[Nd-talk] Newswire Vol. 1, No. 7 from NFB of North Dakota

Thu Jul 6 18:30:29 UTC 2017

NEWSWIRE

National Federation of the Blind

of North Dakota

Volume 1 No. 7

Next Meeting

This is a reminder that our July meeting of the National Federation of the
Blind will be held via teleconference and not an in-person meeting at some
location in Fargo. The teleconference will be on Monday, July 17, beginning
at 6:30 PM. I will be giving you some of the highlights of the 2017 National
convention while it is fresh in my mind. The call in number is (712)
832-8300 and the access code to the room is 9381122#

Hope you will all be able to make this meeting!

NEW TEXT-TO-GIVE CAMPAIGN

Our Imagination Fund Committee is pleased to announce a text-to-give
campaign. Text-to-give allows anyone to make a $25 donation to the National
Federation of the Blind with a simple text message from his or her mobile
phone. Thanks to AT&T covering the costs for a limited time, the National
Federation of the Blind will receive 100 percent of each contribution. We
need your help identifying individuals in your extended network of family,
friends, colleagues, and service providers. Please take the time to share
the names and email addresses of potential supporters by visiting
<https://nfb.org/text2017> https://nfb.org/text2017. We will send an email
inviting all of these individuals to share in the great things we do every
day to help blind people live the lives they want. 

Convention Stream

You can find a link to the Convention Stream Schedule on the homepage of the
National Federation of the Blind of North Dakota at  <http://nfbnd.org/>
http://nfbnd.org/

There are links to the various media players that the stream is available
through. This is just a way to be there if you are not able to attend the
convention but I can assure you it is not like being there. Catch the
excitement and you'll want to be there next year!

KNFB ReaderR Sale

On July 10, the KNFB Reader for Windows 10 will be on sale from the
Microsoft Store for 80% off the regular price of $99.99. You must have
Windows 10 running on your computer. Log-in or set up your account on the
Microsoft Store to purchase and download the program. Should you have
questions you can visit the website of KNFB ReaderR at
<http://knfbreader.com/> http://knfbreader.com/ or call Milton Ota Liaison
representative for the National Federation of the Blind of North Dakota and
KNFB ReaderR  after July 16 at (701) 731-0511 or e-mail him at
<mailto:mota1252 at gmail.com> mota1252 at gmail.com

Orbit Reader 20 Update

We wanted to provide you with an update on the Orbit Reader. Our rigorous
quality control efforts continue. In order to provide you with the best
quality device, we have been working closely with the manufacturer to make
sure the Orbit Reader is reliable and sturdy. The technology used to
activate the pins that make up the Braille cells is new, and in a small
percentage of the devices, there have been some issues with them caused by
minute variations in the plastic parts that make up the Braille cells. This
has meant that manufacturing has been slowed in order to perform some
additional quality control checks to eliminate these issues.

My Deaf/Blind Journey

By Shirley Ann Robideau

In the early 1980's, I was diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa.  I had never
heard of the term and was terrified when the doctor said, "You are going to
go blind." I tried to find out as much as I could about RP but there was not
enough information about it at the time.  My vision deteriorated very slowly
at first, almost to the point that I convinced myself that it was not true.
However, by 2011, I was faced with the reality that I indeed was going
blind.  Vision would drop more rapidly and by 2014 (approximately) enough of
my vision was gone that my very low hearing was giving me extreme problems
because I could no longer see people's faces to be able to lipread.

I had multiple problems popping up that I had never anticipated.  I had
Polio when I was one and a half years of age. This resulted in using braces
and crutches most of my life. Then in 1984 I went into a wheelchair
permanently.  I was able to handle any situation that would come up but this
new physical challenge was almost more then I could bare.  I went to several
organizations seeking help to learn how to continue my independence, but no
one knew how to give me any real direction; the services in ND were so
limited. 

So here I was about 67 years old and not ready to give up but I was not sure
which way to turn.  I didn't even know anyone that was deaf blind to help me
learn. I met Trish at IPat (Now called ND Assistive) a few years ago when I
lived at New Horizon's Manor in Fargo, ND.  I had applied to get a grant to
purchase a IPad.  I was able to use this to continue reading the Scriptures,
song book, and other books I was interested in at that time but I didn't
really know how to use it to its full capacity. There was no program or
individual that could teach me how to use it.  I began to become depressed
with what was happening to me.  I couldn't hear on my phone, I couldn't see
people's faces to know who was talking to me without asking who they were.
I was beginning to be afraid to leave my apartment by myself and so on.  

I am a very active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
and would go to Church on Sundays and not be able to hear enough to make out
what the talks were about.  People walked up to me and would greet me, I
didn't know who they were, I couldn't see the little children and that was
so hard on me.  Then came the day I could not even read my extra-large print
of the hymn book.  I totally lost it.  I came home each Sunday and would
cry.  My world was getting smaller and smaller.  I began to stay home from
many activities and would hesitate to go to doctors or other appointments
because of lack of understanding what was being said to me.

I received my first ComPilot, I believe in 2013 and began working again with
Trish from ND Assistive.  I had thought that ND Assistive was a place just
for renting out equipment but, Trish began helping me to get several
different types of adaptive technology to help me in my home.  I received an
alarm that vibrates on my bed to wake me up in case the fire alarm went off,
my phone would ring, or my alarm clock went off.  I was so grateful for this
organization for helping me.  They also helped me to get transfer poles for
by my bed and toilet for easier, safer transfers.

ND Assistive helped me to get a ComPilot so I could hear and understand what
was being said to me on the phone.  I had a flip phone at this time and it
was giving me a lot of trouble. I talked with Trish and she made contact
with President Milton Ota of the National Federation of the Blind.
President Ota is the President of the North Dakota Group of the Federation.
Trish asked him who she could talk to about training me to use an IPhone.
In the meantime, since I didn't know she was looking for someone to train
me, I went and charged an IPhone on my Phone Bill.  I tried to figure out
how to use it and gave up, returning the phone.  Another part of my
independence was being taken away from me. I was no longer able to set up
appointments, answer calls, etc.  Now I not only couldn't hear and
communicate with my friends at Church but now I couldn't communicate by
phone either.  I felt like piece by piece my life was being taken away from
me.  Then Trish called to ask if I would like training with an iPhone.  I
excitedly accepted and Jesse Shirek an assistive Technology Instructor began
training me how to use an iPhone. Later he taught me how to use jaws which s
a program that reads the computer aloud for me.

In the meantime, just prior to meeting Jesse, I had gone to a support group
for the Deaf and learned about the Cochlear Implant.  My Audiologist
strongly suggested that I talk to Dr. Miller about whether or not I would be
a candidate for an implant because I was losing my vision and needed some
other help to communicate.  I had the surgery June 22, 2015.  The results of
the implant totally blew my mind.  I had used hearing aids all my life but
this can't compare to that.  It took well over six months for me to be able
to understand what I was hearing.  As I continued to progress, however, to
be able to hear sounds I have never heard in my life began to give me a
glimmer of hope.  I was beginning to want to climb out of this tiny world I
had been boxed into for the last few years and come alive.

The lessons with the IPhone and JAWS has opened up a whole new world in my
life that I didn't know was possible.  I wasn't able to keep track of my
appointments because I couldn't see to write things down.  Now with the
IPhone I can email, send text messages, listen to my favorite radio station,
Mormon Channel and hear it though my ComPilot, hearing aid and Cochlear
Implant.  How awesome is that? It doesn't stop there, I also joined the
National Federation of the Blind, going out to events again, going to
seminars or other events to learn more, who knows, I might go back to
school! On top of all of these blessings, I am meeting new people and they
are giving me more confidence in myself and my abilities. The national
Federation for the Blind members are great support for me. 

There are many more opportunities available to me now then I had ever known
before and I am so grateful to ND Assistive and the National Federation for
the Blind for the doors they are opening up for me.  The National Federation
for the Blind is not just for the blind but for everyone who has an interest
in learning more that is available to the blind.  Whether you are blind,
have a visual limitation or know someone that is visually limited you can
join the Federation by contacting President Milton Ota at 701-731-0511. For
information about technology instruction contact Jesse Shirek at
701-781-2526.  
For more information on North Dakota Assistive, please contact 701-365-4728.

THANK YOU to Shirley Robideau for sharing her story as she lives the life
she wants and Why She Is A Federationist.

This newsletter was produced and edited by Milton Ota, President of the
National Federation of the Blind of North Dakota.

Please feel free to distribute this newsletter your friends and family so
that we can share the work of the National Federation of the Blind of North
Dakota.

If you would like to submit an article for the Newswire, please contact
Milton Ota at (701) 731-0511 or by e-mail at mota1252 at gmail.com
<mailto:mota1252 at gmail.com> 

The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the
characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the
expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles
between blind people and our dreams. You can live the life you want;
blindness is not what holds you back.

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