[Blind-Rollers] A friend in need of a wheelchair who is told no because she is blind

[Jane Lansaw]

Hey Gary,
I can help. I had a client go through the same thing.  Her doctor prescribed a scooter when she could see better but she needed the doctors approval to get the scooter updated and repaired or replaced by her insurance company. Her doctor then discovered she didn’t have enough vision to do what he thought she needed to do. He refused and she struggled because her scooter wouldn’t go 10 minutes without turning toes up.   She tried so hard to walk with a support cane but there is a reason the doctor prescribed the scooter in the first place.
I didn’t want to waste time with a lot of paperwork where she would give me permission to talk to the doctor, then I would send a letter to the doctor, wait for a reply and so forth. I wrote the letter directly to my client explaining to her how blind people use wheelchairs and she took it to her doctor. Next thing you know, new scooter. I was thrilled. This was my first time experiencing that from a doctor.
Today I’m home for the holiday but when I get back to work, I will dig up that letter and dust it off to make sure it doesn’t have any confidential information. Then I will forward it to you to see if you think it is appropriate for your lady.  It is very generic and describes people in multiple types of wheelchairs. The big thing doctors need to know is that we already have methods in place for dealing with other disabilities when blindness keeps us from using visual methods.
Also, depending on your friends needs, she might want to think about a mobility scooter instead of a full-size, electric, power chair.  You mentioned upper body pain in this might well cause her to stick to a device that will help her support her trunk upright without causing undo stress or pain. On the other hand, if she can sit up in a chair without any help, she might want to think about the scooter because they are very easy to dismantle and load into the trunk of a car.  Power chairs are very cumbersome and limit a person to converted vehicles.  With a mobility scooter, all she needs is a sedan with a large trunk, somebody with an SUV, or even throw it in the back of a pick up truck.
Is there anyway that you can get this lady to Springfield at the end of next month? Maybe if I meet her, I could help her and give her some pointers.  I did a segment in Vegas at the annual rehabilitation and orientation and mobility conference on wheelchair travel. We discussed manual chairs, power chairs, scooters and even crutches and canes.  PDRIB rented some equipment for us and thanks to Ben Vercellone and Dezman Jackson, we were able to pull off a great breakout session.
If you still have my email address, feel free to contact me. Otherwise, check with Ben Verselone and I’ll send him a quick note letting him know you are looking for my contact information.  I’m pretty sure I still have your email address but I will look after I send this one.


Jane Lansaw NOMC
Tulsa Oklahoma



Sent from my iPhone

> On Feb 21, 2022, at 1:41 PM, Gary Wunder via Blind-Rollers <blind-rollers at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> I have a blind woman who has so much pain in her upper body that she finds
> it difficult to use a manual wheelchair. She wants and can afford an
> electric chair. Her doctor will not prescribe one because he believes a
> blind person in a power chair is unsafe. She says that even a distributor
> she has talked with will not sell her one because they believe she will get
> hurt and sue them.
> 
> 
> 
> Is anyone here using a power chair or can you put me in touch with someone
> who is? Thank you very much. 
> 
> 
> 
> Gary Wunder, gwunder at earthlink.net <mailto:gwunder at earthlink.net> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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