[BlindTlk] You are a fall risk because you are blind

Sat Sep 2 00:01:43 UTC 2023

Hello. I can attest to this. I have also been totally blind since birth. 
I have been hospitalized 3 times this year and all 3 times was told I 
could not get out of bed by myself because I was blind and I was a big 
fall risk. This was infuriating and degrading to say the least. I 
complained to various doctors and nurses with no result. So it is 
definitely rampant among medical professionals which is wrong in my 
opinion. I do have balance issues but they are not related to my sight 
or lack thereof and I do know how to compensate for them and have not 
fallen ever in my home. And believe me with 2 cats underfoot there are 
enough fall risks.

Charlotte

On 9/1/2023 6:35 PM, Judy Jones via BlindTlk wrote:
> Hi, Jody,
>
> No, I haven't gotten that, at this point.
>
> In fact, the PT for my torn meniscus stated that blindness doesn't affect
> my balance, as it has been a life-long condition, but thought I might have
> something vistibular going on since I also have been in Covid long-haul.
>
> His respect for you should have run up a notch when you mentioned your
> martial arts expertise hahahaha.
>
> It may either be time to shop for a new doc, or start him on an "education"
> program.
>
> Judy
> sent from my Samsung Galaxy phone
>
> On Fri, Sep 1, 2023, 4:25 PM Jody ianuzzi via BlindTlk <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
> wrote:
>
>> The last time I went to see my doctor he really made me angry. He told me
>> that he was concerned that I might fall because of my visual impairment.  I
>> said that if I just lost my site that there would be a period of adjustment
>> where I would have to learn alternative techniques to be more confident.  I
>> told him that I have  been blind my entire life  I had no more chance of
>> falling than he did and that since I started learning the martial arts 52
>> years ago, I could probably teach him how to fall without getting hurt!
>>
>> Since this happened I have relayed the story to many people have told me
>> that they are also considered a fall risk by medical professionals. So is
>> this a new protocol? Are we all incompetent at walking without having
>>
>> Since this happened I have relayed the story to many people who have told
>> me that they are also considered a fall risk by medical professionals. So
>> is this a new protocol? Are we all incompetent at walking without having to
>> worry about falling?  I think it is so much of a coincidence that I have
>> heard the story from many places around the country. I think I think we
>> really have to educate the medical profession as well as everyone else!
>>
>> JODY
>>
>> To Boldly Go  🖖🏻
>>
>>
>> thunderwalker321 at gmail.com
>>
>> "What's within you is stronger than what's in your way."  NO BARRIERS
>> Erik Weihenmayer
>>
>>> On Sep 1, 2023, at 6:55 PM, Raul Gallegos - NAGDU via BlindTlk <
>> blindtlk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>> Hello Mark. That’s a new one for sure.
>>>
>>> On a different but slightly related note, I went on a cruise earlier
>> this year.
>>> Upon my re-entry back onboard the ship after indulging a nice and long
>> day of sun and adult beverages, the security folks wanted to check my cane
>> before letting me on the ship. I politely declined and told the nice
>> security person that my cane posed no threat and that I could just walk
>> through the gate and that I have done this many times. He was rather
>> insistent, however. So, the compromise was to let me walk through, then
>> they would check the cane anyway. Considering I was tired, and a little,
>> well, happy, and I didn’t want my good mood to be ruined, I let the
>> security folks check my cane after I walked through. Here is where the
>> funny part comes in.
>>> As I am standing in front of the nice security person while my cane is
>> getting checked for contraband, he puts his hands under mine and tells me
>> that it is all going to be okay, and I can just lean forward on him, and he
>> will make sure I do not fall. I instantly figured out that he honestly
>> thought my cane was for balance, not guiding. Instead of educating him
>> further, I grabbed his hands and started dancing with him. We twirled
>> around a few times, and as we danced, I educated him that my balance was
>> better than fine, and that my cane made a great dance partner when my wife
>> was not around and when my cane wasn’t doing its real job of guiding me.
>>> In the end, it was a funny time, and hopefully, this nice security
>> cruise ship person received a little education in a positive way.
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>>
>>> Raul Gallegos
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> From: nFB-Talk <nfb-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Mark Tardif
>> via nFB-Talk
>>> Sent: Friday, September 1, 2023 5:25 PM
>>> To: Blind Talk Mailing List <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
>>> Cc: Mark Tardif <markspark at roadrunner.com>; NFB of Florida Internet
>> Mailing List <nfbf-l at nfbnet.org>; NFB Talk Mailing List <
>> nfb-talk at nfbnet.org>
>>> Subject: [NFB-Talk] Strange Stuff
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Alright, friends.  I’m going to tell you something that will either
>> leave you laughing or crying, and it is to demonstrate that no matter how
>> well educated you are, if you are not familiar with blindness, well, you
>> can still come across as, to put it politely, not the brightest light in
>> the room.  The other day I saw a doctor I had never met before.  He had
>> never spoken with someone who was born blind, and I suspect he had never
>> spoken with any blind person.  Anyway, he saw my long white cane and, get
>> this, asked if this was my “eye stick.”  Yes, that was the term he actually
>> used, “eye stick.”  I wasn’t sure whether to laugh or to just moan with
>> sadness, but one does need to remember manners in this situation, so I told
>> him that we call it a long white cane and told him what it was for.  He
>> actually asked a number of good questions about blindness, which I thought
>> was good, but it was clear that he needed much educating.  He seemed
>> surprised I can actually walk around town independently.  I guess we have a
>> lot of work to do, still, to put it mildly.  Also, I must say that while
>> people up here are often extremely nice and courteous, they seem to pride
>> themselves on being quite insular, even more than the rest of Maine, which
>> is my state incidentally.  I say that because along with the term “eye
>> stick,” I’ve often heard some very strange and, frankly, primitive ideas
>> that I won’t actually go into here, but I do often think that holds us back
>> in a lot of ways.  Anyway, I just thought I would share that bit of
>> strangeness.
>>> Mark Tardif
>>> Nuclear arms will not hold you.
>>>
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