[nfb-db] nfb-db Digest, Vol 42, Issue 9

Thu Jul 12 01:24:08 UTC 2012

Tracie,

This was not my first convention, I have attended for the last 8 years. This
was the first time though that the Fm receiver worked. I hooked it up to my
hearing aids directly. 

Can you please tell me what an SPS is? And does? I've only heard this term a
bit lately. In very noisey situations, my hubby and I finger spell to each
other. I have considered learing ASL, but not sure where I could learn being
a blind person too. 

Thank you for the information and the support. I look forward to talking to
you more in the future.

Marsha 

From: nfb-db-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfb-db-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Tracie Inman
Sent: Wednesday, July 11, 2012 2:05 PM
To: nfb-db at nfbnet.org
Subject: Re: [nfb-db] nfb-db Digest, Vol 42, Issue 9

Hi Marsha: I'm Tracie.  I am a board member of the NFB Deaf-Blind division.
I wasn't able to attend this year's convention, but am glad you got a chance
to experience our convention for the first time.  I am glad that the NFB
amateur radio division was able to assist you by providing you with FM
systems.  I was delighted to be able to follow the convention by
live-stream. It wasn't the same as being there, but it was great to be able
to hear with some clarity what was being said.  

  I am legally blind and Deaf. I only hear with the assitance of two
cochlear implants.  Before my implants I depended on Sign Language.  Now
learning to hear is a whole new world.  I also have balance issues that go
along with the hearing loss.  

   My obstacles don't prevent me form doing the things in life I want to do.
I'm helping to start a program in Florida to provide Support Service
Providers (SSP's) for those with combined hearing and sight loss.  I'm also
starting my own home-based business as a consultant dealing with
accessibility issues.  I have a husband and three active children.  I also
have a guide dog (Leader Dog Naulee Joy).  She is 3 years old and is a
beautiful Golden Retriever.

  You asked how we do it?  There is no easy answer to that.  We each have to
find our own solutions.  The best solution preferably would be for each of u
s with combined hearing and sight loss to have an SSP to assist us at the
conventions.  An SSP can help you with everything from finding your way
around to communicating with the exhibit hall and around the Hotel to
helping you with the restaurants.  

  Feel free to email me privately if you wish. I would be happy to help you
out any way I can or just provide some peer support.  - Tracie

Tracie Inman
tracieinman at yahoo.com

--- On Wed, 7/11/12, nfb-db-request at nfbnet.org <nfb-db-request at nfbnet.org>
wrote:

From: nfb-db-request at nfbnet.org <nfb-db-request at nfbnet.org>
Subject: nfb-db Digest, Vol 42, Issue 9
To: nfb-db at nfbnet.org
Date: Wednesday, July 11, 2012, 1:00 PM

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Today's Topics:

   1. New and introducing myself (Marsha Drenth)
   2. Re: New and introducing myself (Scott Davert)

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Message: 1
Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2012 10:29:08 -0400
From: "Marsha Drenth" <marsha.drenth at gmail.com>
To: <nfb-db at nfbnet.org>
Subject: [nfb-db] New and introducing myself
Message-ID: <ED0D501A9CF24307A56B8329ACFF3081 at Cptr233>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Hello all,

I just subscribed to the list. Recently I went to the national convention,
but was unable to get to the social. 

Just a quick intro, I 'm Marsha. I live in Philadelphia PA with my Seeing
Eye dog and husband. Hubby and I have been married for 3 years now. My guide
Emma, is a 6 and half year old GSD, who will most likely be retired soon.
Emma has had a number of health and stress issues lately. I am a full time
student at Temple University trying to get my degree in social work. I am
considered a junior and have two long years left. I am totally blind with a
moderate to severe hearing loss. I also have balance problems that accompany
the hearing loss. Currently I use hearing aids with an FM system, but I
still can't hear all that I need to with that amount of equipment. Traveling
is the hardest by far, as I can not hear traffic, and get lost very easily. 

I discovered in 2007 that I was losing my hearing, and since then I have
lost more and more. The ENT thinks that I have Meniere's. I have been
totally blind for a number of years, and have dealt with the social aspects
of that. I just find being hearing impaired is very hard. I spend so much
energy trying to hear what people say to me, or where I am at, or traffic,
and the list goes on. If I could have ear transplants I would be first in
line. Like for example at the national convention, it was like a hearing
nightmare. I used the FM receivers the ameture radio division had out for
loan, and for the first time I was able to hear all of the speakers. But if
someone was sitting next to me I could not hear them. I got lost so many
times in the big room that general session took place. Talking to anyone in
the exhibit hall was almost impossible to hear what they said back to me.
Lots of times, people would say something, and I would pretend I heard them.
If my husband had not been there to tell me what people said, or help me get
around, I could have not done it. 

How do you all do it? Sorry for sounding stupid or lame. I know everyone has
way worse problems than I, so my complaints, are not really that, but I
needing to get tips and tricks. Why I didn't sign up for this email list
before now, I am not sure. Some of you might recognize me, I am the
moderator of the NAGDU email list. 

A good friend recommended that I join, so thank you to her for that. 

Thank you,

Marsha 

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Message: 2
Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2012 12:31:15 -0400
From: Scott Davert <scottdavert at gmail.com>
To: NFB Deaf-Blind Division Mailing List <nfb-db at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [nfb-db] New and introducing myself
Message-ID:
    <CAOHXxEZa1gcnbyb76bSjbFbWv1ANFOr+oZVM6V7cNXu0Q41TAA at mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

Hello Marsha, and a warm welcome to you.
I certainly can relate to a lot of your struggles, I had many of the
same at convention. If it hadn't been for the support of a few
understanding people with normal hearing, I would have been lost as
well. The hotel reminds me of a large parking garage, very open an and
full of echos. Not what you'd call a user friendly environment for
those who are hearing impaired. Then again, 99% of the world isn't, so
the best we can do is try to adapt to the world around us.  To help
offset the hearing loss, I gave my FM to a couple of the vendors that
I spoke with and also to some of the presenters /committee presidents
who ran meetings. This helped some, but I then couldn't really hear
what was going on around me either. I could have asked them to pass
the FM around, but having blind people do that, myself being one I
know, is rather challenging in such a setting. Also, I often feel like
a burden for having to ask people to do that. But those who attempt to
accomodate me make me feel like less of one, and I'm just as entitled
to the info as anyone else, so I try to advocate for the use of it.
I'm not always successful because I feel like I have to be too polite,
but that's my struggle for now.
Were you at my presentation on deaf-blindness and technology? I know
someone had an FM system which I wore, but I never knew whose FM
system it was.
I'll send another email shortly introducing myself, as I have not done
so even though I've been on this mailing list for nearly a year. It's
been so inactive that I didn't find it worthy of being done.

Nice to meet you on the list!
Scott

On 7/11/12, Marsha Drenth <marsha.drenth at gmail.com> wrote:
> Hello all,
>
>
>
> I just subscribed to the list. Recently I went to the national convention,
> but was unable to get to the social.
>
>
>
> Just a quick intro, I 'm Marsha. I live in Philadelphia PA with my Seeing
> Eye dog and husband. Hubby and I have been married for 3 years now. My
> guide
> Emma, is a 6 and half year old GSD, who will most likely be retired soon.
> Emma has had a number of health and stress issues lately. I am a full time
> student at Temple University trying to get my degree in social work. I am
> considered a junior and have two long years left. I am totally blind with
a
> moderate to severe hearing loss. I also have balance problems that
> accompany
> the hearing loss. Currently I use hearing aids with an FM system, but I
> still can't hear all that I need to with that amount of equipment.
> Traveling
> is the hardest by far, as I can not hear traffic, and get lost very
easily.
>
>
>
>
> I discovered in 2007 that I was losing my hearing, and since then I have
> lost more and more. The ENT thinks that I have Meniere's. I have been
> totally blind for a number of years, and have dealt with the social
aspects
> of that. I just find being hearing impaired is very hard. I spend so much
> energy trying to hear what people say to me, or where I am at, or traffic,
> and the list goes on. If I could have ear transplants I would be first in
> line. Like for example at the national convention, it was like a hearing
> nightmare. I used the FM receivers the ameture radio division had out for
> loan, and for the first time I was able to hear all of the speakers. But
if
> someone was sitting next to me I could not hear them. I got lost so many
> times in the big room that general session took place. Talking to anyone
in
> the exhibit hall was almost impossible to hear what they said back to me.
> Lots of times, people would say something, and I would pretend I heard
> them.
> If my husband had not been there to tell me what people said, or help me
> get
> around, I could have not done it.
>
>
>
> How do you all do it? Sorry for sounding stupid or lame. I know everyone
> has
> way worse problems than I, so my complaints, are not really that, but I
> needing to get tips and tricks. Why I didn't sign up for this email list
> before now, I am not sure. Some of you might recognize me, I am the
> moderator of the NAGDU email list.
>
>
>
> A good friend recommended that I join, so thank you to her for that.
>
>
>
> Thank you,
>
> Marsha
>
>
>
>

------------------------------

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End of nfb-db Digest, Vol 42, Issue 9
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