[il-talk] Fw: Here is yet another reason why our work in theNFB is necessary. Read this article and the attitudedisplayed by the subject of the article.

Wed Nov 20 01:48:57 UTC 2013

If she's not using a Cane, people will still know something is going on with 
her if she's trying to feel with her hands what's in front of her.  So, I 
don't see much difference it will make if she's using one, except that it 
will help her know what's in front of her better, and help keep her safe. 
Sincerely, Linda

-----Original Message----- 
From: Edwin
Sent: Tuesday, November 19, 2013 2:31 PM
To: 'NFB of Illinois Mailing List'
Subject: Re: [il-talk] Fw: Here is yet another reason why our work in theNFB 
is necessary. Read this article and the attitudedisplayed by the subject of 
the article.

I just hope she isn't hurt by a car or even killed because of her reluctants
to use a cane.

-----Original Message-----
From: il-talk [mailto:il-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of NFB Related
Robert A Hansen
Sent: Tuesday, November 19, 2013 3:02 PM
To: Jemal Powell; NFB of Illinois Mailing List
Subject: Re: [il-talk] Fw: Here is yet another reason why our work in the
NFB is necessary. Read this article and the attitude displayed by the
subject of the article.

the thing is, none of her neighbors will mind if she uses a cane or not.
this is simply her thinking.  eventually her neighborswill think there is
something wrong with her if she does no find something and soon.  I find
that most people have better things to concern their time with.  She acts
like her eye sight loss is temporary.

RH

On 11/18/2013 6:33 PM, Jemal Powell wrote:
>
>
> ----- Forwarded Message -----
> From: NFB-NEWSLINE Online <nfbnewsline at nfb.org>
> To: Jemal Powell <derek2872 at yahoo.com>
> Sent: Sunday, November 17, 2013 11:49 AM
> Subject: Article from New York Times National Desk 2013 11 17
>
>
>
> THE NEEDIEST CASES: SIGHT LOST, SIGHT RESTORED. A Tool Meant to Keep Her
Safe Makes Her Feel Like a Target. By JOHN OTIS. Cynthia Gibbs-Pratt would
rather walk into walls than use a cane to guide her. And often, she does.
She had 20/20 vision most of her life. Last April, Ms. Gibbs-Pratt, 47,
learned she had macular degeneration, a progressive disease that robs those
who have it of their sight.. 'If somebody came to you today with this cane
and said you had to use it, would you accept it? she asked. Pride plays a
clear role in Ms. Gibbs-Pratt's unwillingness to embrace her disability, but
fear is the more potent force girding her stubbornness. She believes that
walking the streets of her Bronx neighborhood with the cane would present
her as weak, that it would provide a bull's-eye for anyone seeking an easy
target. 'I feel vulnerable, because people always see me by myself,' she
said. 'I don't want people to know I'm disabled. It does not help that her
>   neighborhood is unfamiliar, and so very far from her family in Brooklyn,
where Ms. Gibbs-Pratt spent most of her life. She moved into her current
apartment with her husband after they wed two years ago. The two separated
in February, shortly after he revealed that he had cancer. Ms. Gibbs-Pratt
was confronting her own significant health issues at the time, including
chronic bronchitis. 'He said it would be too much for me, to deal with what
I'm dealing with, and take care of him,' she said. 'He didn't grow up with
the same family values I grew up with. I just pray, 'God have mercy on his
soul.' Last summer, Ms. Gibbs-Pratt's misfortune was further compounded when
she fell behind on bills after her illnesses kept her out of work for three
and a half months. She holds a job as a food stamp eligibility specialist
and received $1,400 a month from her union while on sick leave, which was
significantly less than her usual income. She was unable to cover her
>   $1,071 monthly rent or her Consolidated Edison bill. No assistance was
offered from her absent husband. Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New York,
one of the agencies supported by The New York Times Neediest Cases Fund,
provided $351, applying $200 to Ms. Gibbs-Pratt's back rent and $151 toward
her electricity bill. Her rent troubles may be behind her, but Ms.
Gibbs-Pratt still lacks the financial stability to move back to her old
neighborhood. Coupled with her deteriorating eyesight, her seclusion has led
to mounting paranoia. She covers her reduced-fare MetroCard to hide her
disabled status when swiping it. As she fumbles to fit her keys into her
door, watched by a cluster of marijuana-smoking neighbors, she fears for her
safety. Despite her isolation, Ms. Gibbs-Pratt has no shortage of support.
Two cousins, who regularly trek in from Harlem and Coney Island, provide an
immense amount of help. Her husband's aunt, Sharon Bouyer, whom Ms.
Gibbs-Pratt
>   calls Mama, offers telephone counsel from Jacksonville, Fla. And her
biggest source of support, she said, has been Catholic Charities Guild for
the Blind. The agency helps her acclimate to her new world, teaching her how
to traverse the city's streets by using landmarks and counting steps. The
guild has fitted her desk at work with a special computer station and
provided her with other items, like a talking watch. And a mobility
specialist, who often visits her home, has equipped her kitchen with
Braille-like bumps that allow her to safely use the knobs on her stove and
properly work her microwave. But she has yet to warm up to that cane. 'I'm
not totally rejecting it, because I know at some point I'm going to have to
use it,' she said. A recent series of near-misses forced Ms. Gibbs-Pratt to
confront the dangerous consequences of her stubbornness. She was nearly
sideswiped by three different vehicles in one week. Acceptance of her
impending blindness
>   comes in dribs and drabs. Tears come whenever she dwells on her fate,
but so too does a mustering of courage. 'I used to do so much,' she said. 'I
was the one always running and jumping for everybody. I still don't want to
accept it. But God brought me through so many things. This vision thing is
only temporary. PHOTO: Cynthia Gibbs-Pratt (PHOTOGRAPH BY MARILYNN K.
YEE/THE NEW YORK TIMES). This article is provided to you as a courtesy of
NFB-NEWSLINER Online for your sole use. The content of this E-mail is
protected under copyright law, and is not to be distributed in any manner to
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The
>   NFB-NEWSLINER Team.
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