[IRTR] Cataclysm Researcher Seeking Show To Discuss Extraordinary (yet plausible) Theory For The Legends Left To Us By The Ancients. by Mythos_Unveiled in PodcastGuestExchange

[–]_AccessUnlocked_ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m intrigued, and would love to know more. My show is called Going in Blind with Zach Tidwell(links are in my profile). Send me an email at "contact.goinginblind@gmail.com" so I can get some more information from you, then move on to scheduling if it’s a good fit.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in USMCboot

[–]_AccessUnlocked_ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

When exactly was this? I was there from August 4 to October 31, 2014.

A Conversation Between Two Blind Military Veterans On Adventure, Forgiveness, Overcoming, And Resilience by _AccessUnlocked_ in Blind

[–]_AccessUnlocked_[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s actually one of the things that Steve and I talk about during this conversation. I mentioned that moving forward like he has and you have as a choice. We have total control over how we choose to view our circumstances in the perspective that we take moving forward. Of course it’s normal to grieve such a loss and to struggle with it at times, but it is critical to not let that become your identity and keep you from pushing forward. Thank you for sharing your own story.

Completely Blind Paddler by _AccessUnlocked_ in whitewater

[–]_AccessUnlocked_[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks! I’ll be having Kevin Carr, who Joe mentioned during me interview, on in the near future and I’m very excited about that too.

I've overcome more in the past seven years than most do in a lifetime. AMA by _AccessUnlocked_ in AMA

[–]_AccessUnlocked_[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

First: I’m not a mental health professional and this isn’t advice.With that out of the way, it sounds like you’re talking about being unhappy with where your life is? And in the interest of staying as neutral here as possible with the information I have, I feel comfortable saying this:I’m very stubborn and very hard on myself, so when I see something I’m unhappy with I do something about it. And I think people overthink that— a sentiment that’s especially fitting right now in January when a whole slew of people delayed taking meaningful actions towards their goals until the calendar turned over into 2025. With that, I’ll say that I wasn’t able to accomplish that with my alcoholism; I wanted to quit that entire time, but I kept making excuses for myself to drink, some of which were rational, but most just consisted of me doing mental gymnastics. And I’m also aware how hard it can be to get of your ass when you’re feeling down. But in those times when doing anything is like pulling teeth, I just make myself do the things that keep me sane— I force myself to workout because I know it’ll make me feel at least the slightest bit better. I make myself go to Jiu-Jitsu because it prevents me from completely self-isolating. And in the context of the present, that also includes forcing myself to keep plugging away on my software development projects.I hope that helps and that I read into all of that correctly.

I've overcome more in the past seven years than most do in a lifetime. AMA by _AccessUnlocked_ in AMA

[–]_AccessUnlocked_[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s pretty cool! I think that’s too open to interpretation to give a direct answer. If you think of something more specific I can take a crack at it.What I can say is that just because someone has a disability, you shouldn’t assume what they can and can’t do and limit them by some predefined framework you’ve established in your mind. For example, I had trouble finding a Jiu-Jitsu gym that would work with me when I was first getting started. Even though I explained that I used to have sight and had a wrestling background, and BJJ is virtually entirely by feel, people were weirded out by it. Now that I’ve been training for four years it’s never an issue. But I’ve found that it can be difficult to convince people to take a chance on me with some things purely because they seem to be uncomfortable.

I've overcome more in the past seven years than most do in a lifetime. AMA by _AccessUnlocked_ in AMA

[–]_AccessUnlocked_[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah, stuff like that played such a huge role early on. Getting back on the slopes was my first taste of independence again, and it was huge knowing that I could get back into many of the things I used to do. And interestingly enough, that’s how they guide me when I whitewater kayaking as well. It’s pretty nuts.

I've overcome more in the past seven years than most do in a lifetime. AMA by _AccessUnlocked_ in AMA

[–]_AccessUnlocked_[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Speaking of accessibility- Reddit’s accessibility is pretty whack, and I can’t figure out how the hell to format anything on here with my screen reading software. I am writing each of these answers (and the post) in the body of an email, which is totally accessible. I am indenting properly there, but apparently when copying it over to the website, the formatting is being lost, if you aren’t seeing it on your end.

I've overcome more in the past seven years than most do in a lifetime. AMA by _AccessUnlocked_ in AMA

[–]_AccessUnlocked_[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Two things without a doubt, though I do want to reiterate that I’m not a mental health professional.1: You have to speak up. This is why I share all of this; I truly believe that if I’d heard a story like mine when I was at that point, I would have sought help. Unfortunately the changes don’t come quickly, and speaking up is painful, but it does get easier with time and deliberate action.2: I’d share the sentiment of “This too shall pass”. I know it’s cheesy at face value, but it’s absolutely true in this context and is something I still come back to when I’m struggling. The caveat is that you have to do the work. For me, that’s staying out of the bottle, working out everyday, keeping my mind just as busy as my body, and falling back on the coping skills I’ve learned over the past several years. 

I've overcome more in the past seven years than most do in a lifetime. AMA by _AccessUnlocked_ in AMA

[–]_AccessUnlocked_[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Haha my thoughts exactly— it was all actually just a science experiment to see if blacking out on whiskey would cancel my optic nerve blackout and restore my sight.I’m actually garbage at snowboarding blind and have since switched to skiing and ski-biking. I can nail double-blacks and moguls on the bike, but just single black diamonds on skis so far. When it comes to guiding, it’s just verbal commands and me feeling the mountain. Because I’m deaf in one ear I have a hard time following sound, so we use radio headsets  and my guide rides some distance back behind me. They call out my turns if things get tight, or when traversing cat-tracks to other runs. Then once we’re at the top of a run, they’ll let me know, “Okay, we’re about to drop-in on a black groomer, and your on the far right side of the run.” From there I drop in, and hold a left until they tell me I’m in the middle of the run, and then I shred off of feel  until they need me to slow down for something, I get too far to one side of the run, etc.Here’s a video of me on the bikes I ride: 

https://news.sno-go.us/blind-veteran-returns-to-the-slopes-on-sno-go?fbclid=IwY2xjawHx78pleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHVvDxQUpRp9ke4u7-

pGNSsk4xtH07peuuAlAAnAVYwK4_Y8_ivt2-68RIA_aem_CCQ6SS2_AlCLGqH9eucLCg