I chose to study for a BA degree, and I know there was a big challenge for me as a deaf student at the university. My studying was a lot of hard work by using a literacy tutor at the university due to academic guidelines, plenty of extra hours of studying, and notetakers and interpreters in the lecture classes during the examinations. I decided to take a part-time course while working to pay the mortgage and living costs under my first home. But under the second home, I was receiving two incomes: a part-time job and benefits. My subjects were History, Linguistics, Anthropology and last Tourism. These courses took me five and a half years to complete without complaining, and of course, there was no student loan after a year I ended. I did the homework and research before taking up the classes at the university; for example, is there any disability support service available. There were services to help students with Disabilities at University and WINTEC. I ensured StudyLink and Workbridge (supports People with Disabilities in University/AUT/College) paid the interpreters and notetakers. I did take up the previous course – Certificate in Human Service: Disability Support Worker and Challenge Behaviour course at WINTEC (Formerly Waikato Polytechnic).
I did have surgery – Endometriosis in the same year I came home from the United States during my three-week holidays by visiting friends, Gallaudet University in Washington DC, and other places in July. In the following month, I taught and assisted a small group of students with disabilities in their play theatre. The play was called Snow White and Seven Tall Dwarfs. Oh, I remember this one, and I was teaching students to sign language in song with no barriers; how can they manage to sign with their physical disabilities. It was such a great time and fun working with them. Mind you, I was not paid to do this. Within several months I received a nasty cramp that GP could not diagnose my symptom until the nurse at the Radiology discovered by doing a reversal scan.
Finally, the specialist tried to arrange the booking for me to return to teach and be there during the performance night. Because the students and manager wanted me to be there for them. I jumped the booking secured to have surgery because one of the patients pulled out, and the month was October. I found a replacement person for three weeks while in the private hospital. Before I went to the hospital, I explained to the students what had happened, and the plan continued while I was absent. The students accepted this and continued to practice the song in sign language. The performance night was successful, and many of their parents, friends, and staff were amazed to see their students could do anything. Of course, I was there to see them on the stage just five weeks from the surgery in November. I treasured their card with many signatures and comments here. My mother gave me the card on the first week out of the hospital in Raglan, where I was resting. Ah, I recalled my swearing language to the nurse while she was trying to tell me that my mother was on the phone after the most prolonged surgery in the late evening. I was sure that mum was relieved to hear that I was okay. The following day, I woke up to find three different specialists standing at the foot of the bed; who the hell was they.
I have another disability called C4-7, Cervical degenerative disc disease, and this symptom took five-six years to get the correct diagnosis. The result was officially in 2015. I was relieved after many years to acknowledge that ACC was wrong to point out back in the 1990s when I moved to my second home in April. Then in May, I woke up with a shattered nerve full of haywire and unable to move my right side before going to work as a teacher aide. It felt like a truck ran over me in the early hour of the morning. The recovering timeframe was a year while I continued to work on light duties and battled with ACC. This was my belief of this injury-related back to the 1990s, not recently or ‘wear and tear’ like arthritis. I never get any claim for this from ACC, and yes, I have tried before. Because I knew they would not accept this injury. Today I learn to live with it by managing physical activities, resting, and having support from my partner, for I am grateful, and two workplaces where I am now to get time leave. If you tell me about the supporting bracket in the disc spine, it is not impossible because I have done my homework through a specialist in the United States. I would not have this as it is my decision.
Actually, I am deaf with disabilities now.
Part Four follow later
Life in Eureka 