Linda’s next chapter in a new city

”In my job, it's good that the supervisors explain how to do things so that I can follow and understand. They use good visual support.” 

Linda who is 24 years old, moved to a new city a year ago, where she resides in her apartment in a building where there is staff available night and day. There are also common rooms for the residents to socialise. We meet Linda at her workplace, accompanied by a trusted interpreter, to talk about her life and personal development.   

– After I had moved into the apartment, my mum noticed how tidy and clean it was; she was very impressed. Earlier, things could be messy, and I often ate carelessly. But after moving out, when I came home to visit my mum, she observed how I was eating more properly, leaning forward, and sipping carefully, Linda explains. 

”After I had moved into the apartment, my mum noticed how tidy and clean it was; she was very impressed."

Linda is blind in her left eye, and she is having difficulties seeing in the dark. Distinguishing patterns and processing strong colours give her problems when she reads manual signs.  

– Sometimes my eyes flicker and I need to close them and rest until it stops. The flickering disturbs my vision so much that I need a guide-interpreter take me to a place where I can rest. In these instances, I rely on tactile sign language. I also need this when it is dark, Linda explains.

As an infant, Linda had a heart defect but after surgery, her heart was functioning well again. Her breathing was also affected, and she got a cannula in the throat when she was two years old which made eating difficult.

– At 14 years of age, the cannula was removed and after that, I could eat everything as usual, and breathe well, she recounts.

Linda is deaf in her left ear, but with the help of a bone-anchored hearing aid (BaHa), she can hear quite well with her right ear. Understanding lower-pitched voices is harder, while higher-pitched voices are easier. But she prefers sign language over spoken language.

– I can understand simple and clear words, but if there's a lot of talking around me it's hard to follow and I need an interpreter. 

”I can understand simple and clear words, but if there's a lot of talking around me it's hard to follow and I need an interpreter.”

Linda enjoys walking, exercising, baking, cooking, painting, playing games, going to the cinema, dining at restaurants, and having coffee with friends. Most of all, she likes the theatre. She feels capable of doing almost anything. 

– I have a job now too, at a daily activity centre. I like to learn new things, it is fun. The supervisors explain how we should do things so that I can follow and understand, she says.

At work, there is a good visual job description with pictures, such as how to do handicrafts. They also have a day planner with pictures.

Moving to a new city that she didn’t know made it difficult for Linda to focus; as an example, she had to get used to new sounds. Linda gets easily stressed due to a hormonal imbalance. If other people argue, it affects her a lot. She worries easily, but the staff can help and support her.

– They tell me to try to focus on myself, to go up to the flat or another room and do something else, something funny, and to think about other things. If I have difficulty with sounds, the staff can remind me to take my hearing aid off. 

– When I was younger, it was easier to focus on myself. But moving to a new city has been a good exercise for me to learn to focus and understand that others have their ways of doing things.

A guide-interpreter assists Linda outdoors. She also needs adaptations for the optimisation of sound and light, computerised schedules, and sometimes she needs to be reminded of meetings and doctor's appointments.

– I get pictorial support showing what time to leave and what time we should be there, Linda explains.

Linda appreciates when the staff reminds her of things:

– For instance, if I start repeating myself, they remind me to focus on myself and not think about what others are doing. But they can also help me cook, and we have fun together.

Sign language is essential for Linda. The staff, comprising deaf, hearing-impaired, and hearing members, creates a diverse mix. Linda is curious to know and often asks about the hearing status of new staff.

– It's good to know, Linda notes. We help hearing staff, who are new to sign language, by teaching them new signs so they can adapt slowly to avoid misunderstandings. We spell slowly so that they eventually understand. The staff say it’s okay.    

As a child Linda often questioned her emotions, wondering why she felt angry or upset. Her mother explained to her that it’s okay to feel angry and grumpy sometimes. As a teenager Linda became more aware of emotions and that everyone feels differently. 

– Around 12–13 years old, I realised that it’s okay, to have different feelings. Earlier, it was hard to understand why a person was sad, but now I’m aware that it’s normal, she says.

When she was a teenager, she sometimes said inappropriate things, however, she has matured over time. 

– In my twenties, I became more conscious of my words. Now I can even say to others “No, don’t say that, think before you speak!”, Linda adds. 

She is grateful to both primary and secondary school for teaching her about right and wrong. 

Linda recognises her personal development and so has her mother. She tells her that she has become more mature, developed, and grown.

– Sometimes, mummy wants me to be a little girl again, but I remind her: “No, no, I’m an adult now, mummy!”.

”Sometimes, mummy wants me to be a little girl again, but I remind her: ’No, no, I’m an adult now, mummy!’”