[nfb-db] new to the list

Sat Apr 18 19:19:12 UTC 2015

Good afternoon everybody, while since we are all sharing our stories to a point, here’s the short version of mine. This starts back and the late 90s when I had been out of school for not quite two years. Living and working out of a home office in South King County Washington. One day I went to cross immediately busy intersection. And the first and the other side said did you hear the car that almost hits you and I said what no I didn’t. The entire experience of course did shake me up. And I went home and began to think well something really does have to change. So I mentioned it to my best friend who just so happened to be a travel instructor at one of our unit be training centers. He said I might consider the following to an end at the center. So I said them send me a packet and let’s see what happens. After a friend when the pocket I decided that it was a shot. Unfortunately at that time, the state that I lived in Washington wanted nothing to do with sending somebody to Colorado. I was trying to figure out what to do when I finally decided that moving was best. So the rehab counselor that I was assigned in Colorado, six yes the center is probably the best solution for me at that time. Well as fate would have it that counselor was nearing the end of her time with rehab in Colorado. Now the long-ago rehab counselor that I had at that time is now the executive director of the Colorado Center for the blind.  of course the hearing challenges that I was a student there are minor compared to the hearing challenges that I have these days. These days I wear hearing aids in both ears, and I find large crowds to be very difficult to function well when it comes to hearing anything. So now I’ll occasionally I requested and debt SSP services from a local deaf blindness agency here in Albuquerque New Mexico. Getting the services of certainly helped me a great deal. And of course I am very comfortable with being deaf blind. The other thing that helped along the way as having worked at a community college in Oregon before moving to New Mexico, which allowed me to take classes and their sign language program so I have roughly about two years of sign language, this comes in handy on the very few occasions where I’ve had to actually use it. Just to close this email, finally one of my friends who have had a hard time understanding that I’m partially deaf, came up to me during our recent NFB of New Mexico state convention, and had a conversation with me where she actually made sure that I could hear her. I think for this person it is a big step forward for her in terms of acknowledging the fact that I’m deaf blind. And the fact that the state president here asked for the Bluetooth microphone, not quite understanding that its range is very limited, but it is definitely a step forward. Luckily the public address system would actually loud enough to be heard. So to Kino about this all up, I’m sitting here contemplating if I’m going to get enough money back from my recent move from one apartment complex to another to enable me to attend this year’s convention in Orlando, right now it looks about 6046 two against it and 40% chance that it would work out for me financially. This will just have to be continued. Thanks in advance for reading  my story.

Sincerely Maurice mines.
voicemail number, 505-369-3283.
Note that the text of this email that I’ve written has been dictated by using Dragon 4.0 for the Mac, but there are any errors in the text of the email that I have written, the heirs may be the result of either the software or the dictation process. Please let me know if you can’t understand any part of this? Please understand that in addition to being deaf blind,  I also have a written expression disorder that affects my ability to write properly. The saving grace, is that I am a very   proficient braille reader.
> On Apr 18, 2015, at 12:48 PM, Becky Frankeberger via nfb-db <nfb-db at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Hi Angelina, Gives me an opportunity to say hi to all these fine folks on list whose posts I have been enjoying for quite a while, saying hi to you, smile. Hmmm, is that even a sentence? I think I just gave myself a failing grade, giggle. 
>  
> It has been quite an adventure learning I have hearing loss. I frankly thought it started from a horrendous cold which lead to swollen glands. The colds kept coming back year after year very similar to the first. I later found out that wasn’t the truth as I have a secondary disability which did cause my hearing loss.
>  
> When it hit me the hearing was bad in my right ear, I was watching TV in bed. I turned and someone must have turned my TV way down. I turned back to see what was going on and the TV as was before. I cleaned out my ears the next day and it didn’t help. Well denial of the reality of hearing loss kept coming up more and more. Like you I was nearly hit by a car and then I had to do something. I called my VR counselor and said we have a problem. He sent me for an E.N.T. evaluation and a hearing aid was recommended. I thought it was a fairly minor drop but the chart said differently. That was fifteen years ago. 
>  
> My question is do you ever get totally used to hearing loss? I don’t think so. You do learn to cope and be proud of who you are. But never to enjoy a symphony fully. Never to really hear fully the birds singing across the lake. Well there’s tweeting over there, so come on over here birds so I can better appreciate your songs. I heard an eagle in my backyard. Trust me folks the coolest sound ever. When my husband is tired, his voice slurs. So I have begun to imitate him. He doesn’t like it so a subtle strain on our marriage. When we are out I ask him to translate, if someone is not listening when I ask them to slow there speech or whatever fits at the time. Bugs me when I hear the person and my husband starts translating. So circle and frankly I just retreat until I am ready to face the world again with my normal smile and zest for life. Hearing is exhausting. Making people understand you don’t need them to scream, but listen to what I am saying. I was in the freaking hospital for a test. The gal taking my insurance info refused to speak up, refused to speak to me but kept looking down at the paper she was trying to explain, thus muffling her voice. I had it and ask for a Supervisor. I told the Supervisor she didn’t train her personnel very well and gave her the conversation the dim wit and I had. The volunteer that came up behind me said later, what happened the young gals were shocked looking. Nice of her to tell me, as she finally hopefully realized she was guilty as charged. 
>  
> But many great persons are out there and will accommodate kindly. But you have to speak up and be proud of who you are a deaf-blind person a first class citizen.
>  
> So I have moved to digital hearing aide. I do need to go for another evaluation as my hearing aid is really soft. I have the insurance approval in hand, so no excuses, guilty grin. 
>  
> You know what, my friends still love me. My family still loves me. I the wonderful person called Becky is still the same gal. I just can’t hear as well. 
>  
> I didn’t go for the Stapes surgery as I was scared. So possibly in part I could have received my hearing. But oh well life is still good and I am still functioning well. My business is still doing really good and I am busy loving every moment of life. I even taught a few classes over at the NFB Krafters Korner,
>  
> www.krafterskorner.org <http://www.krafterskorner.org/>
>  
> I don’t plan to this year, but who knows, smile. I am full of surprises, giggle.  
>  
> Warmly,
> Becky Frankeberger, and guide dog Jake
> Butterfly Knitting
> -           Ponchos
> -           Afghans
> -           Shawls
> -           Custom Knitting
> 360-426-8389
> becky at butterflyknitting.com <mailto:becky at butterflyknitting.com>
>  
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maurice mines
kd0iko at icloud.com

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