Margie & Luke - TAR 14

[jmb]

I'm glad this team won round 1, but I was surprised/confused when Luke said he wanted to win to prove that deaf people can do things (or something like that). Deaf people can do pretty much anything hearing people can do... other than hear. Are there still people out there that thing being deaf means that you are mentally handicapped?
I just don't get it.

[workn2hard2day]

Are there still people out there that thing being deaf means that you are mentally handicapped? yes, sad but true.

[dagwood]

Are there still people out there that thing being deaf means that you are mentally handicapped? yes, sad but true.

Definitely. My friend's husband is deaf and people treat him like he is dumb all the time. It's insane. She has 3 teenage boys, so sometimes he thinks it is a blessing to be deaf.

[Endit]

In the first season, both team members could sit up front with the camera person in the back, but I believe they changed that to make for better footage. Even putting both of them up front, I still think it'd be a challenge to be signing and taking your eyes off the road, even for a second (lord knows teams have missed obvious signs keeping both eyes on the road). I also wonder how Luke will communicate with locals if his mom isn't there. That's why, as much as I want to see this team do well, I'm not sure if they will.

ooh those are some good points!

[CrimsonLine]

I hope that this team branches beyond trying to be a "message" team. They seem like nice people, but in the end, nobody likes to listen long to someone whose only goal in life is to prove something to you. The best way to prove your point? Be a fully-rounded person. Be kind to others. Work hard. Don't complain. Be human, not just "deaf." It goes a long way.

[greyhoundmom]

I like these two - hope they go far...

[DCBelleonWheels]

Crimson, great post!

I was deeply touched that Phil has learned enough sign language to communicate with Luke at the pit stops. That speaks volumes to me about Phil and the sort of person he is. Producers can force you do some things but this appeared genuine. Something that also touched me deeply was the footage of Luke bungee jumping...you could see the adrenalin rush in his face but there was no sound. I thought it was a great insight into both what we who have all of our senses tend to take for granted and also what it must be like for a person who cannot hear to live in a sound oriented world.

And, yes, there are people out there who assume that just because you have any sort of physical disability that your mind is also impaired. I am a full time wheelchair user with a neurologically based disability. As soon as people know my diagnosis, even medical professionals, they tend to speak to me in monosyllables or to direct themselves to my husband, which irritates HIM to no end. I take great sadistic pleasure in answering them in monosyllables until they are well into the conversation and then I'll come out with some really long, medically technical statement...they are always quite taken aback. Mean? Probably, but also terribly fun for me. My husband calls it my "what you see is not what you get" routine. LOL

I say all that to say this: the only way people with disabilities will ever been seen as being on par with nonphysically disabled people is for those of us with disabilities to not only keep pushing the envelope to do things like TAR but to also just live our everyday lives as productive citizens to the best of our ability and to the Glory of God. It is in choosing to be like everyone else that you are eventually seen in everyone's mind as being just like everyone else.

Of course, that's just my opinion. Getting back to the point: GO LUKE AND MARGIE!!

[CrimsonLine]

Thanks, Rags! (I hope those were short enough words for ya!) The last two sentences of your second paragraph pretty much sum up my whole counseling approach for a wide variety of people.

I live in Rochester, NY, with a large deaf community, and several key schools for the deaf. Coming here was an education for me, learning how to look at the deaf person, rather than their sign interpreter, and a whole host of other things.

[NCLurker]

Crimson, great post!

I was deeply touched that Phil has learned enough sign language to communicate with Luke at the pit stops. That speaks volumes to me about Phil and the sort of person he is. Producers can force you do some things but this appeared genuine. Something that also touched me deeply was the footage of Luke bungee jumping...you could see the adrenalin rush in his face but there was no sound. I thought it was a great insight into both what we who have all of our senses tend to take for granted and also what it must be like for a person who cannot hear to live in a sound oriented world.

And, yes, there are people out there who assume that just because you have any sort of physical disability that your mind is also impaired. I am a full time wheelchair user with a neurologically based disability. As soon as people know my diagnosis, even medical professionals, they tend to speak to me in monosyllables or to direct themselves to my husband, which irritates HIM to no end. I take great sadistic pleasure in answering them in monosyllables until they are well into the conversation and then I'll come out with some really long, medically technical statement...they are always quite taken aback. Mean? Probably, but also terribly fun for me. My husband calls it my "what you see is not what you get" routine. LOL

I say all that to say this: the only way people with disabilities will ever been seen as being on par with nonphysically disabled people is for those of us with disabilities to not only keep pushing the envelope to do things like TAR but to also just live our everyday lives as productive citizens to the best of our ability and to the Glory of God. It is in choosing to be like everyone else that you are eventually seen in everyone's mind as being just like everyone else.

Of course, that's just my opinion. Getting back to the point: GO LUKE AND MARGIE!!

Great post!! Thanks for sharing.

[DCBelleonWheels]

Thanks, Rags! (I hope those were short enough words for ya!) The last two sentences of your second paragraph pretty much sum up my whole counseling approach for a wide variety of people.

I live in Rochester, NY, with a large deaf community, and several key schools for the deaf. Coming here was an education for me, learning how to look at the deaf person, rather than their sign interpreter, and a whole host of other things.

Just Right, Crimson...Thanks!