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ADAPTABILITY SKILLS
Years ago I used to go around the house pretending to be blind as I wanted to learn to visualise everything in my mind. It got to the stage of being able to walk down the road and knowing when to step off a kerb and not to. I didn't like the fact that facilities weren't designed for the practical purposes such slopes on the kerb which would make it somewhat easier even for the wheelchair bound. In the UK I am glad they started to be aware of the needs of others but it still would be great if man-holes which are uncovered to have a small warning sound placed on them for those who can't see them to know that the site is being worked. Another thing I still do today is turn down the sound on the television. The reason is I spent sometime with a deaf family when very young every Saturday afternoon. I enjoyed those times. The sound on their telly was always turned off. I therefore learnt to lip-read (not brillantly but useful tool to have) and follow the story of films without the need of volume. So I learnt to use the senses to concentrate on body language and facial expressions. I still do this whilst watching films which aren't in English and still be able to inform you the story line....even when the Indian girl in a Bollywood film seems permanently to be dancing round a tree. The only practical thing I would like to see as a vital impression is the singers of today to open their mouths when singing the words and not eat the words on videos and performances and some other artists who have difficulty with forming sounds more less words. The best examples so far (I am sure they are others) of clear impressions in their peformance as singers is Martine McCutcheon, Savage Garden and Shania Twain because you understand word for word. A practical purpose for lyrics of songs is for those who are deaf is to print them in full on the CD cover as a norm or a booklet form. Even if deaf people can't hear they can certainly appreciate them as poems. I was hearten to see Geri Halliwell on "Top of the Pops" music programme perform from her song "Lift Me Up" using Sign Language at the same time as sing the song.
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