[Blind-rollers] Totally blind power chair users

[Criminal Justice Major Extraordinaire]

Hi, Penny,
Welcome to the group.
I'm Bibi and live in the United States in Denver, Colorado.
I'm totally blind and use an electric wheelchair on the days when the arthritis pain is too much and after having a convulsive grandmal seizure.
I use a white cane while operating my power chair as the joystick is on the left hand arm rest.
My chair is a quantum610, the latest in the Quantum series.
It's a rehab style chair with four coaster wheels: two in front and two in the back.
The drive wheels are in the middle and each wheel has a drive motor.
As for your client, is the place he's going through trying to make it seem like he's not going to be safe?
Is he looking into getting a power chair or does he prefer the manual chair?
I had to go through something similar last year and it took me three months before my power chair was approved and then I got it in August, 2012.
I've been using it for almost a year now and there's still lots for me to learn.
I'm in the process of applying for a wheelchair trained guide dog and may have to wait for one to thre years.
However, I'm not in a hurry.
I have a retired Pilot Dogs guide dog who I had to reinstate into working again, but as a medical alert service dog.
He began to get really depressed after retirement and he also found another calling too.
Although he's not a wheelchair guide, Odie does well for the most part.
He's not forgotten his guide dog training.
Since he's a medical alert service dog now, Odie will alert to an on-coming seizure if he feels I'm going to have one.
He wasn't trained to do that, but he naturally learned on his own.
I have a tie down teather that is attached to the arm rest of my power chair and the leash clasp is attached to his Kong nylon walk harness.
he will let me know if I'm too close to a car and start pulling on my chair, indicating I need to move to the left.
I'm sure others on the list would be able to share more or give ideas too.
Although this is a relatively quiet list, feel free to ask us any questions you may have.
Bibi and son Odie
the happy spirited bounty labrawolf