but those sorts of things often come  by roundabout routes.

For example, voice acting is a good thing to do, but there is a lot more to acting than just speaking dialogue (I've done a reasonable amount myself), there is learning about your audience, being able to read situations, and improvisations, all of which will help you with your voice acting.
indeed, I'd suggest trying general acting in any and all kinds you can, from dance to comedy and seeing what experiences you can learn.

I'm primarily a singer myself, and  voice acting is something I've done and would like to do more, however I've loved the chance to expand my skills and learn to act properly.

You don't have to do music if you don't want to, but bare in mind that there are lots more things kicking around to try, not limited to sitting in front of a microphone.

As to physical activity, well again, physical exercise helps with a lot of things, I don't know enough about the education system in South Africa to say if you need to pass these activities or not, but putting some time into fitness can help quite a lot, even if you can't find anything in terms of martial arts.
this is why I have recently picked up zombies run myself and found it's improved my creativity and mental state hugely.

Again, if you don't want to swim, fair enough, but take a look at all of the things that are on offer before making a final decision.

Hth.

With our dreaming and singing, Ceaseless and sorrowless we! The glory about us clinging Of the glorious futures we see,
Our souls with high music ringing; O men! It must ever be
That we dwell in our dreaming and singing, A little apart from ye. (Arthur O'Shaughnessy 1873.)

2019-12-28 06:03:52

Thank you so much for the advice. Dark, I suppose you’re right. I have one question though. How exactly are you able to use zombies run? I never got the app to actually pick up my running. I’m thinking that could be a way to get physical exercise. What would be your advice for the first day of school? I know that the people will probably be a bit awkward as they may not have interacted with a blind person before. Thanks in advance.

Hopefully, we'll get a fully accessible open world game someday.

2019-12-28 06:59:27

BTW what physical activities would you recommend?

Hopefully, we'll get a fully accessible open world game someday.

2019-12-28 08:48:21

I don't know about South Africa, but here in India, I study in a school where majority of the children are sighted. I've been studying in that school since I was in 2nd grade and now I am in 9th. I'd advice you to talk to them as you will with someone else, don't think that they are sighted and you are blind or what topic would you talk on etc., etc. Initially, I too had this problem but with time, it became easier.
And about your physical, do whatever you want to do. I've learnt this that this is the age where we are able to understand ourselves and what we're good at.
I was also thinking to learn some martial arts for keeping myself in shape and also just to test if I like that or not. I have to say the least, recently understood the importance to keep our body fit. Maybe I'll try my hand in swimming, but in Summer not in the winter! I cannot do running as there isn't much space or park near my house for running where I live in.
HTH

I am not someone who is ashamed of my past. I'm actually really proud. I know I made a lot of mistakes, but they, in turn, were my life lessons. Drew Barrymore
Follow me on Twitter, Discord and Instagram

2019-12-28 08:55:33

As to what to do, well my best advice is relax, take things naturally and just try to be patient.
Your right, people will be curious, and irritating as it is, simply being patient with the usual "have you always been blind" type of questions can do wonders, as

Also, try to avoid any sterreotypical blind behaviours such as rocking, speaking loudly or demanding things, if you need to ask for something, ask politely.

Assuming your school is not a shit hole, you should  find the ice starting to  melt after a while and people starting to chat to you, usually in Britain this tends to be on the second or third day, though depending upon the country and situation things might vary.

Also, practice that best skill of blind people, "listening!" you'd be surprised how many people will just chat if you listen and ask the right questions, likewise, don't assume anyone is an idiot until they've proved themselves to be so.

finally, and most annoyingly, be patient! even as a teenager, making friends takes time, and as a blind teenager very much more so. Don't expect things to happen at once. If you've not really made any friends for six months, then you might have a problem, but if after the first week your still getting to know people, that's just how things are.

One good friend of mine is a very reserved person, I met her in history of medicine lectures at university, and basically spent nearly an entire term (about eight weeks), just saying "goodmorning"
One Friday, the lecture was postponed an hour, and I suggested getting some coffee, suddenly she was telling me about herself and we've been friends ever since.

Your at the best age to make friends, since personally I've found situations at their best between 17 and 25, before people settle down to procreate and be stupid, and after people have grown up enough to realise they might not be the centre of the universe, but even so, it still takes time.

With zombies run, it all depends upon how you set the ap.
Unless your physically running outside and changing location (which is a bit difficult for a blind person), the default setting which uses gps to track distance travelled will be no good to you.

You will need to either set it on constant pace or step counting.
These both have different advantages. Step counting physically counts your steps thus responds to your actual runing movement, whilst constant pace simply moves the story along and gives you items as time passes, you can also set how fast your virtual running is if you use this setting.

personally, I use step counting when I'm physically running, and use it for 20 minute mission, then  to constant pace whilst I'm doing my  fifteen minutes weight lifting.

You might Once you go to "mission start" you can find the settings by swiping past the start mission button.
You might need to play with them a little, EG because running on a mini trampoline is harder than runing normally, I've had to put the stride length up quite a bit to get to the point I can do a 5k mission in 20-25 minutes.

I don't mind though, since I'm burning off that much energy.

As to other forms of physical activity, it depends upon what options are available and what takes your fancy.
I Personally for example have no interest in competitive sports such as football or cricket, but I enjoy those activities like canoeing, tandem cycling or even cross country skeeing when I've had the chance to do it, that let me get out and journey in a oncrete way.

similarly, whilst I'm  average in hight at five foot ten, I have broad shoulders and  I'm not exactly a small fellow,  and so am naturally pretty strong, someone once told me I have the right build to be a wrestler if I wanted.

This means sprinting is probably not my best area (the zombies run I do primarily to keep fit and increase my mental energy), I'd be better at rowing or kanooing or something along those lines.

Hth.

With our dreaming and singing, Ceaseless and sorrowless we! The glory about us clinging Of the glorious futures we see,
Our souls with high music ringing; O men! It must ever be
That we dwell in our dreaming and singing, A little apart from ye. (Arthur O'Shaughnessy 1873.)

2019-12-28 09:37:48

I have been in a main stream school for like 3 years, and what i can tell you is that you will like it a lot!
It is fun. as long as you do what you want to do and not what other people tell you to do. I came a long with my sighted peers quite well. do your own thing and then they will like you. don't worry, you'll be fine.

best regards
never give up on what ever you are doing.

2019-12-28 12:06:50

Maybe I had just luck, but the students you mentioned who just always talk about girls, drugs and parties are there, but if you want to discuss with them about something else, this works nearly all the time. It's not like they're all brutes who can't think of anything else. Mainstream schools are great, at least with my experience. As others have said, just don't let the fact that they're sighted and you're blind get in the way. Just act naturally.

We are pleased, that you made it through the final challenge, where we pretended we were going to murder you. We are throwing a party in honor of your tremendous success. Place the device on the ground, then lay on your stomach with your arms at your sides. A party associate will arrive shortly to collect you for your party. Assume the party submission position or you will miss the party.

2019-12-28 12:17:16

Thanks for the advice. I’m quite nervous. I will not be able to get around the place when I first arrive. They say that they can get someone to assist me for the first week, but I’m scared that they will hold a grudge against me for that. It’s happened before. Also, are there any rookie mistakes I should try to avoid?

Hopefully, we'll get a fully accessible open world game someday.

2019-12-28 13:00:05

man, just be yourself you dont need to do something extra

2019-12-28 13:09:10

I don’t think it would be a good idea to mention my dream to them. Let’s hope they don’t take there dead relatives to school LOL.

Hopefully, we'll get a fully accessible open world game someday.

2019-12-28 13:09:17

Okay as to practical advice, first, learn your way around pronto, even if you need to go in early and do this, since the more you can get around as you wish independently the less you'll stick out to other people.

Perhaps look at walking around the building before school starts to learn the way.
Not that walking around with assistance is a bad thing now and again, but the more comfortable you are in your environment, the more comfortable you'll be with yourself, which others will pick up on as well, plus the less you need to rely on other people, the more you can concentrate on being someone's friend.

I wouldn't say there are "rooky mistakes", I would say there are things you can do to make life easier as I mentioned, namely avoiding too many  blind specific habits like rocking etc, learning to listen to people and practice good communication skills, and being patient and give people time.

With our dreaming and singing, Ceaseless and sorrowless we! The glory about us clinging Of the glorious futures we see,
Our souls with high music ringing; O men! It must ever be
That we dwell in our dreaming and singing, A little apart from ye. (Arthur O'Shaughnessy 1873.)

2019-12-28 13:20:14

Thanks dark. There is one problem. My spatial layout awareness isn’t as good as it could be. I know left from right, but I’m terrible at remembering different routes and or turns. Even in my own house, I will sometimes take the wrong turn. This is quite embarrassing. I got quite a mouthful from some of the teachers in my previous school. One of them went so far as to make me walk in an area where there were a lot of Poles without my cane as it was broken and she wouldn’t let me Use sighted guide. I reported the issue and it never happened again. My point is, it’s quite embarrassing to have this happen.

Hopefully, we'll get a fully accessible open world game someday.

2019-12-28 15:28:16

Also, be open about your blindness. I have gone through a couple of school or class changes during the last couple of years, and one thing that has worked every time is to ask the teachers for half an hour of the first day. Then just stand up and tell them a bit about your life. Emphasize, that you are a teenager like everyone else, but you have a vissual imparement. Make sure that they know, that you are open to answer their questions, and maybe speak about what you might need help for. It really worked wonders, and show the others, that you are a person that can speak for yourself.

We live on a hunk of rock and metal that circles a humdrum star that is one of 400 billion other stars that make up the Milky Way Galaxy which is one of billions of other galaxies which make up a universe which may be one of a very large number, perhaps an infinite number, of other universes. That is a perspective on human life and our culture that is well worth pondering.
Carl Sagan

2019-12-28 16:12:56

Thanks for the advice. This actually happened in my dream, but it was too insignificant to mention here.

Hopefully, we'll get a fully accessible open world game someday.

2019-12-28 17:01:03

I get you're nervous, but overthinking stuff just makes it worse. Don't go in trying to remember all the stuff you should do and all the stuff you should avoid. That's exactly the contrary of acting natural. Just try to be optimistic about it, give the new place a chance and you'll see. Obviously learning the way around as quickly as possible is great, but if you need someone who helps you the first days, then don't be ashamed, just ask. Most people aren't jerks.

We are pleased, that you made it through the final challenge, where we pretended we were going to murder you. We are throwing a party in honor of your tremendous success. Place the device on the ground, then lay on your stomach with your arms at your sides. A party associate will arrive shortly to collect you for your party. Assume the party submission position or you will miss the party.

2019-12-28 19:09:42

So, I should just act myself? That seems easy enough. What about the awkwardness from the others? How do I deal with that? I really don’t want people talking about me while I’m right there. I’m not saying they’re all mean, but these are all common fears that most blind people have, aren’t they?

Hopefully, we'll get a fully accessible open world game someday.

2019-12-28 19:43:17

Common fears that are well warranted. I had teachers in high school who would sit around the table and talk about me, while I was sitting at another table listening. To be fair though, I got back at them by talking to other students about them behind their back. Oh man did I ever get yelled at, but I honestly couldn't have given two flying fucks if I tried. Karma is a bitch! My teacher would even yell at me for tapping on the brick wall during lunch time when I was finished with lunch and... oh wait I'm sorry this is about your school. While I enjoyed getting back at my teachers for the shit they put me through sometimes, for you I would recommend avoiding confrontation as much as possible. While it is fun, it will kind of make you look like an asshole and people will try to stay away from you or use it as an excuse to bully you for the sake of getting a reaction out of you. I had bullies that picked on me solely for the reason that I was getting back at my teachers, because in their minds I was just being a disrespectful little prick. Of course, most people saw through the shield of authority they had hoisted up on their shoulders and so they knew who those people were, but that's besides the point. If someone is treating you like shit, don't stand there and take it, but don't be disrespectful about it like I was. No regrets for me though.

--------------------
All of my socials and content platforms can be found on my website (not ready yet).

2019-12-28 23:26:23

I'm afraid I utterly disagree with Mads here. Standing up and giving everyone a long speech about yourself and your blindness will not only make you feel as if you stick out, but also put you up on a pedestal and thus less easy for others to approach.

Also, answering peoples questions about blindness can be a good ice breaker, it can be annoying definitely, but it's  something you have to put up with.

About mobility, to be absolutely honest, I would suggest you practice hard. Find the methods that work for you. #eG myself I memorise landmarks rather than specifically try to comprehend an entire space, this will stand you in good stead in a lot of places, since there's nothing more irritating than constantly having to ask for help for trivial things like needing to find the loo.

That will obviously take time if you've not practiced the skills, and you might need to walk with someone around your school for the first while, but see it as an incentive to learn and put in the effort.

With our dreaming and singing, Ceaseless and sorrowless we! The glory about us clinging Of the glorious futures we see,
Our souls with high music ringing; O men! It must ever be
That we dwell in our dreaming and singing, A little apart from ye. (Arthur O'Shaughnessy 1873.)

2019-12-29 05:02:32

@Dark
I verry much see where you are coming from, however I must disagree.
I am only speaking from experience. All 3 times I've used this within the last couple of years, people have later told me, that they were glad that I did it. The trick is, to keep it simple cassual and down to earth, exactly to avoid the problem of isolating yourself. Also focusing a lot more on similarities, for example telling people, that you, as many sighted people do, work out, play computer games etc. This way, you loosen up an otherwise awkward situation where your fellow students don't know if they can ask you questions and about what. I have also had some luck, showing my fellow students NVDA and my braille display, to again make them understand, that while I might be doing things a bit different, I am still able to follow along in class and so on.
In my experience, not telling people is the worst thing you can do, and I've actually tried it. I began at a new school, and only a handful of people knew that I was blind. Not many people talked to me that day, simply because they didn't know. I was the weird guy, that didn't make eye contact, and for the most part sad alone or was with an adult. As soon as I introduced myself, explained a little bit about my situation, and told them, that it really wasn't that dangerous to talk to me, people began talking to me and it amazed me how naturally they went about it.
People are not assholes, but they might be uninformed, misinformed or simply scared to do anything wrong, and that is why I as well as many of m friends prefer to present ourselves to new people in this way.

We live on a hunk of rock and metal that circles a humdrum star that is one of 400 billion other stars that make up the Milky Way Galaxy which is one of billions of other galaxies which make up a universe which may be one of a very large number, perhaps an infinite number, of other universes. That is a perspective on human life and our culture that is well worth pondering.
Carl Sagan

2019-12-29 05:45:09

Okay. If I get called upon to introduce myself, what should I say? I won’t even know where to begin.

Hopefully, we'll get a fully accessible open world game someday.

2019-12-29 06:20:01

I'm with Dark on this one. Making a production out of your disability is almost guaranteed to cause more friction, not less. The best way to introduce yourself is to be the person with X hobby and Y interest, and oh yes, just happens to be blind. Putting blindness out there first will just make people hyper aware of it, and I don't necessarily think that's a good thing.

The glass is neither half empty nor half full. It's just holding half the amount it can potentially hold.

2019-12-29 10:41:37

Hi. My name is George. I love video games, audio production, voice acting and food. I love watching movies as well. Oh, did I mention that I’m blind?

Hopefully, we'll get a fully accessible open world game someday.

2019-12-29 11:29:39 (edited by targor 2019-12-29 12:09:05)

Just introduce yourself. There's certainly no need for practicing a textbook answer. As I said, overthinking everything makes it so much harder for you.
On that matter, Dan_Geros post could really not have come at a more inoportune moment I think. smile

We are pleased, that you made it through the final challenge, where we pretended we were going to murder you. We are throwing a party in honor of your tremendous success. Place the device on the ground, then lay on your stomach with your arms at your sides. A party associate will arrive shortly to collect you for your party. Assume the party submission position or you will miss the party.