ahka | different=wierd=normal (Reply)

I was just thinking, that my personal “weirdness receiver” or “radar“ has been stuck on neutral ever since I started working at our community college. Yes, our campus is very diverse and there is always something going on. On the daily basis I could meet with people from many different countries, different ages, races, looks, beliefs, disabilities, etc….

I am not surprised by seeing unexpected! For someone, talking to a young woman with tattoo on her face or see a man wearing a skirt and shirt with a tie might be shocking. For me, it is my everyday life and I am not surprised about anything.

Now, I will try to remember more “weird” stuff that would make other people turn their heads over or be in some sort of shock.

I have met a lot with individuals with physical disabilities. This client still stays in my mind. He was in a wheelchair, a veteran without legs up to his knees and without ability to talk. For some reason, he was wearing shorts and through the shorts were hanging tubes from his catheter that while our session kept getting full with urine. He was talking to me through his computer device. The guy typed what he wanted to say and then pressed “speak” button and computer voice would say aloud what he wrote.

More than once I had clients who had no voice and used devices on their necks to make weird sound through their neck muscles. I am not sure how exactly the mechanics work.

More then once I had blind clients who used lips and tong to dial a phone number on their cell phone.

More than once there were blind people, paralyzed, people without arms, clients in their 80^th, men, women, GLBT, undocumented, ex-offenders, homeless, schizophrenics with paranoia, people with various addictions, individuals with pink, green, or purple hair; nose, lip, eyebrow, chick and ear rings, 1 inch radius holes in the ears; clients dressed in their traditional clothing from Africa and Middle East, women with orange fingers from henna, people of different races and from many different parts of the world including Native Americans, etc. One thing I can say about all of these people, they are all Human and with a lot more abilities then closed-minded people often stereotype.

There is nothing that surprises me anymore. It is actually funny to be with someone who does not have such experience and hear them being shocked from seeing a student with an elaborate hair style and zebra stripes tattooed on the face.