[Nfb-seniors] New to this...
David Evans
drevans at bellsouth.net
Sat Nov 28 03:39:24 UTC 2009
Dear Ray,
Mike is right about the but wiping. I never really thought about it before,
but he is correct as to how to do it.
As for learning Braille, I wrote a piece for the Braille Monitor back in the
1990's about how I came to realize that Braille could be useful to me. The
piece was called," What's in your Tool Box?"
I tried to learn Braille from a person my state agency sent to me, but they
were just using me to fill out their time card and was not teaching me
anything.
I was at a national convention and spoke to Dr. Jernigan about the
situation.
He recommended that I take a home study course from the Hadley School.
He also said that I should take the class called "Relevant Braille", which
would teach me to write and read Braille using a Slate and Stylist.
He was right, and being the impatient type, I did all of the lessons in 3
weeks and did not send in my lessons to my teacher as I was suppose to, but
I did it anyway and in 3 weeks, I had learned basic Grade One Braille and
was using it for my personal communications to write down names, addresses,
phone numbers, dates and times.
He told me that the most important person I have to communicate with is
myself. We all need a way to write down such info and be able to read it
back, anywhere and at anytime.
We do not have to be fast with it, we just need to be able to do it
ourselves.
I have diabetes and my fingers are not as sensative as they were once, but I
can still read standard Braille, but mostly use Braille I write using with a
Jumbo Slate that has a little more spacing between the cells.
I use electronic note takers and a lap top for most of my work, but I use
Braille too and when I travel, I back everything up, such as flight info,
hotel info and more, in Braille. I had a battery failure one year and
learned the hard way.
I use the Braille to label items, folder and CD jackets, clothing tags and
many other things..
I just did as the voice on the tape told me. I wrote and read at least one
card or 15 minutes a day and tried to incorporate it into my life everywhere
I could.
Just don't confuse the TP with the Braille paper you have written on.
I think that learning to write and read using a slate and stylist is the
best way to learn as most people who learn this way have no trouble going
from the slate to a Braille Writer, but not the other way around. Slate is
the only portable way you have of using Braille anywhere and at anytime.
I have learned allot from my fellow NFB members and I do think that you are
already showing that you have the NFB spirit and philosophy in you.
The best thing that ever happened to me was finding the NFB. It has changed
my life.
David Evans, NFBF and Jack.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Raymond Juliano" <rayj1941 at gmail.com>
To: "NFB Senior Division list" <nfb-seniors at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, November 24, 2009 5:51 PM
Subject: Re: [Nfb-seniors] New to this...
Hi Mike,
Thanks for your reply. What would you suggest as to the best way to learn
braille? I know there are a number of different courses out there...just
wondering what might be best for home study?
I appreciate you answering the butt wiping question. I never really thought
about it, but I guess not everyone looks at the TP after they wipe. I sort
of figured that was the answer to the question after I asked it, but I was
just curious and you folks said I could ask any question, even such a dumb
one like that.
I am also interested in how the blind play chess as I am an avid chess
player and play online every day. I am not very good and will probably
never improve as I don't want to put in the time and effort to really study
the game, but I enjoy playing and I know I would miss it. I probably spend
too much time playing now as it is, as I have other things I need to spend
time on like playing music and doing scroll sawing projects, especially
around the holidays. I am also still working full time for another 18
months, so I don't have a lot of spare time.
Thanks again for replying to my questions...I appreciate it. Take care of
yourself and have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday.
Sincerely,
Ray Juliano
On Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 10:39 PM, Mike Freeman <k7uij at panix.com> wrote:
> Hi, Ray!
>
> I'm not David but I'll take a stab at your question. Before doing so,
> however, may I congratulate you on your positive attitude and desire to do
> some of the adjustment to blindness, if it comes, before being faced with
> the necessity of doing so.
>
> Now to your question: I can't resist a moment of facetiousness: I never
> knew anyone to have eyes on his/her posterior! I suppose what's really
> meant
> is how do you know when you're clean without looking at the TP. It's
> pretty
> simple: as you wipe, you can tell from the way your rear feels if anything
> is coming off onto the paper. When it feels like nothing more is being
> transferred, there's a rather good chance that you've done the job! You
> just
> have to pay attention to the way it feels as you wipe. Incidentally, you
> pay
> attention to how your rear feels; you obviously don't examine the business
> side of the TP with your fingers! Actually, it never occurred to me that
> anyone would look at the TP until I discussed this with a sighted person
> of
> my acquaintance.
>
> As with much else in adjusting to blindness, practice makes perfect.
>
> Mike Freeman
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Raymond Juliano <rayj1941 at gmail.com>
> To: NFB Senior Division list <nfb-seniors at nfbnet.org>
> Date: Sunday, Nov 22, 2009 20:30:51
> Subject: Re: [Nfb-seniors] New to th...
>
> >
> >
> > Dear David,
> >
> > Thank you for the reassuring reply to my letter. I really do appreciate
> the
> > information, altho at the present time my right eye is doing all of the
> > seeing for me. I am to have a silicone oil bubble placed into my bad
> left
> > eye on Dec. 3rd. to try to stop the bleeds I've been having. My retinal
> > doctor will suck out the old blood, do another vitrectomy, and place the
> oil
> > bubble. It may help to restore some of the vision I've lost due to the
> CRVO
> > of two and a half years ago. After a recent trip to the Mayo Clinic,
> > the
> > retinal doctor up there told me that there were also some
> > atherosclerotic
> > changes in my good right eye, and the very early beginning of macular
> > degeneration that might give me similar problems in my good right eye.
> So I
> > am just thinking ahead and trying to prepare myself for the possible
> > loss
> of
> > vision in my right eye as well.
> >
> > Hearing from people like you gives me the reassurance that I will be
> > able
> to
> > deal with becoming legally blind if it should occur. I would like to
> learn
> > braille while I can still see, and I did order some information from the
> NFB
> > as to use of the white cane as well as some other things. I am 68 years
> of
> > age and still working full time as a nurse anesthetist in our small
> critical
> > access hospital up north here in the upper peninsula of Michigan, and
> plan
> > to retire from anesthesia on May 16th. of 2011, which will be my 70th.
> > birthday. I still have a lot that I want to see and do while I still
> can.
> > I am happy to hear that I will still be able to pursue my hobbies of
> scroll
> > sawing, chess, and music with or without sight. I have gotten into
> writing
> > the lyrics to my own songs, and then working out the melody and the
> guitar
> > chords later. I also play the piano and would like to be able to keep
> that
> > up as well.
> >
> > I would be interested in hearing how you do your wood working and how
> people
> > play chess without sight. I don't think playing music would be too
> > difficult as I have a good ear and do fairly well without music. I also
> do
> > hypnosis and I don't think that would be too difficult to do without
> sight
> > either, especially if I had an assistant. I have a sort of dumb and
> maybe
> > embarrassing question for y...how do you wipe your butt without sight?
> > I
> > know that is a very stupid question, but I was just curious.
> >
> > Any suggestions you might have for me of things to start doing while I
> still
> > have one good eye, would be very much appreciated. I am very much
> > interested in how you do all that you do without the use of your eyes.
> > Again I thank you for your reassuring letter and for the three key
> > things
> > that one has to do with a disability. I am going to save your letter
> > for
> > possible future reference, and again I thank you for writing and hope to
> > hear more in the future.
> >
> > Sincerely,
> > Ray Juliano
> >
> >
> > On Sun, Nov 22, 2009 at 3:58 PM, David Evans <drevans at bellsouth.net>
> wrote:
> >
> > >
> > > Dear Ray,
> > >
> > > I have been legally blind since the age of 16 and I have never let it
> stop
> > > me from doing what I want do. I just do things in a different way.
> > > I have learned, over the years, that there are three things that every
> > > person facing a disability need to have.
> > > They are: (1). You need to keep a positive attitude so that when Life
> gives
> > > you lemons, you know how to make Lemonade and turn those negatives in
> to
> > > positives. (2) You need access to good rehab training, adaptive
> equipment
> > > and information that will let you cope and compensate for that
> disability.
> > > (3). You need to know, and have friends, who know more about that
> disability
> > > than you do. This is why the NFB is so great as it has so many
> wonderful
> > > people in it that lead by example and are more than willing to share
> what
> > > they know and what they have with anyone.
> > > Just ask your questions, we are here to listen.
> > >
> > > David Evans, NFBF and Jack the guide dog.
> > > P.S. I use saws and routers to cut wooden doll furniture and
> > > things.
> > > There is also a blind person's Chess group and they play by phone and
> > > computer e-mail as well as in person.
> > > I know several blind musicians and know that if you want to keep
> playing,
> > > you can. I play instruments and don't read a lick of music.
> > > As an Nuclear/Aerospace Materials Engineer, my motto has always been:
> "the
> > > difficult we do immediately; the impossible just takes a little
> > > longerdd0----- Original Message ----- From: "Raymond Juliano" <
> > > rayj1941 at gmail.com>
> > > To: <nfb-seniors at nfbnet.org>
> > > Sent: Sunday, October 25, 2009 1:25 PM
> > > Subject: [Nfb-seniors] New to th...
> > >
> > >
> > > Hello,
> > >ar
> > >ar I am new to this, but thought that I would get involved just in case
> I
> > >ar lose
> > >ar what remaining sight I have yet in one eye. About two years ago I
> > >ar sustained
> > >ar a CRVO of my left eye. It has caused a marked loss of visual acuity
> in my
> > >ar left eye along with narrow angle glaucoma. Thus far my right eye
> seems to
> > >ar be o.k., altho during a visit with a retinal specialist at the Mayo
> > >ar Clinic,
> > >ar he took photos of my right eye and it is showing some narrowing of
> some of
> > >ar the retinal vessels where they cross over each other which could
> > >lead
> to
> > >ar another occlusion of my right eye that would produce blindness in my
> right
> > >ar eye as well. I have had eye injections, lazering, and a number of
> > >ar surgical
> > >ar procedures in the past two years and will have a silicone oil bubble
> > >ar placed
> > >ar into my right eye on Dec. 3rd. to try and control the frequent
> > >bleeds
> I
> > >ar have
> > >ar been having in my left eye. The oil bubble would remain in the eye
> 6-12
> > >ar months or possibly indefinitely depending on how I tolerate it. At
> the
> > >ar same
> > >ar time my retinal doctor would suck out the old blood and possibly do
> more
> > >ar lazering to try and control the neovascular glaucoma. I also have a
> tube
> > >ar shunt in the eye for the narrow angle glaucoma which seems to be
> > >ar controlling
> > >ar the pressure.
> > >ar
> > >ar I can't imagine anything happening to my right eye or I would be
> legally
> > >ar blind. I am so grateful every time I open my right eye and can
> > >still
> see
> > >ar out of it. I love to read and I write poetry and song lyrics for
> > >the
> > >ar guitar, and I also play the piano. I love music, and I know I would
> > >ar continue to play even without my sight, but it would probably be a
> > >ar difficult
> > >ar adaptation. I also like to play chess and I play about 20 games
> online at
> > >ar gameknot.com and I was wondering if I would be able to continue to
> play
> > >ar chess if I could not see the moves. I know that some of the great
> chess
> > >ar masters play blindfolded games, but I am not now nor will ever
> > >attain
> that
> > >ar level of expertise, at least not in this lifetime. I also like to
> > >do
> > >ar scroll
> > >ar sawing, which I don't know how I would be able to do if I could not
> see. I
> > >ar also do hypnosis, and I think I would be able to continue to do
> > >that,
> but
> > >ar it
> > >ar would be good to be able to have continued access to the many
> hypnosis
> > >ar books
> > >ar that I have collected over the years. I am currently working full
> time as
> > >ar a
> > >ar nurse anesthetist at a small critical access hospital about 25 miles
> from
> > >ar my
> > >ar home, but plan on retiring from anesthesia within the next two years
> or
> > >ar sooner depending on the stability of my sight. At the present time
> there
> > >ar is
> > >ar no known long term cure or treatment for what I have short of a
> retinal
> > >ar stem
> > >ar cell implant, altho my doctor feels that I cure or treatment will be
> found
> > >ar for my CRVO within my lifetime. I tell him I hope they hurry up as
> > >I
> am
> > >ar not
> > >ar getting any younger...lol...I am 68 years young and I don't plan on
> > >ar retiring, but refiring as Art Linkletter suggests doing. I hope to
> have
> > >ar some time and vision to be able to enjoy some retirement before my
> time
> > >ar here
> > >ar is up. I have a wonderful wife, a dog, a cat, four adult children,
> and
> > >ar five
> > >ar grandkids. I live on a 4000 acre walleye lake and I love to fish.
> My
> > >ar wife
> > >ar is a writer and photographer and we like to travel and enjoy life up
> here
> > >ar in
> > >ar the U.P. of Michigan.
> > >ar
> > >ar Thanks for taking the time to read this and responding.
> > >ar Sincerely,
> > >ar Ray Juliano
> > >ar _______________________________________________
> > >ar Nfb-seniors mailing list
> > >ar Nfb-seniors at nfbnet.org
> > >ar http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfb-seniors_nfbnet.org
> > >ar To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info
> > >for
> > >ar Nfb-seniors:
> > >ar
> > >ar
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfb-seniors_nfbnet.org/drevans%40bellsouth.net
> > >ar
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
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> > >
> > >
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> > > 18:22:00
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