[nfb-db] NFB-DB Hi Angelina

Wed Apr 22 17:57:44 UTC 2015

Scott and Marsha, 
Thank you both for your response. my heble loss is enough that I do not always realize what I'm missing but enough that can pass for hearing in lot of situations. However, in noisy situations I can't really hear much. I can sometimes hear people walking past but I suspect that I'm not always hearing that. I probably should go out with a friend and see how much foot traffic I'm actually hearing. 

Sent from my iPhone

> On Apr 22, 2015, at 1:43 PM, Scott Davert <scottdavert at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Hi Danielle.
> TO be honest, just like Marsha, I didn't get serious about it until I
> was having trouble locating people to ask for assistance. One morning,
> while rushing to get to a train on time, I tried to use my hearing, as
> there appeared to be no foot traffic around, and almost got hit by a
> car. The car ran over my cane, but thankfully, not me. There were
> people in the area, but I couldn't hear them. The one advantage to
> doing this is that when people are passing by, you may not always hear
> them, though they may see your card. Thus, you may get assistance
> faster by using the card. But if you're finding that you do ok
> listening for passers by, and that works for you, keep doing that.
> This was also what I started doing when I had a bit more hearing, but
> I started forcing myself to use the card before my hearing decreased
> further, and only through continuing to use it, have aI grown a bit
> more comfortable doing so. I still don't like the idea of having to
> using the card, but I'd rather use a card and get out and about, than
> staying home because I am not comfortable using what will work.
> 
> Scott
> 
>> On 4/21/15, Danielle Burton via nfb-db <nfb-db at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> Hi Anjie,
>> I am Danielle Burton from Kentucky. I am a student at Morehead State
>> University studying Elementary and Special Education. I am totally blind
>> with mild to moderate hearing loss. I wear hearing aids in both and am
>> currently working my first guide dog from Guiding Eyes for the blind. I want
>> to say welcome to the list and I'm glad you're seeking information. I cannot
>> always cross streets independently either. I will often ask passersby for
>> assistance in crossing the street when I am having trouble hearing. I have a
>> street crossing card but I don't use because I am not comfortable with it.
>> Although, I confess I've been in situations where I thinI should have used
>> it. I do have a question for everyone myself. For those of you who do use a
>> street crossing card how did you come to feel comfortable with this method?
>> I was shown once how to use the card by an O and M instructor but havent
>> used it since.
>> Danielle
>> 
>> Sent from my iPhone
>> 
>>> On Apr 21, 2015, at 9:35 PM, Cheri via nfb-db <nfb-db at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>> 
>>> Anjie, thank you for keeping everyone apprised of your situation.  When I
>>> was supposed to go to the doctors office that does the tests for vertigo
>>> and balance issues, I canceled my appointment.  At that time they told me
>>> it was a $400. co pay.  I didn't feel the tests would benefit me because I
>>> already had balance problems
>>> 
>>> My husband went just last year and they said he had vertigo and wanted him
>>> to go for treatment at a Brooks rehab, but he didn't feel it was
>>> necessary.  He told me they put him through tests that measured how much
>>> fluid is in the ear and made him walk on different surfaces that had
>>> measuring devices inside of them.  This is if you have dizzyness, migrains
>>> and issues relating to your balance.  I myself have to use a cane that can
>>> steady me and keep me from falling.  I usually don't go out any more
>>> without my husband.  When I get to the store I always use the shopping
>>> cart to hold onto.  I should go for the treatment, but other people who
>>> went told me the treatment is only temporary and you have to keep going
>>> back.  They told me at the time that if I came for the test that
>>> medication might be ale to help, but a physical therapist who helped me
>>> with balance treatment said it wouldn't help me.  I was told by a
>>> Nuerologist that balance depended on hearing.  I don't know that he is
>>> right either.  Because a lot of people have hearing loss don't have
>>> balance issues.
>>> All I can say is go for the testing and see what they tell you  Be sure to
>>> wear tennis shoes.  I hope that you get the right kind of help.  Keep us
>>> informed.  Praying for a positive outcome Anjie.  xxxx Cheri
>>> 
>>> In a message dated 4/21/2015 8:57:22 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
>>> nfb-db at nfbnet.org writes:
>>> Thank you everyone for your replies and words of advice. I met with my VR
>>> counselor today and will be seeing an Otologist hopefully in the near
>>> future. I have been writing differences I have noticed in my hearing since
>>> I am a bit nervous about this upcoming appointment.
>>> Last week I worked with a Mobility Instructor who encouraged me with being
>>> okay to ask for assistance crossing streets that I am not confident about
>>> due to not hearing certain types of cars. This sort of goes against what I
>>> learned in training, but I want to do what it takes to stay alive and be
>>> safe.
>>> I will be sure to let you know what I find out at this Otology
>>> appointment. What typically happens that this type of appointment?
>>> Thanks lots. :)
>>> 
>>> 
>>> -Anjelina
>>> Sent from my iPad
>>> 
>>>> On Apr 21, 2015, at 4:38 PM, Marsha Drenth via nfb-db <nfb-db at nfbnet.org>
>>>> wrote:
>>>> 
>>>> Cathy,
>>>> Your so correct, the NFB needs to accept that there are alternatives. And
>>>> that those alternatives are not a bad thing, nor will they defeat the
>>>> independence that you have, or that the NFB promotes. So blind persons
>>>> use their hearing to cross streets, great, but deafblind persons can not
>>>> do the same. So we use alternative methods, either by getting help, using
>>>> a street crossing sign, taking a different route, or getting a ride to a
>>>> location. None of these things are bad, none of these things means a
>>>> deafblind person is less independent. We use SSP's, for communication and
>>>> guiding, again different from what blind persons do, but still the same
>>>> in doing what we need to do.
>>>> I know I am preaching to the choir here... I'll get off my soap box for
>>>> now. LOL
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> Marsha drenth
>>>> email: marsha.drenth at gmail.com
>>>> Sent with my IPhone
>>>> Please note that this email communication has been sent using my iPhone.
>>>> As such, I may have used dictation and had made attempts to mitigate
>>>> errors. Please do not be hesitant to ask for clarification as necessary.
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>>> On Apr 21, 2015, at 11:03 AM, Cathy Miller via nfb-db
>>>>> <nfb-db at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>>>> 
>>>>> Angelina:  Welcome!  I am very glad to have you here among us.  I am
>>>>> Cathy Miller, from Louisiana.  Coping with hearing loss has been a
>>>>> traumatic experience for me, but more than that, it is a journey.
>>>>> Congratulations on the courage to reach out to others like yourself.
>>>>> I'm so glad you found us!
>>>>> 
>>>>> I was diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa at age 18.  I got my first
>>>>> pair of hearing aids in my mid-20s, but all they did was make the
>>>>> muffled speech louder, so they were        not the answer for me.
>>>>> Several years later I received a pair of digital hearing aids which
>>>>> helped a lot more, except when there was background noise.  It was a few
>>>>> years later that I walked in front of a car while crossing the street.
>>>>> I was not hit, but the driver was extremely angry with me and yelled and
>>>>> called me some horrible names.  I knew it was time to do something
>>>>> different and stopped crossing the street alone.  This story has a happy
>>>>> ending, as I received cochlear implants, which make life bearable and
>>>>> often wonderful.  Although I still cannot understand speech in noisy
>>>>> environments, I design my lifestyle so that hearing in a noisy
>>>>> environment is no longer a necessity.  It was difficult to realize that
>>>>> I needed accommodations, and that no one was going to give them to me.
>>>>> I had to learn what I needed and demand to have them.  If someone has
>>>>> something to tell me, they do it under circumstances that are
>>>>> accommodating.  After all, I drilled two holes in my head in order to
>>>>> hear you; the least you can do is speak up.
>>>>> 
>>>>> So, back to crossing the street.  One of the things that folks in the
>>>>> deaf-blind division of the NFB are promoting is the use of Support
>>>>> Service Providers  (SSPs).  These are persons trained to help us to
>>>>> perform our daily routines without putting ourselves in harm's way.
>>>>> With training from O&M specialists such as those found at NFB training
>>>>>     centers, many deaf-blind folks still cross the street
>>>>> independently; but if that is not what you believe is right for you,
>>>>> then you may have an alternative.  orientation and Mobility specialists
>>>>> are great, and they push us beyond our comfort zones, helping us to
>>>>> retain our hard won independence.  But ultimately the decision is yours,
>>>>> and although I encourage you to learn to cross the street if you feeel
>>>>> safe, if it's not for you, you are the only one who can say no.  Just
>>>>> know that we deserve alternatives.  Go to the Helen Keller National
>>>>> Center (HKNC) website and find the regional representative who serves
>>>>> your state.  Talk with that person about whether the training offered at
>>>>> HKNC is right for you.  Scott Davert is one of the national
>>>>> representatives, and we are extremely fortunate to have him among us.
>>>>> Remember that the NFB deaf-blind division exists for folks like you who
>>>>> want to share their experiences and develop best practices among peers
>>>>> who live in the trenches.  As you walk this journey, please consider
>>>>> sharing your successes and your challenges with us.  I hope that others
>>>>> will return the favor.  You will find lifetime friends among us.  We
>>>>> will meet in orlando in July and hope that you can join us there.
>>>>> Please tell us more about yourself.
>>>>> 
>>>>> Cathy Miller
>>>>> 
>>>>> Sent from my iPad
>>>>> 
>>>>>>> On Apr 18, 2015, at 7:00 AM, nfb-db-request at nfbnet.org wrote:
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>>>>>> Today's Topics:
>>>>>> 1. Newby to the list (Anjelina)
>>>>>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>>>> Message: 1
>>>>>> Date: Fri, 17 Apr 2015 17:58:52 -0400
>>>>>> From: Anjelina <anjelinac at att.net>
>>>>>> To: "nfb-db at nfbnet.org" <nfb-db at nfbnet.org>
>>>>>> Subject: [nfb-db] Newby to the list
>>>>>> Message-ID: <D251A95F-67E1-4416-8F4D-32655EA8E2E0 at att.net>
>>>>>> Content-Type: text/plain;    charset=us-ascii
>>>>>> Good day list,
>>>>>> My name is Anjelina and I am new to the list. I am interested in
>>>>>> learning more about deaf-blindness. Over the years I have noticed some
>>>>>> hearing loss in my right ear which I have been able to compensate for.
>>>>>> A few weeks ago I had a near run-in with a car while crossing a busy
>>>>>> street which really startled me since I didn't hear the car. If you all
>>>>>> don't mind, can you tell me a bit about your hearing loss and how you
>>>>>> have coped with it?
>>>>>> Thanks
>>>>>> -Anjelina
>>>>>> Sent from my iPad
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