Jean Beaulieau has suffered with poor vision and hearing problems all of his life.
And if these problems were not enough for him to endure, he also suffered the devastation of being bullied as a child.
He says he quit school in Grade 10 because he was picked on by other kids for being different and because there weren’t as many supports available for people with vision problems as there are today.
“I started smoking and drinking at a very young age because I was told I likely wouldn’t live to be an adult,” Beaulieau says.
But he did live, work for many years as a labourer on various ranches and in the bush with various lumber companies, have children, and beat his alcohol demons.
Beaulieau was born with a malformation of the skull that required two operations to correct before he was two years of age, plus numerous follow-up treatments.
He had two metal plates put in his head, one of which was later removed.
Whether his vision and hearing problems are the result of the surgery he is not sure.
He can see large shapes at a distance but is extremely near-sighted and needs a high-powered magnifying glass to read the newspaper.
He has been clean and sober for 25 years, but in recent years says his vision, hearing and general health has deteriorated to the point where he can’t work full time.
He lives on a disability pension and the small income he makes as a groundskeeper at Cariboo Sunset Manor where he lives.
He also enjoys volunteering at the Salvation Army, Indoor Rodeo, and the Williams Lake Harvest Fair. He is also president of the Cariboo White Cane Chapter of the Canadian Council of the Blind.
“I can still see to get around without a cane because I am very familiar with Williams Lake,” Beaulieau says.
When he doesn’t have a ride somewhere with friends, he uses public transit in Williams Lake but says it is more difficult for him when he takes the bus to visit friends and family in Alberta and other B.C. communities.
He can’t read for long periods of time because his eyes begin to shake and water, and one eye or the other will begin to cross when he gets tired.
He has various aids to help him such as high powered glasses, talking books, and an adapted phone.
“My glasses are very, very expensive so I don’t carry them with me when I go out,” Beaulieau says.
He also has to have his head well covered in winter because there is always a danger that the metal plate in his head will cause his brain to freeze.
“I can’t be outside too long in winter because if I get carried away doing something I may not realize how cold my head may be getting.”