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

Sun Sep 3 13:41:22 UTC 2023

I just do whatever I want too?

I don’t care what anyone else thinks.

I‘m not belligerent, but if I wish to get up and go somewhere, or do something, I just do it.

If anyone puts their  hands on me, I use martial arts and get their hands off of me.

If they grab my wrist, I Just say  the famous, “Don’t touch me, or don’t put your hands on me,” in an authoritative voice.

You have the same rights as your sighted brethren.

Noone gets to just do whatever they want to you without permission.

Excuses matter not.

Noone takes away the sighted person’s glasses, or gets to just manhandle them any kind of way. 

I do my best to dictate the situation so I am in a context where I have control. That helps.

But, in the end, no one, and I mean noone gets to run me.

I use reasonable accommodations when necessary, but I dictate my life  so that I try to avoid that, because you have to then be aware of how people think they can treat you.

Though, at times reasonable accommodations are necessary, such as when I went to the SSA office.

Never give up your power, but no how to be independent.

Justin

From: BlindTlk <blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Jody ianuzzi via BlindTlk
Sent: Saturday, September 2, 2023 11:50 AM
To: Blind Talk Mailing List <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Jody ianuzzi <thunderwalker321 at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [BlindTlk] You are a fall risk because you are blind

Hi Pam,

That is way beyond acceptable! I would've just walked out anyway! If he tried to tried to stop you then that is assault   I would contact the medical centers ADA coordinator and make a formal complaint.

I do the same thing if someone tries to stopif someone tries to stop me with my guy dog I just say it's the law that I come in and I just keep walking. If they want to pursue me that's their problem   a

JODY

To Boldly Go  🖖🏻 

thunderwalker321 at gmail.com <mailto:thunderwalker321 at gmail.com>  

"What's within you is stronger than what's in your way."  NO BARRIERS  Erik Weihenmayer

On Sep 2, 2023, at 9:58 AM, Pamela Dominguez via BlindTlk <blindtlk at nfbnet.org <mailto:blindtlk at nfbnet.org> > wrote:

It might be different now, but the last time I was hospitalized in 2012, I got up when I wanted to, and went and used the bathroom and whatever.  I didn’t even know they didn’t want me to until I was almost ready to go home.  But the reason I say it might be different now is, I go to see my doctor in a hospital-type setting, and I complained that the security guard didn’t want me to practically move, not to go out by myself to get my ride, not to come down from the other floor myself, not anything, and everybody I complained to said that he was doing the right thing, because he was looking out for my safety because I can’t see.  Access-a-ride wants you outside ten minutes before the ride, and it didn’t matter what I said, he would not let me.  He said they had to come in and get me.  Pam.  

Sent from Mail <https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=550986>  for Windows

From: Mama Otter via BlindTlk <mailto:blindtlk at nfbnet.org> 
Sent: Friday, September 1, 2023 8:03 PM
To: Judy Jones via BlindTlk <mailto:blindtlk at nfbnet.org> 
Cc: Mama Otter <mailto:sirius_black at comcast.net> 
Subject: Re: [BlindTlk] You are a fall risk because you are blind

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 <mailto: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 <mailto: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 <mailto: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 <mailto: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 <mailto:blindtlk at nfbnet.org> >

>>> Cc: Mark Tardif <markspark at roadrunner.com <mailto:markspark at roadrunner.com> >; NFB of Florida Internet

>> Mailing List <nfbf-l at nfbnet.org <mailto:nfbf-l at nfbnet.org> >; NFB Talk Mailing List <

>> nfb-talk at nfbnet.org <mailto: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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