Ricky was intimidating at first sight. He was tall and very broad shouldered, his blonde hair wispy, and dishevelled. His eyes were distorted by thick glasses: those that give the impression of being made from the bases of wine bottles; to combat glare he had clipped dark lenses over them which were now flipped up because of the kinder interior light. Ricky was a very strange and frightening person.
He moved awkwardly towards the enquiry counter glancing furtively from side to side. People stare. He seems to demand far more space than is his due and they hurriedly move aside. Watching him approach, counter staff sensed this would not be an easy customer to help. They all suddenly became deeply engrossed in computers, reached into a filing cabinet, or picked up a phone.
'You talk to him.' My workmates whisper: in theory I am their supervisor – we rarely remember. He towers over me and leans uncomfortably close as we try to sort out his needs. He is excited and his speech becomes faster and faster as the tension grows. His concentration often wanders, distracted by any movement. Information has to be repeated: gently, carefully, until at last he understands. Constantly he checks over his shoulder; to have someone stand behind him unsettles him. If another student comes, he insists I deal with them first, when they have gone we have to start again from the beginning. Slowly I learn his needs. I try to work out ways to accommodate them. It is impossible for him to attend a class, even a special class, the only answer is off campus which brings its own set of difficulties.
If an employer could be found who would give him work, it is unlikely he would ever be able to earn. His desire to learn is genuine. Who am I to say this is impossible? His modest dream is a Certificate 1 in Information Technology. People have told him this is the first step in a career in computers. He is convinced.
A group that helps disabled people has given him a computer. His problem as he sees it; is that our disks won't work in the computer they have given him. After careful questioning, I establish that the donated computer has been stripped of everything — including the operating system. He doesn't understand what I am telling him.
'Our shop stocks student versions at a good price.