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

[Karen Rose]

Sounds like you have done amazing advocacy! Could you share any information on guidance systems that blind people are using for scooters and wheelchairs? I could possibly use it with a walker. :-) Thanks

Karen Rose MFT/LPCC www.career-therapy.net

> On Feb 21, 2022, at 12:49 PM, Jane Lansaw via Blind-Rollers <blind-rollers at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> 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 a