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My name is Marianne
Durand. I'm a member of the association because my mom is the
former president of ASSEDA and now the president
is called Anne Mary Ray. I think she is
30 years old. She is the first president that actually has
agénésie/limb difference. Otherwise, the presidents have been parents,
and she is a girl directly concerned.
I've gone to every general meeting of the Association
since I was 5
until I was 15. And then I just decided I didn't want to go anymore
because I wasn't really interested in it. I was a teenager and I was
wanting my life on one side and I don't want to go to
the association thing anymore. But when I was 19 or 20,
I figured that since I was becoming an adult
and with an adult experience, and with everything at school, and the drivers' license
and sports, maybe I could come back to the association and speak with the parents
and sometimes even with the children. To reassure them,
to tell them that its going to be okay, for them and their children.
So, that is the role of young adults or even teenagers
when they come to the general meetings. And when you get on the internet
on our old website we had a forum, and on Facebook
where someone posts something and other people just answer it. And you can
just tell someone....The last time there was a post
from a mom asking, "What do you do if you were wired to be left-handed
and you don't have a left hand, so you end up being right handed?"
"So how does that work?" I think her girl was 2 years old.
That's something that happened to me so I wanted to respond.
I have bad handwriting, I write like
a left handed person, and I get confused when I run and when I have to jump
which foot to jump from. But it's no big deal. You have
balance and you can do whatever you want as well.
You can just answer all the questions in real life
and on the internet so that's nice.
Learning to drive was easier than applying for the learner's permit
It was kind of hard.
Actually, that's one of the role of the association. They explain
all that you have to do to get your drivers license.
The first thing you have to do is go through a medical visit.
The thing is, they mix everyone all together.
So, you are with people who lost their license because they were drunk or because
they made a big mistake. You get to see a doctor
who has seen dozens of people before you. And you have to
do a urine test and the doctor doesn't even look at you
at all. Just asks questions. And when he asked me,
"What did you do to lose your drivers license." I looked at him and said,
"Okay, I'm 20, I didn't lose it, I didn't have it to begin with. So just look
at me and then you will understand why." And he said, "Oh yes,
you're right, so just sign this paper." And I had to get some
driving lessons.
I had to go to a special school
because I had a special car with someone who could tell me how to
use it because it was an automatic. You have something
like a little ball on the driving wheel and on the turn signal.
Basically, its not very complicated
and I know for sure that some of the people who are supposed to use these devices
just use the fact that it is an automatic car, but otherwise, they don't use
anything special. Even if by law, they are supposed to
they just want to drive like everyone else, and they can.
I got my driving license on the first try.