[nfb-db] Communication Options and Technology

[Haben Girma]

Many thanks John! Oh, you mentioned traveling for pleasure. Do you ever 
do independent international trips? Why wouldn't you hire an SSP when 
vacationing? What if you were tour Paris and no one else in the tour 
group new ASL?

Haben

John Lee Clark wrote:
> Haben:
>
> Yes, the skyways were created partly for staying indoors during winter, but
> it is partly because some buildings' basements and some buildings are
> entirely for parking.  Another factor is shopping convenience.  Winter isn't
> a big problem in and of itself, as people in most places are dressed okay to
> go from the car to the store or office and back.  But in both downtowns,
> street parking is limited, so commuters or shoppers may end up parking
> blocks away from where they work or want to shop at.  
>
> As for SSPs, most DB people all over the country use them to some degree in
> terms of quality and hours.  In states where there is no official SSP
> program, DB people ask friends or find their own volunteers or pay for their
> own, on their own terms.  But in many states, you can use Medical Assistance
> waivers through the county you live in to get SSP hours.  They may still
> call them PCAs on paper, as the same agency provides PCAs for seniors and
> other disabled people, but many counties have an understanding with their DB
> consumers that they don't need the typical PCA.  
>
> Some states, like Ohio, has an official SSP program, but it is almost
> entirely volunteer SSPs that they use.  But they are trained.  Other states
> use grants to pay for SSP services.
>
> A few states have "permanent" SSP programjs with funding straight from the
> legislature, which is usually dispensed through the state's Office of,
> Division, of, Commission for, Council for, etc. the Deaf, Hard of Hearing,
> and DeafBlind.  In some cases, the legislature specifically allocates a
> certain amount of money for SSP services.  In other cases, the Commission or
> whatever it is called uses its general budget and just adds SSPs to the list
> of services it provides.
>
> Depending on the nature of your job, companies can certainly pay for SSPs.
> For example, which I worked as the outreach coordinator for DeafBlind Relay
> Service, before it became Communication Facilitator Service, and I was
> flying all over to DB events, my company paid for SSPs from each locale.
> Normally, when I travel for pleasure, I never get a SSP at any point.  But
> because those DB events are usually a few hours and because my goal was to
> meet everyone, it made sense to hire a local SSP and I'd meet him or her at
> the event and then we'd work through the crowd--the SSP would know who's
> who, and could tell me about the person before I meet the person.  One time,
> I had to travel with a SSP, because it was last minute, and my boss could
> only find tickets that required me to go from JFK to LAG in New York, with
> not much time in between the flights, and we would have to run.  
>
> Hope this information is helpful!
>
> John
>
>  
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