As a second-generation DeafBlind person, I have been a member of the DeafBlind community all my life. This meant I knew about the legendary DeafBlind population of Louisiana as a young boy, and I had fantasies about what it was like in the bayou country, with many families having multiple generations of Usher syndrome.

But it was not until 14 December 2007 that I finally set foot on the loamy soil of Louisiana and breathed in the slow, humid air. I flew to Lafayette to attend LADBC's annual holiday party the next day, to promote DeafBlind Relay Service. The night of my arrival, I supped with Dan Arabie, the notorious ringleader of what is perhaps the first DeafBlind rally in American history. I found Dan to be a passionate man all right. But what is interesting about his fire for activism is that he is also a very gentle, even soft-signed person, and I was immediately enamored of him and his kind, thoughtful ways. We had no trouble establishing a relationship, and we discussed many things and traded stories and jokes. I went to bed that night at my hotel with a full stomach and was quite happy.

Next morning, my SSP and I went over to Affiliated Blind of Lafayette's facility, a large complex with four wings, one of which was for LADBC's use. The room was spacious and clean, and I got down to my work meeting everyone. By the end of the event, I would meet all of the DeafBlind attendants, which I enjoyed very much. I found charm in their Cajun last names, and it was fun surprising some of them with my ability to remember their last names. One woman, who had a particularly long last name, encompassing no less than twelve letters, checked with me several times throughout the event, asking me to spell her last name again. Each time I spelled it, she laughed. Why not? It is nice that we can have joy in such small things.

The event proved to offer many occasions for pleasure, surprise, and joy. There were door prizes galore. There were two long tables carrying many items up for the silent auction. Everyone had their fill of jambalaya, salad, and cake. We played different games, including cake walk, "Guess How Many Candies In This Jar," a lottery-style game with a prize over two hundred dollars, and Hot Potato where the "potato" was a wrapped gift. Then more prizes and drawings. One wonderful aspect of the event was that they included children in the games and prizes.

More important than the games and activities, of course, was the fellowship, and the warmth of the gathering was palpable—you could almost feel the warmth, not only the physical warmth of a gathering, but something more than that, the warmth of a family. True, many of the attendees were related to some of the others, but the sense of community was very strong, and I was privileged to be privy to some of the special gestures and kindnesses shared there. One example was when three people from Baton Rouge stood up to address the assembled and told us of how they struggled to find transportation to attend the event some months earlier, but to no avail. They then asked Dan Arabie for help, and Dan worked relentlessly on finding a way for them to come, contacting city and state services but failing there contacting other sources. He kept on searching until he found a van for them to come in for the event. In spite of Louisiana's strong DeafBlind community, it is stuck in a state with an unresponsive and sluggish government. Nevertheless, Dan wouldn't let that stop anyone from getting together that day, and he succeeded. It was a most moving story, and then the group gave Dan a gift to express their gratitude: a Christmas cap but with the color purple instead of red, with a tiger logo on it and the letters LSU. Yes, the Louisiana State University Tigers, whose football team is one of the things that Dan loves most. Yes, it was a family in action that I was witnessing.

This is why what I found is even better than the fantasies I had as a boy about DeafBlind life down Louisiana way. The rest of the DeafBlind community in America has a lot to learn from the hearts, the passion, and the warmth of DeafBlind people in Cajun country.

- John Lee Clark