[Blindtlk] Encouraging Medical Students To Be Retina Doctors

Sun Feb 26 05:57:07 UTC 2012

Ah, I see and understand.  No paratransit, no public 
transportation whatsoever...  well, apart from hiring a driver, 
which I guess is kind of hard to do in a rural area, 
transportation is kind of tough.  Sorry to hear that.

Chris

Chris Nusbaum
Email and Google Talk/Keychat (on the BrailleNote) ID: 
dotkid.nusbaum at gmail.com
Skype: christpher.nusbaum3 or search for Chris Nusbaum

"The real problem of blindness is not the loss of eyesight.  The 
real problem is the misunderstanding and lack of education that 
exists.  If a blind person has the proper training and 
opportunity, blindness can be reduced to a mere physical 
nuisance."
-- Kenneth Jernigan

 ----- Original Message -----
From: Michelle Medina <michellem86 at gmail.com
To: Blind Talk Mailing List <blindtlk at nfbnet.org
Date sent: Tue, 21 Feb 2012 17:46:20 -0500
Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] Encouraging Medical Students To Be Retina 
Doctors

Chris,
PLEASE don't take this the wrong way, but if I had paratransit 
I'd be
using it.  If I had to depend on a flying dinosaur, I would use 
it!
Smile.  So in other words, I would use ANYTHING.

On 2/21/12, Chris Nusbaum <dotkid.nusbaum at gmail.com> wrote:
 Michele,

 Do you guys have a paratransit system? I know it's not the
 regular transportation, but if you can't hire a driver but have
 paratransit, I'd take advantage of it.  I live in a semi-rural
 area here in Maryland, and we have paratransit, although we 
don't
 have any regular public transportation, unlike Baltimore.

 Chris

 Chris Nusbaum
 Email and Google Talk/Keychat (on the BrailleNote) ID:
 dotkid.nusbaum at gmail.com
 Skype: christpher.nusbaum3 or search for Chris Nusbaum

 "The real problem of blindness is not the loss of eyesight.  The
 real problem is the misunderstanding and lack of education that
 exists.  If a blind person has the proper training and
 opportunity, blindness can be reduced to a mere physical
 nuisance."
 -- Kenneth Jernigan

  ----- Original Message -----
 From: "Mark J.  Cadigan" <kramc11 at gmail.com
 To: "Blind Talk Mailing List" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org
 Date sent: Mon, 20 Feb 2012 22:04:44 -0500
 Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] Encouraging Medical Students To Be 
Retina
 Doctors

 Michelle

 I would agree that not being able to drive a car when you live 
in
 an area
 with no public transportation is a hindrance.  Have you ever
 considered
 relocating to an area with public transportation? I know that
 that is a
 logistical nightmare and nearly impossible in some situations,
 but getting
 there, is well worth it.

 ----- Original Message -----
 From: "Michelle Medina" <michellem86 at gmail.com
 To: "Blind Talk Mailing List" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org
 Sent: Monday, February 20, 2012 9:55 PM
 Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] Encouraging Medical Students To Be 
Retina
 Doctors

  Johanna,
  First off, allow me to say that I was born without eyes and
 therefore
  have never had eyesight.  However, if you will accept my word
 for what
  it's worth, the story goes that you 'can't miss what you do not
 have'.
  I'd venture to say at least partially that this is a falsehood.

  I live in a rural area and am unable to drive a car.  Most
 people
  think: "So what.  You can't drive a car, big deal."
  What they think and sometimes say is NOT how I feel.  I feel
 like it's
  a huge deal.  There is no transportation *no buses and noone
 available
  to drive me somewhere to catch a bus* even that isn't the route
 of it
  though.

  My best friend is also legally blind though she does have some
 sight.
  We used to sit in what would have been her car on her sixteenth
  birthday if she would have been able to get her license and
 crank the
  stereo in the dead of summer with the windows down just to
 imagine the
  feeling of freedom, the roadtrips we would take, the growing up
 we
  would have done over the course of a spring break or a summer
 spent
  roadtripping around the country.
  Ovbiously, as blind individuals we can still do this, however,
 to me
  it is the 'absolute freedom' of getting up and leaving exactly
 when I
  Desire to versus waiting for someone else.  It is the 'absolute
  freedom' of walking into my parents room and saying: "I'm going
 to
  visit Elias now, I'll be back in a couple of hours!" versus
 waiting
  for one of them to drop me off.  It's getting out of the car 
and
  walking into Walmart and reading the labels on food products 
and
  picking out what I believe to be the healthiest choice versus
 going in
  with a companion whose in a hurry, or waiting at the customer
 service
  desk for an hour and 15 minutes.  *Note: our Walmart doesn't
 have
  shoppers as I said I'm in a rural place, and I like alot of
 people
  live off of SSI so don't have the money to buy a label reader*

  Ultimately though, it isn't about money anyway, or even
 convenience,
  though I would find these things convenient, who wouldn't?
 Smile.

  It really boils down to the feeling I got the first time I tied
 my
  shoes or the first time I rode a horse by myself or the first
 time I
  Brailled up something without needing any help.  It's that "I
 can do
  this!!!" feeling that I get.  That feeling of as I said before,
  absolute freedom and excitement that I didn't rely on anyone, I
 did it
  myself!! And I'm sooooo proud of myself for doing whatever 
thing
 it
  might be, ON MY OWN! There's nothing like that feeling.  You
 can't buy
  it or have it given to you or find it in a food or pill or even
  another person.  You can only find it within yourself.
  And if I had my eyesight and could experience the glory of a
  sunset/rise, or of looking into someone's eyes and seeing
 through to
  the depths of their soul, or laying eyes on my baby daughter 
for
 the
  first time, or the person who would become my romantic partner 
I
 can
  only imagine the exhilaration and excitement and utter pleasure
 it
  would bring me.
  Michelle

  On 2/20/12, Johanna Baccan <24kjo at optonline.net> wrote:
  To All:

  I was asked by Dr.  Steven  Sang one of the top Retina Doctors
 at Columbia
  Presbyterian  Hospital in New York City, new York  to speak to
 Columbia
  University Medical Students.  He wants me to encourage them to
 become
  Retina
  Doctors and Retina Researchers.     I am a 54 year old woman 
and
 have a
  unusual form of Stargardt's Disease and have been visually
 impaired for
  34
  years.  I know that we all have mastered some if not all the
 Techniques
  of
  Blindness.  But my talk is going to be on what it would mean to
 regain my
  vision and what I have missed out on for 34 years.  I would 
like
 to hear
  from all of you to let me know what it would mean to you to 
have
 or
  regain
  your vision.  What struggles have you had.  There has been a
 declined in
  Medical Students to become Retina Doctors and Researchers in
 this
  country.
  As a whole the Blind Community seems to function in a way that
 people
  don't
  realize how difficult it really is.  So instead of talking how 
I
 mastered
  the Techniques of Blindness I have to talk about the reality of
 vision
  loss.
  These students are exposed to other patients with diseases that
 are much
  more visible and pronounced then our vision loss.  At times my
 particular
  eye disease has been called a Hidden handicap.  Because to look
 at me
  even
  though I use a cane I do not look visually impaired at all.  
Any
  suggestions
  or comments would be greatly appreciated.  Thank you.

  Sincerely,

  Johanna Baccan

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  --
  Sometimes it takes darkness and the sweet
  confinement of your aloneness
  to learn anything or anyone
  that does not bring you alive
  is too small for you.
  ~ David Whyte ~ (House of Belonging)

  Sadie Marie Medina!
  Original birthdate unnone.
  First birthday with us: 2/15/2009
  Welcome home baby!

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 blindtlk:

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--
Sometimes it takes darkness and the sweet
confinement of your aloneness
to learn anything or anyone
that does not bring you alive
is too small for you.
~ David Whyte ~ (House of Belonging)

Sadie Marie Medina!
Original birthdate unnone.
First birthday with us: 2/15/2009
Welcome home baby!

_______________________________________________
blindtlk mailing list
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To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info 
for blindtlk:
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