[Blindtlk] Encouraging Medical Students To Be Retina Doctors
Michelle Medina
michellem86 at gmail.com
Sun Feb 26 06:01:14 UTC 2012
Yeah, pretty bad spot to be in.
On 2/26/12, Chris Nusbaum <dotkid.nusbaum at gmail.com> wrote:
> 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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>
>
> --
> 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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--
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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