2023-11-01 20:02:14
TESTIMONY. The life of Tania-Gilbert, a native of Saint-Georges, was changed forever in 2010 after suffering a stroke. Health problems have accumulated over the years and the Beauceronne must today live with several limitations, especially in terms of her eyesight and hearing.
In 2019, the woman who now resides in Saint-Martin was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a visual disease leaving sufferers with a blurred and dark field of vision in shades of gray. The majority of people have difficulty adapting to darkness and significant changes in lighting. There is currently no conclusive treatment and the vision of people affected by this slow degeneration of the retina continues to deteriorate over time.
“I would compare it a bit to cancer. You don’t know his strength or his speed of development. Fortunately, I have been stable since 2020. My vision is not deteriorating. I am closely monitored and I have to take tests annually to keep my driving license. I can still drive, but I no longer do it in the evening. I see absolutely nothing. Whether it rains, snows or shines, there is no difference. Automatically, I don’t differentiate between the road and the ditch,” she explains.
Deafness without warning
After her stroke, Ms Gilbert’s hearing was affected and she had to have two hearing aids fitted. Ten years later, she lost her hearing in her left ear. Her biggest fear was becoming deaf, which happened 18 months later. The Georgian claims that the sound disappeared radically in both cases. She couldn’t hear anything after just a few hours. For two and a half months, the mother of two was deaf while waiting for new hearing aids.
“It wasn’t easy to accept, especially to lose him so suddenly. I cried my life out every night until the day before the first surgery. The hardest part was no longer being able to communicate with my children and continuing to move forward despite everything. We found solutions to continue talking to each other, like installing applications on our cell phones,” she admits. Today, the 42-year-old hears much better with her two new implants, even if she is still in rehabilitation until November 2023.
Discrimination et adaptation
Last spring, Tania Gilbert lost her job due to job cuts. She worked there despite her condition for several months. His employer had adapted his work environment very well to his new reality, according to his own admissions. “He was there for me in the most difficult times. He really made me see the light at the end of the tunnel. He made me understand that it is not because I am deaf that my life stops. On the contrary, a new chapter is beginning. »
Anyone who is always looking for a new job feels that many employers are afraid to hire people with disabilities and impairments. La Beauceronne even believes that there is a certain discrimination against people who find themselves in the same situation as her.
“I am testifying today to set an example for other people like me, who do not know how to react. Just because I have two disabilities and am a disabled person does not mean that I am less functional. It doesn’t take away my past experience and what I had to overcome to get here. On the contrary, I believe that I am better equipped to overcome life’s challenges,” she says.
Ms. Gilbert explains that not all companies are aware of the benefits of having people with disabilities and impairments in their work environment. Employers can, among other things, receive government subsidies and are eligible for various programs, measures and services to help disabled or impaired people, their families and loved ones. The rehabilitation center Tania Gilbert attends also offers different tools to better adapt the work environment, such as oversized computer screens and echo-cutting panels in larger meeting rooms.
1698870327
#Tania #Gilbert #testifies #life #changed #illness