Interview with A.S
Have you participated until now to any activity for independent living?
A.S is a 29 years old young person with visual impairment. The young man lost his sight at the age of 24 in a car accident. He had studied Call Cente Information Provision and Customer Service and he was at the beginning of his career when the accident happened. The accident stopped everything in his life until his doctor recommended he go to the Blind Education and Rehabilitation Center in Thessaloniki
In this Rehabilitation Center, he was trained for 5 years in Orientation and Mobility which is the cornerstone for the development of autonomy in people with visual impairment. During the interview, he stated that, for a student with visual impairment, orientation and mobility takes place every single moment of the day, while the person explores the environment around him and interacts with it.
After 5 years of training, A.S was able to move independently using a white cane or guide dog and to perform all daily tasks. During his training on the development of independent living skills, he continued his studies at the University of Macedonia, Department of Social, Humanities & Arts, where he obtained his degree in Education and Social Policy, Lifelong Learning. He also obtained a Certification of knowledge of the Braille writing and reading system and studied at the Hellenic Academy of Neuro-Linguistic Programming obtaining NLP Master Practitioner specializing in visual impairment
Who do you leave with? How is your day organized? What are your main activities in the day at home
A.S lives in his apartment and has a lot of friends, most of them not disabled. He is working full time as an office worker in a Greek big company .and parallel to it he devotes time as a volunteer at the Blind Education & Rehabilitation Center, Thessaloniki Branch, informing the general public about disability issues, organizing campaigns and special events, teaching Escort Techniques and informing people about the benefits of Guide Dogs
How do your parents, family, and friends support you in doing everyday activities? How do you want them to support you?
A.S stated that the training on independent living skills and assistive technology opened a whole new world of possibilities for him. The mobile phone is a lifeline for disabled people needing security when the person travels solo or needs urgent care support.
He stated that after the accident he worried that no one would want to be seen next to a disabled person, however, as his training progressed gradually he got the confidence and self-esteem to believe that just like anyone else he could find friendship and love. Friendships had always meant a lot to him and his friends always were there for him. His parents cared for him and he is so appreciative of that. Now he wants his friends to be friends, his parents just to be parents, and his family to be family
What do you usually do at home? And outside of the home? What do you want to do more? What new thing do you want to learn
Reading, cooking, going out with friends. As a volunteer at the Blind Education & Rehabilitation Center, he tries to help children/youth with disabilities, learn independent living skills, and learn to be as independent as possible. He also works to inform the general public about disability issues, organize campaigns and special events, teach Escort Techniques and inform people about the benefits of Guide Dogs. Learning and skills upgrading is a continuous process for him and he strives to learn anything that will be of benefit for his entire life.
Do you have the opportunity to live outside your parent’s house? Have you done it until now? Do you want to?
A.S is already living in his apartment independently. He is earning an income that makes this possible and of course all the training he received. However, most importantly, he has the determination and will to live life to its fullest and contribute to the well-being of others that suffered similar handicaps in their lives.
If you want to, how do you imagine it? With whom do you want to live? How do you imagine your apartment to look like? What do you need in order to be fully functional according to your needs?
He is already managing to live independently and he plans to live together with his girlfriend. The apartment is already fully equipped and operational according to his needs. He is a fan of new technology and is open to the introduction of new devices and other assists that will improve his quality of life further.
What would you like to be part of the guide which we will create? What will be your recommendation?
A.S was part of the working team that initiated and implemented a very important and unique accessibility project in Greece, concerning the integration of appropriate facilities in the design of a supermarket to make it accessible for people with visual impairments.
This example of good practice practically demonstrates the excellent results that are obtained when specialists closely collaborate with people with disabilities
In his opinion, the guide should set a clear roadmap to accessibility and independent living for people with disabilities. One section of the guide should be addressed to the policymakers and define with clarity in a step–by–step fashion how independent living should be a top priority in a civilized society.
The editors should prioritize the themes and make the guide an easy read with illustrations and references available. One idea might be to split the guide into two separate parts, one for the users and one for the policy makers so that information is targeted making it a useful tool for the readers.