[blparent] police called

Fri Nov 6 17:30:48 UTC 2015

Wow, this thread has been fun. Now, I've got to add my own little story --
not about police, but my doctor.

Last year, my GP retired. He was a wonderful doctor, East Texas through and
through. His place was a tiny office in the strip maul just a few blocks
from my house. I could easily walk there if needbe. So, when he hung it up,
I had to break in a newby.

My wife's internist, Dr. Rajahn, is not a native born American -- South
Asia, I'd guess. She's part of a large medical conglomerate in a midrise
medical building a few miles away. They "automate" *everything*, yet lost
the reems of forms I spent the better part of an hour completing on their
website. They actually lost the web version and the paper version my wife
had to fill out in the waiting room. When I finally got to see the doctor,
all she could do was ask me silly questions like who took care of me, where
does your wife work, You're working? Where? Doing what? How do you walk
around? She was so distracted, she barely touched me. She even forgot to
request a PSA -- I'm 65 years old, and I like to keep track of that.

Needless to say, I was very disappointed, but she is reputedly good from a
technical standpoint, and she ran a very broad spectrum of tests (other than
the PSA) which picked up a couple of things that needed attention. I was
still very tempted to find another GP, but inertia won out. I typically see
a doctor for a yearly physical, and nothing else.

So, I went back this year. This time, there were only 4 pages of forms to
complete, and they actually had all my information. Maybe they replaced
their records person. This time, Dr. Rajahn was far less distracted, and
gave me the most thorough examination I can imagine. That's a good thing.
But, she still was incredulous that I was actually working, and when I told
her I worked for NASA, she said "What could you possibly do for them?" When
I told her, I could see she thought I was crazy. I pulled my phone out of my
pocket and activated it. VoiceOver came up, and I said "This is a 5 year old
iPhone. Everything in my world talks, computer, TV remote, , even my watch."
You really are clueless about blindness, and while it is sadly true that
unemployment and under employment is higher than we would like, most of us
are independent." She still asked me to walk across the tiny examining room,
I guess to prove I could walk. I took two steps and stopped before walking
into the examining table, which I knew was there. She asked me how I knew
when to stop. I pulled up my best geeky superhero voice and said
"Bliiiiiiiiind Radar!" 

You guys are right about the importance of a sense of humor. Those of you
who know me would have expected me to become very angry, but I've been
working on that. I even offered to serve as a resource if (God forbid) she
ever had another blind patient and had general questions about blindness. I
also suggested that she Google the National Federation, and being an equal
opportunity guy also suggested the American Counsel.

-----Original Message-----
From: Judy Jones [mailto:Judy.Jones at icbvi.idaho.gov] 
Sent: Thursday, November 05, 2015 4:54 PM
To: Blind Parents Mailing List
Subject: Re: [blparent] police called

I love that.

I have a friend who carries a fancy pair of gold clippers in her purse for
that purpose.

Judy

-----Original Message-----
From: BlParent [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Jennifer S
Jackson via BlParent
Sent: Thursday, November 05, 2015 3:05 PM
To: 'Blind Parents Mailing List'
Cc: Jennifer S Jackson
Subject: Re: [blparent] police called

When I was in college I had this great o & m guy a few times that in
addition to doing a stellar job, also kept a sizable sharp knife with him to
cut back shrubbery and small tree limbs. God bless him! 

So one day he is out on a lesson with a friend of mine and she has stopped
at an intersection and an acquaintance stops in a car to offer a ride. My
friend says no thinks and the woman gets rather insistent. She finally says
to my friend that she really needs to get in the car because there is a man
with a knife who has been following her. :)

The best thing I learned from Jimmy was to get my own knife. Before I had
kids and all their stuff to carry instead, I always kept a good one in my
bag so I could help people out by trimming up their landscaping when it was
growing over the sidewalk. :) I am a giver that way. I always really wanted
a little battery operated chainsaw to carry instead.

Jennifer J
-----Original Message-----
From: BlParent [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Judy Jones
via BlParent
Sent: Thursday, November 5, 2015 3:37 PM
To: Blind Parents Mailing List
Cc: Judy Jones
Subject: Re: [blparent] police called

This did not happen to me, but a friend related it.  He was blinded during
the Vietnam war, and while in training at the center in Chicago for vets, he
says that one of the friends he met there had some partial vision, but all
were supposed to be under blindfold to learn their cane skills.

Apparently this guy got really turned around, so cheated and peak.  A
policeman happened to be in the vicinity, noticed his lost condition and
asked him for assistance.  He stated he was not sure, but that he thought
someone might be following him, could it be checked out.

Of course, the one following him was the trainer from the center, about a
half block away, and the trainer was escorted downtown until the story could
be checked.

I am a former guide dog user, and we had mighty fun at the guide dog school
in San Rafael where I attended.  Noone watching the promo films has a clue
what sometimes is going on in the background hahahaha!

Judy

-----Original Message-----
From: BlParent [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Star Gazer
via BlParent
Sent: Thursday, November 05, 2015 2:12 PM
To: 'Blind Parents Mailing List'
Cc: Star Gazer
Subject: Re: [blparent] police called

				Entertain us or just me Judy, I want some
stories. 

-----Original Message-----
From: BlParent [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Judy Jones
via BlParent
Sent: Thursday, November 5, 2015 3:40 PM
To: Blind Parents Mailing List <blparent at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Judy Jones <Judy.Jones at icbvi.idaho.gov>
Subject: Re: [blparent] police called

Can you imagine the number of "stupid" calls they get?  That one was
probably at the top of the list for the day.  Our office is not a police
office, but we do get our share as well, probably most offices do.

Judy

-----Original Message-----
From: BlParent [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Star Gazer
via BlParent
Sent: Thursday, November 05, 2015 10:24 AM
To: 'Blind Parents Mailing List'
Cc: Star Gazer
Subject: Re: [blparent] police called

						Anybody can call the police
for anything. I'd not let this worry you. 

-----Original Message-----
From: BlParent [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Judy Jones
via BlParent
Sent: Thursday, November 5, 2015 12:01 PM
To: Blind Parents Mailing List <blparent at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Judy Jones <jtj1 at cableone.net>
Subject: Re: [blparent] police called

I'll bet the officer thought it was just as ridiculous, too.  Hahahaha? 
Some, People!

Judy

-----Original Message-----
From: Jo Elizabeth Pinto via BlParent
Sent: Thursday, November 5, 2015 9:56 AM
To: Blind Parents Mailing List
Cc: Jo Elizabeth Pinto
Subject: Re: [blparent] police called

I don't remember reading Jennifer's  story, but we tend to stand out as
blind people.  It's probably more nerve-wracking when there are children
involved.  *Smile.*  Sometimes it feels like living out in public and
raising our kids, we're in a fishbowl.  It can be scary, but maybe our best
defense is a sense of humore.

The police got called on me once because I was digging out a strip of grass
to make a flower bed in my own yard, years before I had my daughter.  It was
along the sidewalk  facing the street, and my then husband and I were going
to have a fence put in, so there was a string marking where the fence would
go, but no fence yet.  I was minding my own business, using my gardening
tools, when an officer walked up and introduced himself.  He said someone
had called the police from the apartment building across the busy street
because I had been seen digging in the grass and the neighbors were afraid I
wouldn't know where to stop.  The concerned citizens in the apartment across
the road were worried that I would dig right through the concrete sidewalk
and the gutter and work my way out into traffic!

I couldn't keep myself from laughing.  I told the officer that if I, a
120-pound blind lady with a hand trowel and a gardening rake, could dig
through a six-foot-wide sidewalk and an asphalt gutter without even knowing
it and end up in a busy street, the neighbors across the road and the city
police force would have a bigger problem on their hands than they could
solve by themselves.  Besides, I hadn't even been facing the street.  I'd
been digging parallel to the sidewalk.  The officer laughed, too, and went
on his way.

Jo Elizabeth

"The Bright Side of Darkness"
is my newly published novel,
available on Kindle and in paperback at Amazon.com.
-----Original Message-----
From: Jessica via BlParent
Sent: Thursday, November 05, 2015 9:20 AM
To: Blind Parents Mailing List
Cc: jessicac.kostiw at gmail.com
Subject: Re: [blparent] police called

Oh my gosh! It didn't even occur to me that the priest could be called when
I'm walking down the street with my daughter! Frankly, excuse my French,
that scares the hell out of me! I may not have been on this list when you're
told that story, what happened?
LOL! I'm feeding my daughter right now and dictating. That was supposed to
say the priest not the priest. Police

Sent from my iPhone

> On Nov 4, 2015, at 3:11 PM, Jennifer S Jackson via blparent 
> <blparent at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>
> We post here occasionally about our own fears or experiences as blind 
> parents and various local authorities. I think I shared before about 
> being out on an o and m walk and having people call the police because 
> I was out walking with a baby. That same day I was reported to my 
> mother and sister by various people who saw me out including the one 
> who said that I was with a man who was not my husband. J
>
>
>
> So today I was working out at the gym when  I received a call from an 
> unidentified caller and I almost did not answer. My 11 year old had 
> actually just left a few minutes before after stopping in on his way 
> from home to the library. The police sergeant identified himself and 
> just wanted to confirm I knew were Henry was. In fact when I sounded 
> concerned he assured me that his family home schools to and that my 
> son was polite and respectful.
>
>
>
> I know this is kind of a no news event, but I think sometimes we 
> forget to share when things are going well as they probably are most 
> of
the time.
>
>
>
>
>
> Jennifer J
>
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
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> blparent:
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