<font size="2"><font face="arial">Hi Cheri,<br>
<br>
I found your comment "</font></font><font id="aolmail_role_document" color="#000000" face="Arial" size="2">Having hearing loss is the only disability where people get angry at you because you don't understand what they are saying" thought-provoking. I was hard of hearing all my life, and on reflection realized people were impatient with me but more than anything I just missed a lot. I got very little information from the ambient conversation around me, but had no idea how important it was.<br>
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When my speech comprehension plunged as a result of my increased blindness, I got my two Cochlear Implants. Without them I would not be able to understand speech at all. With them I have moderate hearing loss and so still find many people impatient when speaking with me.<br>
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I had a lot of angry reactions when my RP made me bump into people constantly. I got a lot of dirty looks. I resisted starting to use the cane, but once I did I was amazed at the lack of dirty looks in my life. What a pleasure.<br>
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Isn't it amazing how people without certain handicaps have no idea how to interact with such people? A large proportion of Americans have some kind of a severe disability and yet for some reason the majority prefer to remain ignorant about how to deal with the disabled as normal people and move on with life in a normal way. This comment applied not only to people without disabilities but also to people who may have one or two </font><font id="aolmail_role_document" color="#000000" face="Arial" size="2"><font id="aolmail_role_document" color="#000000" face="Arial" size="2">disabilities </font>and remain totally ignorant about others.<br>
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Janet Sand<br>
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-----Original Message-----<br>
From: Cherifields <Cherifields@aol.com><br>
To: nfb-db <nfb-db@nfbnet.org><br>
Sent: Wed, Mar 19, 2014 10:13 pm<br>
Subject: Re: [nfb-db] About This Group List<br>
<br>
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<div class="aolReplacedBody" id="role_body" style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: #000000"><font id="aolmail_role_document" color="#000000" face="Arial" size="2">
<div><font size="4">Hey Shadow Wolf,</font></div>
<div><font size="4"></font> </div>
<div><font size="4">You are very observant, yes I meant perplexed. I hope this group is all that you need it to be.</font></div>
<div><font size="4">I have Optic Neuropathy, which effects both vision and hearing. It is hereditary. My vision has only gotten worse with age. I also use Zoomtext at a 16 to 24X. While I took braille 1 and 2 in the past, I haven't any equipment either. My hearing is at a moderate loss. I didn't until recently consider that I was deaf-blind since I didn't use sign language like other members of my family. There is no real neat package to fit into when you are not totally deaf blind. I accept that I have both hearing and vision loss. Having hearing loss is the only disability where people get angry at you because you don't understand what they are saying. </font></div>
<div><font size="4">I will be happy to communicate with you. </font></div>
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<div><font size="4">Blessings,</font></div>
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<div><font size="4">Cheri </font></div>
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<div>In a message dated 3/19/2014 6:00:52 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time, <a href="mailto:soulalibi@gmail.com">soulalibi@gmail.com</a> writes:</div>
<blockquote style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue 2px solid"><font style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" color="#000000" face="Arial" size="2">Hi Cheri,<br>
Thanks for the brief intro about this group. And I think you meant to say "perplexed at first". <br>
Anyhow, I have been a Deaf-Blind individual my whole life. I am visually impaired with a common eye degenerate known as RP (retinitis pigmentosa). I am also hard of hearing (H of H) wearing both a CI and a digital hearing aid. But I did not go by this term (Deaf-Blind) until 2009 when I was first exposed to the Deaf-Blind community. But it took me another year to learn to accept the term. I didn't know a DB community or such groups existed, until around that time. I'm no stranger to the Deaf-Blind realities as I live with it my whole life. I just successfully completed my 11 month long training at the Helen Keller National Center this past Jan. 31st. And I am fully aware of the many needs and challenges we DBs face in everyday life. My personal needs may not be the same as yours and others in this group. For example, I am not yet a skilled Braille reader. My skills ended in Grade 2 Uncontracted Braille somewhere in the beginning of the first couple chapters. I prefer to read with my own eyes using the ZoomText 10 software. That means I may lack some basic knowledge in Braille related equipment and associated Braille products. <br>
<br>
I hope to keep up with certain discussions that I can relate to. <br>
<br>
--Shadow Wolf<br>
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<div class="aolmail_moz-cite-prefix">On 3/19/2014 4:53 PM, <a title="mailto:Cherifields@aol.com" class="aolmail_moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:Cherifields@aol.com">Cherifields@aol.com</a> wrote:<br>
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<div><font size="4">Hello Shadow,</font></div>
<div> </div>
<div><font size="4">My understanding is that it started out to help those of us who had both hearing and vision loss to ask us how we voted and we all gave our responses as to what would help us to be able to vote in elections. When that was finished this board was to let others ask questions and give responses. I hope this helps you. I was somewhat complexed at first and then I just jumped in and answered someones questions or said hello to new members.</font></div>
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<div><font size="4">Blessings,</font></div>
<div> </div>
<div><font size="4">Cheri Fields</font></div>
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<div>In a message dated 3/19/2014 10:01:19 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time, <a title="mailto:soulalibi@gmail.com" class="aolmail_moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:soulalibi@gmail.com">soulalibi@gmail.com</a> writes:</div>
<blockquote style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue 2px solid"><font style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" color="#000000" face="Arial" size="2">Thanks for the clarification. Looking forward to some interesting <br>
discussions in this forum.<br>
<br>
On 3/19/2014 6:35 AM, Gerardo Corripio wrote:<br>
> This list is mainly talk about deafblind, people who have both, <br>
> hearing and vission impairments. For instance I start talking about <br>
> let's say hearing aids, and others chime in by replying to my EMail.<br>
><br>
> El 19/03/2014 06:58 a.m., Shadow Wolf escribió:<br>
>> Hello Lisa or David,<br>
>> I first sent an email to Lisa Hall, but unfortunately her email <br>
>> address as provided in this group information page, did not go through.<br>
>> I just joined the NFB-DB list yesterday. But I am not familiar with <br>
>> how this list works. I am getting occasional emails from individuals <br>
>> where I have no clue what the topic of discussion is about. Or from <br>
>> someone in response to someone else's comment as part of a broader <br>
>> discussion. Perhaps from before I joined. I haven't posted anything <br>
>> yet. Until I fully understand how the list works. Any helpful <br>
>> suggestions?<br>
>><br>
>> Thanks,<br>
>><br>
><br>
<br>
-- <br>
*~Shadow Wolf~*<br>
<br>
<br>
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<pre>_______________________________________________ nfb-db mailing list <a title="mailto:nfb-db@nfbnet.org" class="aolmail_moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:nfb-db@nfbnet.org">nfb-db@nfbnet.org</a> <a title="http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfb-db_nfbnet.org" class="aolmail_moz-txt-link-freetext" target="_blank" href="http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfb-db_nfbnet.org">http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfb-db_nfbnet.org</a> </pre></blockquote><br>
<pre class="aolmail_moz-signature" cols="72">-- *~Shadow Wolf~*</pre><br>
<br>
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