[Blindtlk] blind-driver cars; insurance; entitlement

Thu Jan 19 19:28:11 UTC 2012

Brian, I was once bitter for the same reasons you state but I discovered
that my bitterness wasn't accomplishing anything. In fact, it was causing me
more problems than it was solving.

I was bitter because I had a desire to address government misconduct and
abuse. I wanted to try and do something about the problems. I began writing
letters on my electric typewriter. I had no access to a computer so I
contacted Visual Services here in Oklahoma. I petitioned them for service
and although I was put through some hoops, I was turned down in the end.

I had a lot of problems with some of the things they asked me to do.

For example: I am blind. I had an insurance card from the state. I had a
card number that began with B. The B stood for "blind." They asked me to go
to an eye doctor to get a report stating that I am blind. I had to use the
insurance card to pay for the doctor's visit.

My thinking was, and still is, that if I had an insurance card from the
state, given to me on the basis that I am blind, then it was an undue
expense, paid for by taxpayers, to ask me to go to the doctor so that the
doctor could say that I am blind.

They knew that to begin with.

That was just one of the problems that I had with visual services. I won't
go into any more detail than that.

Eventually, I repettitioned visual Services after an attorney agreed to hire
me. This time I was successful because I had a prospective job.

I do not work for the law firm any longer. 

I am a purchasing agent for a company that buys and sells medical equipment.
Right now I use a demo version of JAWS which suffices.

I might eventually petition Visual Services to help me purchase a full
version of JAWS but at this point, I don't have the time to take off work to
be put through their hoops so I am getting by with the bare minimum.

I am not bitter about this. It's just a fact.

I will say here that another part of my bitterness stemmed from the fact
that I wrote a letter in support of the Oklahoma Library for the Blind back
in 2003. I had received a notice that funding for the library might be cut.
I wrote a letter and passed it on to my legislators. I also sent a copy to
an NFB list. I was contacted by the President of the NFB of Oklahoma and was
told that my approach was wrong.

I now see that my approach was wrong but at that time, I was filled with
bitterness and I attacked him out of anger and self-righteous indignation. I
also contacted Marc Maurer and extended that righteous-indignation to him as
well.

Guess what, it accomplished nothing.

Well it probably did have some effect. It caused a spirit of contention
between me and the NFB. I doubt the NFB was contentious with me, but I was
contentious with the NFB.

You know surprisingly, I never heard of the NFB when I was going to school.
I attended public school from the fifth grade through graduation. I had a
counselor through Visual Services. He told me about the ACB but I never
heard of the NFB.

I think I first heard about the NFB in 1998 when I was looking for a place
to order a talking watch.

That is very unfortunate that I didn't hear of the organization before then
but, that's the way it was.

Sorry for the digress.

In short, I have learned that bitterness and contention accomplish nothing.
I try to take an approach now which will benefit both sides and leave a
feeling of mutual satisfaction.

I'm not always successful but at least when I fail, I have a peace about it.

-----Original Message-----
From: blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Bryan Schulz
Sent: Thursday, January 19, 2012 12:54 PM
To: Blind Talk Mailing List
Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] blind-driver cars; insurance; entitlement

hi,

good points.
maybe all of the hurdles will be cleared for the car to be in operation but
at what cost not just financially?
as you, i don't feel entitled or the nfb owes me a job as they don't exactly
do much in that arena to start with.
the bitter tone is probably from investing years and effort in education
more than once with rehab assurance of cooperation and an employment path
with nil results by the companies who promised employment after graduation
or shady preference provided to another party by rehab staff who distribute
clients.
Bryan Schulz

  ----- Original Message -----
  From: Rex Leslie Howard, Jr. 
  To: 'Blind Talk Mailing List' 
  Sent: Thursday, January 19, 2012 12:01 PM
  Subject: [Blindtlk] blind-driver cars; insurance; entitlement

  Brian, I am aware there are problems to overcome but I live my life on the
  premise of overcoming problems. I am not a "no I can't" or "no it can't be
  done" person. I am a "yes I can" and "yes it is possible" kind of person.
  I realize there are legal problems to overcome as well as other technical
  issues but this does not keep me from dreaming of a day when I can get
into
  a car and go where I want to go without a sighted driver.

  I totally believe that one day this will be possible.

  Do I believe that every blind person will have a blind-drivable car? No.
Nor
  do I believe that just because it exists that everyone is entitled to have
  one.

  I want an IPhone but I don't have one right now. Am I angry with NFB
because
  they have supported advancements in technology which help to make the
IPhone
  accessible to blind persons? Absolutely not.

  Am I bitter towards NFB because they have funded advancements in
technology
  that I am not benefiting from right now? Absolutely not.

  Why?

  Because I don't believe that I am entitled to anything.

  I don't even believe that blind persons are entitled to social security. I
  believe it is necessary and I am glad that most blind people receive some
  kind of disability income but do I think it is a right? No. I believe it
is
  a privilege insured by the taxpaying sector of our nation.

  I do understand that the cost of supporting blind persons without some
kind
  of government assistance would be hard on the nation, family and friends
of
  those of us who are blind.

  The rate of unemployment in our nation is hard on the nation in the fact
  that those who are out of work need some kind of assistance; whether it be
  from friends, family or economic assistance from the government.

  I am glad these programs are in place but do I believe that we should have
a
  mindset of entitlement?

  No.

  I lived on social security most of my life and I can say with absolute
  certainty that were it not for the help of my family, the miserly amount
of
  assistance would have made it more than difficult for me to make ends
meet.

  Now I am employed and I have worked for almost ten years.

  right now I am comfortable. I do not have to live from week to week. I am
  blessed to have a job and I hope I never have to go back to living on
  government assistance.

  If that happens however, I will not adopt a mindset of entitlement. I will
  be appreciative for what I have. I will seek employment after being
  re-educated in some field or study. At no time will I get a chip on my
  shoulder and believe that this society owes me something.

  I used to not be that way.

  In fact I was quite hostile to Mr. Maurer and the NFB back in 2001-2003,
an
  attitude that I greatly regret at this time.

  I didn't just have a chip on my shoulder, I was the whole bag of Fritos.

  I have learned that life is not always fair and that she (life I mean)
will
  take every opportunity to kick us in the head.

  It happens to the rich and the poor alike.

  One thing that really gets me is when people talk about how we ought to
cap
  the amount of money people can make in this country so we can spread
around
  the wealth.

  Life is full of opportunities to win and to lose.

  Sometimes it is possible to do everything right, to make no mistakes and
  still lose. That's not a fault, that's a fact of life.

  I'm saying all of this because it seems to me that you have some extreme
  bitterness and negativity working in you. It's not being a realist that is
  the problem. it is the pessimistic attitude towards life that causes many
of
  our problems.

  When we realize that it is a blessing to wake up each day and to live on
  this side of the grass, we can say we are truly blessed regardless of the
  situations and circumstances.

  Things will come at us but we can overcome and prevail.

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