[Nfb-seniors] Senior Division newsletter

[Judy Sanders]

Below is the latest newsletter for the NFB Senior Division.

Newsletter

 

National Federation of the Blind Senior Division 

 

Winter-Spring 2012

 

Volume thirteen Number one

 

President, Judy Sanders

111 Marquette Ave. South apt. 403

Minneapolis, MN 55401

Telephone: 612-375-1625

e-mail: jsanders.nfb at comcast.net

 

Submit inquiries to Ms. Sanders, at the above address.

 

Read by Will Schwatka

 

Editor, Pat Munson

10501 Lagrima de Oro NE apt 139

Albuquerque NM 87111

phone 505-291-3139

e-mail pat.munson at comcast.net

 

Articles for the National Federation of the Blind Senior Division, newsletter should be sent to: Ms. Munson.

 

 

Table of Contents

 

President's Message

By Judy Sanders

 

My Life

by Larry Sebranek

 

Mission Accomplished

By Nancy Burns

 

Learning to Use a White Cane as a Senior

by Jonathan Ice

 

Deborah Kendrick Commentary

 

I'm a Newly Blind Senior

by Bill Madden

 

Full Speed Ahead

by Art Schreiber

 

Working with Blind Seniors in Support Groups

by Rebecca Irvin

 

Lawrence Muzzy Marcellino a Fantastic NFB Mentor 

by Pat Munson

 

NFBSD Board Member Tells about Her Life

by Margo Downey

 

A Garden from the Rubble

by Patrick and Trudy Barrett

 

This and That

 

President's Message

By Judy Sanders

 

I begin this message with an important announcement.  This is our last newsletter produced on cassette. You may be aware that cassettes are no longer available for purchase making it necessary to find other means of delivery. Future newsletters can be read in two ways:

 

We will post it on our listserv. You can subscribe to it by sending an e-mail to 

Nfb-seniors-request at nfbnet.org

 

Put the word "subscribe" in the subject line by itself. You will receive an e-mail asking you to confirm that you do indeed want the subscription.

 

The other way to access this newsletter will be on NFBNEWSLINE® This is the NFB's nationwide free service offering several hundred newspapers and magazines through our telephones or computers. For example, all of AARP's magazines can be read through this service. To learn how to sign up call 866-504-7300.

 

Now is the time to make your plans for showing up in Dallas, Texas for the convention of the National Federation of the Blind--and in particular the activities of this Senior Division. On June 30 in the afternoon we will sponsor a seminar where we will have a discussion about opportunities for blind seniors. The seminar, entitled "We're still learning and teaching", will examine blindness from the view point of newly blind seniors and those of us who have been blind for many years. All are welcome and it is not necessary to register in advance.

 

On Monday, July 2, we will have our business meeting with more speakers of interest. Once again, we will have our hugely popular "not-so-silent" auction. You can donate items, bid on your favorite things and empty your wallets on behalf of the NFB Senior Division. This year's auction is being coordinated by Margot Downey. You can contact her to let her know what you will donate by calling 716-886-0567.

 

Come and join us for both activities.  Stay the entire week. For more information about the entire week go to the NFB website:

 

www.nfb.org

 

Have you ever noticed that our newsletter is nameless?  We want your help in changing this deplorable situation.  We are having a contest to choose the name. If you have a suggestion e-mail it to me at

 

Jsanders.nfb at comcast.net

 

In the subject line please put newsletter contest.  That way your entry will be considered.  We will announce the winner at our July 3 meeting.

 

See everyone in Dallas.

 

 

My Life

 

by Larry Sebranek

 

Editor's note: The following was given at a local Idaho chapter meeting. Members were so impressed that Larry was asked to repeat his life's story at the NFB convention. 

 

I was born in a very small town in Wisconsin. There were over one thousand persons in the area. Like many rural areas decades ago, many families were poor including mine.

Dad did many kinds of odd jobs, but full-time work was not available. 

 

In small towns vision problems were not noticed when children were very young. Mine was not noticed until I was in the second grade. One day my parents noticed that my two-year-old sister could find the ball faster than I could, they realized something was wrong.

 

My parents took me to an eye doctor and I was given glasses; we all thought the problem was solved. Things move slowly so it wasn't until I was in high school that I realized I could not see very well. 

 

When I finally realized that I could not follow a ball, the other kids or some of them were very unkind. They said things like I could not even see the ball when it was under my feet. What I had was tunnel vision so kids would stick out their feet so I would trip and then they would laugh. 

 

When it came time to talk about a career, I did not have much of a problem because I could see well enough to drive Dad's tractor up and down the rows and do a good job. But, since the kids had been so mean, I had lost my self esteem so decided to go out and hide on a farm some place.

 

When I graduated from high school, Dad decided to buy a farm to provide work for him and me. It was 1961, a very bad time to start farming but we decided to go ahead with the plan. Other farmers were going broke. But, we survived.

 

I really did not know the extent of my vision loss until I received a notice from the draft board. I gave the notice to my eye doctor so he could write a letter explaining my blindness. When I read the letter he wrote, I was shocked. It said in part that I had tunnel vision, night blindness and that most likely by age forty, I would be completely blind. That ended my prospects in the military.   

 

The next 22 years, I did farm, but by age thirty, I had lost my reading vision. At this point my father was doing the tractor work, and I was doing the muscle work. 

 

In 1984 we had sold the farm and I got a call from the voc rehab counselor. The guy came out and talked to me because I had applied for Social Security Disability. 

 

When he arrived at my door and was led to a chair I was not encouraged if this was the best a blind rehab counselor could do I had no hope for myself. His lack of mobility was not encouraging. I thought my future looked exceedingly bleak. 

 

He said that I needed to be evaluated. I told him that I was a farmer and that was all I knew how to do. 

 

He said that he would send out a home teacher who can help me get set up with talking books and teach me how to use a cane. 

 

June 6, 1984, a young rehab counselor showed up at my door. Most of you knew her as Cathleen Sullivan.

 

She sat me down and said that she saw I was living with my parents. She then asked what I thought I was going to do when they were too old to care for me. I told her that I had a sister who had a bedroom in her basement and that she would be glad to take me in. Cathleen asked if my sister knew about my plan. I said I had not discussed this with my sister, but.

 

Cathleen then said that she was going to go to a convention of blind people and asked if I would like to go. I assured her that I wanted nothing to do with blind people. 

 

About the third lesson she said that I ought to learn Braille. I told her that I had very torn up hands from farming and that as far as I was concerned Braille was out of the picture for my future.

 

She did not give up even though I told her that I had recently chewed up my fingers with a table saw. I finally decided that I could feel Braille and learned grade two Braille in six weeks. I was motivated because I needed to know how to read and write.

 

As I worked with Cathy, she kept telling me of all the places she went, and that caught my interest. I finally got my courage up and took my first plane ride and attended the 1987 NFB convention in Arizona.

 

I soon met a scholarship winner named John Fritz who was also a farmer. Of course, we really hit it off. He also showed me a computer. I had been told many times that I needed to attend a rehab center where I would learn how to use a computer, but I resisted.

 

Back in 1985, Cathy said she was going to take a bus to an NFBW board meeting and that the bus was going to go right through my town. So, I did get on that bus. When I got to the meeting, I was very impressed at how serious these blind people were and how much they were accomplishing. I also met a lady named Sue whom I married years later. 

 

My first state convention was that year and a guy named Fred Schroeder was the national rep. There was a discussion I simply did not understand. NFBW members were complaining about the quality of rehab services. I could not understand what the problem could be because these kindly folks were just trying to help blind people, I thought. As you see, there were times when I had real problems with the Federation. 

 

What really changed my mind was my first Washington Seminar. I could not believe that an old farm boy like me could be sitting in my Senator's office and that he was taking what I said seriously.

 

This whole exposure to the Federation has been a mind changing experience. After I met the Federation my world kept opening to an even broader and broader world. Like many of you, I owe my wonderful life to the National Federation of the Blind.

Note: After he finished speaking his wife asked him to tell the story about why he gave up his driver's license. Larry said that he was driving up a hill at sunset. He was following the yellow line and at a pretty good rate of speed ran right into a county truck. His eye doctor told him that he had better stop driving before he killed himself or someone else so he did. 

     

Judy asked Larry when he first got married. He said that he was slow to catch on so he was 46. Some time after his first wife died he married Sue and as seniors they really enjoy cruising.

 

 

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

By Nancy Burns

 

Editor's note: The following is from the NFB of New Mexico newsletter.

As Caroline explained her dream vacation to me, it was probably done with some trepidation since she was inviting me to go along on this adventure.  She spoke of a quaint cabin nestled in the Pecos Mountains close to the river.  She was attempting to rev up my enthusiasm about fishing and hiking when she was aware that my favorite kind of hiking is to the nearest shopping mall.  Don became excited about the trip as he is an avid fisherman and it has been quite some time since he has had the opportunity to drop a line into the water.  We agreed to join the party for this three-day vacation and began to plan and pack.  The big day finally arrived and found Caroline, Diego, Yolanda, Don, and me climbing into the well-packed jeep.  It was determined that Yolanda would serve as the designated driver as she is the only one of us in possession of a valid driver's license and a vehicle.

We drove north through Santa Fe angling east to Glorieta and reaching our destination early that afternoon.  The trip had gone by quickly as the five companionable friends joked and laughed in amused anticipation.  We pulled into the rocky driveway and began the tedious task of unloading what we had just loaded a few hours earlier.  A large screened-in porch surrounded three sides of the building.  Our temporary home was indeed a cabin, an old, log cabin.  The kitchen was rather modern complete with sink, stove, and microwave.  The floors were old, uneven and creaky.  The living-dining room was sizable with a dining room table, couches and several easy chairs.  A fireplace made from local limestone flanked one wall.  Then there was the bathroom; one bathroom for five people.  Oh well, but where will I put my cosmetics?  Just off of the living room was a bedroom with two single beds which was claimed by Caroline and Diego.  A flight of rather steep steps led to the upper level with a king-size bed and a pitched roof, as it was an A frame building.  I probably bumped my head on the ceiling at least once or twice a day as I   forgot to stoop a little.  Rocking chairs were scattered throughout the cabin.  Downstairs one of the couches opened up into a bed but Yolanda chose to sleep on her air mattress.

Three dinner meals had been planned which included one fresh fish dinner, of course depending upon the success of the fishermen.  I had cooked and seasoned some hamburger meat for a taco salad for our first meal.  Fresh fruit and vegetables had been picked up along the way.  Yolanda chopped, mixed, and created a great salsa for the taco salad.  Caroline brought sandwich fixings for lunches and some yummy cookies to go with our morning coffee.  She made coffee each morning and the five of us sat around enjoying the companionship along with her favorite blend of freshly ground coffee.  

Pecos is a small mountain community approximately 80 miles north of Albuquerque.  We were within feet from the Pecos River but because of the low water level there was no fishing to be done in that River.  We took several short trips to surrounding areas and located a lake called Monastery Lake.  The lake looked promising for fishing and we decided to check it out more thoroughly later.

During one of these trips we climbed to about 10,000 feet into the Aspen-covered mountains.  We were amazed at the details of this trip which were remembered by Diego even though it had been years since he had experienced the terrain visually.  Stepping out of the car, we breathed in the fresh mountain air.  Caroline and I were able to examine a small Aspen tree and checked out its unusual round leaves.  We were surrounded by gigantic Aspens reaching into the sky and far out of our reach.  The baby trees were fun to check out.  Diego fascinated us with stories about how he ranched, worked construction and road horseback through these mountains.  His family is from Santa Fee and we met two of his brothers on the way back toward Albuquerque.  

As our last evening approached, we were still anticipating a fish fry.  The five of us returned to Monastery Lake with everyone toting a fishing pole with the exception of me.  I toted my Victor reader and encouragement for the others.  Don was becoming lucky until a couple of fish got away just as he got them to the shore.  One of them he actually got down on hands and knees and grabbed the evasive trout, bringing it out of the water.  We returned to the cabin that evening excited about the upcoming meal.  Don caught, cleaned, and cooked five fish-just enough.  Caroline made some wonderful potatoes in a foil packet and Yolanda washed some giant jalapenos which went along with the other items for the grill.  What a great meal!

The next morning we repacked and loaded supplies along with our bodies into the car.  It was a terrific trip but we were all ready for the return trip home.  We stopped in Santa Fe and there just happened to be an arts and crafts fair along with Indian vendors selling silver and turquoise jewelry-my kind of vacation.  Caroline found earrings and I purchased the turquoise necklace.  After stopping for a cold drink we climbed back into the car and headed south.  On the way home we laughed and joked and reminisced about the three exciting, fun, and relaxing three days.   Our mission had definitely been accomplished.

 

 

Learning to Use a White Cane as a Senior

by Jonathan Ice

 

Editor's note: Mr. Ice is a cane travel instructor with the Iowa Department for the Blind.

 

He started by saying that this was the first time he was going to give a presentation using Braille notes. He said he had been what we call a high partial so was just now learning Braille.

 

I am not going to make the assumption that all of you are experienced cane users. I want to talk about the value of the cane and how it is best used.

 

I did not use a cane until I was in my mid-life although my vision has not changed. I'll explain why I started using a cane. Most of the time I could get around okay; my central vision is not there but I can see around the sides of my eyes. So what if I cannot see things directly in front of me.

 

It wasn't until I finally went to an NFB training center and used a cane under a sleepshade that I realized that I had been fooling myself.  I couldn't read signs which caused me a lot of problems. I was trying to get around as a sighted person, but since I had to ask questions which confused sighted persons. They thought I was really odd for asking about signs and so on which were right in front of my face.

 

The first answer to the question of using the cane is safety. If a person cannot always see stairs or curbs then the cane is a necessity. I know that I have saved myself from some nasty falls. Also, no matter how blind the person is, when asking for help the sighted person usually will give detailed directions instead of saying that something is over there which has no meaning to a blind person. 

 

Basically, the cane acts as an antenna. It alerts the blind person of a change in the space ahead on or near the ground. With use the blind person learns to move into the safe place. 

 

The user does not want to swing the cane in too wide an arc for this provides unnecessary information and does not provide the data in front of the cane. When the cane does find something in the path, a turn or stop is essential. 

 

Besides using the cane hearing can assist. But, those who have poor hearing can use touching things in the environment as aids. 

 

It is important to keep the cane on the ground for each step. If the cane is in the air, a curb or step down can be missed. 

 

I have been asked if I use the same methods with teaching seniors. Since I'm older myself, I realize that I have to use more repetition with older folks. Also, I stay closer to the senior. If I'm working with a person who is 80 and that person falls, it might mean a broken hip. A younger person would usually simply get up and go on.

 

I teach my students that if we make a right turn at the corner that when we turn around to return that a left turn will be required. Sometimes I notice that older persons think they know something and they really don't. I just let the senior make the mistake and then figure out it was not a good choice.

 

When I get a new student I realize that there is usually a lot of fear of being injured or simply being looked at as a blind person for the first time. However, after time these problems usually abate. 

 

Some have inquired about using the sleepshade with older persons. I have found that if it is not used the older person does not learn because that limited vision is still used although it did not work well in the past.

 

At one point I was teaching a group of seniors. The star of the group was 89. She was safely crossing streets after only four days. She was highly motivated but she always kept safety in her mind. She told the others in the group that if she could do it they could too.

I had one older person who had serious problems and I thought she would have a hard time learning, but she proved me wrong. The part of her brain which had been injured was not affected.

 

Another of my older students was having trouble finding her way around her kitchen and I was about to give up on her, but one day she got the hang of the layout. Then we progressed out to the porch, then down the steps and finally around the neighborhood, and visiting was her goal. 

 

If any of you at this meeting have not used a cane before now you have heard all these stories and might want to give it a try. All agree that the NFB cane and its metal tip are the best, and for most seniors, using a backpack or bags with long handles is good so the hands are free of items. 

 

 

Deborah Kendrick Commentary

>From The Columbus Dispatch

Sunday, June 5, 2011

 

Editor's note: This article was reprinted in the summer newsletter of the NFB of New Mexico.  Deborah Kendrick is a Cincinnati writer and advocate for people with disabilities. dkkendrick at earthlink.net 

 

When meeting someone with a disability, some cross the line. There's a certain kind of assault unique to people with visible disabilities. It's an assault on privacy, an overstepping of boundaries, an occasional aberration that can ruin your whole day. 

 

"Sooo, what happened to you?" is the bluntest, most raw form of the invasion. And it usually catches you off guard. Imagine yourself daydreaming at the swimming pool or riding the bus home from work, and suddenly a stranger is in your face with such a question. 

 

The sniper-like surprises can occur anywhere. And sometimes they're more specifically directed. 

 

In an elevator or a doctor's waiting room, a stranger might suddenly ask me, "Is your husband blind, too, or what?" 

 

Or maybe I'm at an awards luncheon, and after such getting-to-know-you topics as the salad dressing and the hot rolls have been exhausted, the guy beside me might casually inquire, "How'd you lose your sight?"



It doesn't happen often, but most people with a disability that can be seen know the experience. Gripped by curiosity, complete strangers or acquaintances abruptly demand personal information in a way they would ordinarily consider unthinkable. How did disability strike? Was it accident or disease? And how do you function in such a state? 

 

I'm not talking about the constructive curiosity that helps us communicate better with someone who has a disability. It's OK to ask how one gets the wheelchair into the car, how a guide dog knows to find the door or if a deaf person is able to read your lips. What's not OK is to fire intimate questions of personal history at someone you barely know. 

 

Think about it. Would you ask a black person what if feels like to be black? A white person if her spouse is white? Or a fat person how long he's been that way? 

 

One Vietnam veteran who uses a wheelchair told me that people will actually ask him if his children are biologically his own. What is it, I'd like to know, about that wheelchair that gives people the idea they have permission to interrogate a man about his sex life? 

 

For me, one of the most offensive inquiries is when I'm asked if my husband is blind, too. 

 

What is the translation here? First, that I must have a husband because I couldn't possibly take care of myself? And, next, if my husband has normal vision, the interloper can feel relieved that there must be, after all, someone behind the scenes to take care of me? Or, if my husband is blind or has some other disability, that we are appropriately keeping to our own kind? Marrying within the ranks? 

 

Does this sound angry? Well, maybe just exasperated, but here's the reality: People with disabilities can sometimes be angry. They can also feel humiliation, amusement, rage and pain, just as their nondisabled peers do. 

 

People with disabilities come in all racial, sexual and economic packages, and they have good days and bad ones. 

 

For most of us, though, a time arrives when the disability itself takes a decided back seat to life. The nuts and bolts of living take priority over specific limitations. 

 

Don't get me wrong: It's not that we forget that we can't see or run or speak quite the same as others. You never forget entirely - because disability, like any personal trait, is a factor that, when you have it, becomes integrated into your total personality. But once the adaptations have been learned and the abilities discovered, disability generally loses its center-stage status. 

 

People with disabilities, just like people without them, spend emotion and energy in three basic areas: our work, our play and our relationships with others. Remember that the next time you meet someone with a disability - and, if the urge still washes over you to ask how they "got that way," ask yourself instead how you got to be so rude and find a more sociable approach to conversation. 

 

 

I'm a Newly Blind Senior

by Bill Madden

 

Editor's note: This is one of many presentations by Ruth Sagar's students at BISM in Baltimore. This was given at the 2011 meeting of NFBSD.

 

Good afternoon seniors. This is my very first NFB convention and I am overwhelmed by the size of the hotel, but more so by the involvement of all the blind in attendance. 

 

While I was sitting in my doctor's waiting room, I picked up a pamphlet which described a program for blindness skills training. I could not wait to get home to give the program a call.

 

When I first started, I had made up my mind that I did not need Braille, but my teacher would not let me off. I have since fallen in love with Braille, and hope to read the entire agenda at the next NFB convention. 

 

I had used a computer in my employment, but had never mastered the keyboard. At BISM they said I had to use the keyboard and I did. Another of the classes was in home management. I learned to cook, shop, clean the house and do everything to keep my home operating.

 

I cannot tell you how this program has turned my life around. I thought when I lost my sight that life was over, but I now know that this program at Blind Industries and Services in Maryland has opened all doors to me. I advise anyone who thinks that blindness slows one down to enroll in one of the NFB training programs and get in step with the rest of society.  

 

 

Full Speed Ahead

Art Schreiber Knows No Limits Despite His Blindness

by Jessica Dyer

Journal Staff Writer

 

Editor's note: This article about Art Schreiber doing the half-marathon appeared in the Albuquerque Journal on Friday, October 20, 2011, on the front page of the sports section. Art serves as second vice president of this division.

 

A doctor's visit is rarely a good time, but Art Schreiber found himself particularly irritated during a recent heart exam. The 83-year-old Albuquerque man said the hospital staff was afraid to check his ticker with the standard treadmill test because he is blind. The extremely fit chairman of the New Mexico Commission for the Blind, Schreiber bristled. He insisted on the regular test. As three nervous medical professionals surrounded the treadmill reminding him to say "stop" when his body was taxed, Schreiber kept on walking. "I had my mind made up. ... (I was thinking) 'I'm not going to tell you when to quit,'" Schreiber said. "I didn't, and finally they said 'stop. I was about to die, but I wasn't going to say anything." 

The lesson here? Don't underestimate Art Schreiber's ability, his will, or, for that matter, his endurance. For additional proof, look no further than Sunday's New Mexico Cancer Center Duke City Marathon, in which Schreiber will be among the estimated 5,500 competitors lining up. He entered the 20-kilometer walk. That's 12.4 miles - nearly a half-marathon. His friend Rick Walsh will guide him, and Schreiber said his goal is to finish in less than 5 hours.

"For anybody that age (it's impressive), but to be blind too?" said an awestruck Leslie Kranz, fitness director at La Vida Llena, the retirement community Schreiber calls home.

This isn't a new endeavor. In 2010, Schreiber completed the same race. It was trying and, quite frankly, painful. 

Schreiber - who used to run 5K and 10K races - always wanted to run a marathon one day, but a torn quadriceps tendon and fractured kneecap in 1999 ended that dream. 

He figured he could walk, although a 20K certainly tests an octogenarian's joints. "My knees hurt bad (last year)," he said. "A couple of times near the end, I wanted to quit, but I won't do it. I won't quit." 

Schreiber placed 209th out of 209, finishing the course in 5 hours, 57 seconds. "(But) I was first in my age group - because there was nobody else in my age group," he said. 

As of Thursday, Schreiber was the oldest entrant in the 20K, although there is a 91-year-old man in the 5K walk and an 89-year-old woman registered for the 10K run. 

When Schreiber signed up for last year's DCM, it was for both the personal challenge and as a way to motivate others. "Blindness is not the end of the world, you know," he said. "There are so many seniors who are losing their sight. They think it's the end of the world, and it isn't." Schreiber, a veteran of radio broadcasting who came to Albuquerque in 1981 to manage KOB radio, lost his sight because of torn and detached retinas. The first eye succumbed in 1969. The second went dark in 1982. For a while, he retained about 4 percent of the vision in one eye. But now that's gone too. 

A recent diagnosis of the inner-ear condition Meniere's disease has threatened his balance, but Schreiber has remained undeterred. "I really did (the race) hoping that I could get more people in my age group to do those kinds of things, because I really think it would help them," he said. "I think they would feel a lot better if they would work at trying to do a walk like that."

After a news career that saw him traveling with Martin Luther King Jr. and covering the Beatles on their first American tour - playing regular Monopoly games with John Lennon and George Harrison - Schreiber likes to stay busy. He fits his rigorous training regimen into an already active life as an advocate for the blind. 

While prepping for this year's race, Schreiber logged up to three or four hours per day on the treadmill, often getting to the La Vida Llena gym by 5 a.m. Kranz has helped design a training plan to improve his endurance and strength and said she's consistently wowed by his efforts. "He goes twice as much as all the people half his age," she said. 

Schreiber jokes that he has never been particularly sporty. During his days at Westminster College in Pennsylvania, his physical education coach made sure to point that out, once approaching Schreiber to ask if he drank. "I said 'no,' and he said, 'You've got the coordination of an alcoholic,'" Schreiber recalled with a laugh. "And I was never worth a damn as an athlete." 

Nobody seems to have noticed any athletic shortcomings. Kranz refers to Schreiber as "amazing," and his longtime friend JoAnn Huff would agree, "He's truly an inspiration to all who know him," Huff said.



 

Working with Blind Seniors in Support Groups

by Rebecca Irvin

 

Editor's note: The following was given at the 2011 meeting of NFBSD.

 

I lost my sight at age 53. I woke up one morning and everything had gone black. I simply did not know what to do. The only thing I saw in my blind future was death.

 

Finally I came out of my coma and went to a blindness skills training center. One of the most important things I learned along with the skills was that I could in turn give back to other seniors losing vision. 

 

I tell them my story with a sense of humor and how I gave in and learned the skills of blindness. I frankly answer their questions and I make them feel that if I could learn, and I really resisted, then they could too. 

 

I met the sister of Joe Ruffalo. She told me that I needed to meet Joe and get involved with this nation-wide blind organization. Of course, I was very impressed, have joined and started a chapter.

 

I go out and find older blind persons who have been simply sitting around the house. I get them going again. I travel by myself and I tell everyone I meet that it is true that I am blind, but so what, the rest of my body parts all work. 

 

I used to love reading. Now I have mastered Braille so I have taken up reading again. Now I teach others to read Braille. 

 

I have support groups. I let each person bring a concern to the table. We all talk it over and find a solution to that problem. 

 

At one group we talked about reading mail. Many said a family member would read the mail to the blind person only when he felt like it and would only read what the family member thought was necessary. 

 

We all decided it would be much better to find a nonfamily member to do that task. Then we discussed how to find a reader. Some have found readers who do not charge by putting a note on a bulletin board at a senior center, a library or place of worship.

 

I am thrilled to be a member of the National Federation of the Blind; others have given to us, and now we turn around and give to others. It's a great feeling. 

 

 

Lawrence Muzzy Marcellino a Fantastic NFB Mentor

by Pat Munson

 

Note: Muzzy studied under Dr. Newell Perry, the blind professor of math and advanced studies at the California School for the Blind (CSB). Dr. Jacobus tenBroek was a contemporary of Muzzy's. CSB was where the National Federation of the Blind was conceived.

 

One of the speakers at the 2011 NFB convention mentioned Muzzy and his work; he was always working for the Federation and helping blind persons live its philosophy.

 

I first met Muzzy at the 1971 NFB convention. Everywhere I went, I encountered Muzzy. He was quietly assisting a blind person to get somewhere or to help with a meeting. Dr. tenBroek had died three years prior to my meeting Muzzy. Muzzy was filling in the gaps, but I did not understand that at that time.

 

I then did not see Muz for some time, my loss, but I did not think I needed too much help! You know how young folks are be they blind or sighted, they know everything.or so they think!

 

In the late 1970's Muz called me and asked me to take over the editing of a newsletter. I argued that I knew nothing about writing and editing. I was simply an English teacher.

 

He acted as if he had not heard a word I said. He said he would pick me up at my job and that we would take the bus to the Berkeley hills where Mrs. tenBroek would teach me all I needed to know. You did not tell Muzzy no so I followed him from the bus stop up the hill and up a million stairs and up some more to reach the tenBroek home. We were up in the steep hills where stairs were used for sidewalks in places because the terrain was too steep. I figured if he could travel this place I could do it in my high heels, but I was very nervous I would fall off something. He kept telling me to use that white cane and boy did I!

 

I remember sitting next to Mrs. tenBroek while she slammed my writing, but gave me endless suggestions. I think we stayed for dinner; Mrs. T. was always feeding anyone who came through her door which added to an exciting work session.

 

At some point Muz said I needed to meet him in San Francisco. I simply followed him around. We went to an office-like space he had been given by a California state legislator in his office. The secretary acted as if Muz was a part of the office personnel. The secretary brought him coffee, which she did for everyone, and said his typewriter had been repaired. The staff greeted him with great respect. I was shocked with the respect he was shown.

 

We then proceeded to his place of employment, at that time he was selling insurance. When he opened the door to enter everyone stopped working and greeted him with great affection. I sat while he carried out some business, but again I was in shock at this blind man's being treated as if he were a king.

 

Finally we proceeded to a restaurant where my husband joined us for dinner. Again, the staff welcomed him with great respect, showed us to the best table and told Muz the freshest items on the menu. Later I told my husband that I had never met such an interesting person. Blindness had nothing to do with it, but it did.

 

Muz always dressed in his beautiful three-piece suit with a crisp white shirt, perfectly polished shoes, and carried his briefcase and his long white cane. We were out doing NFB business so we dressed in business attire. 

 

Another time I followed him as he did his work at the California state capital. We would be walking down a hall when a legislator would spy Muz passing the door. The legislator would stop what he was doing and call to Muz. The legislator would ask Muz what he could do to further the work of the Federation. Again, I was in shock. But, I did not know about those many years Muz and other NFB members had worked those halls to better the lot of the blind which included me.

 

To me, the most difficult outing I had with him was the following. We met at a street corner and he announced that after a couple of errands we were going to eat lunch at a buffet restaurant. I stated that I was not going to go. I hated buffets. I said I had been to an NFB center and that I had done that. He simply started walking away from me. What could I do but follow. One could not argue with Muz, because I knew in my heart that he was right. 

 

We got to the restaurant and he rounded up an employee whom he instructed how to assist. He took my hand at the first bowl, plate or whatever and had me run my hand around the outer rim until I found the spoon or what ever. He had the employee tell what was in each dish then we quickly took the food using Muz's method. 

 

At the end of the line we picked up the tray putting our arm under it, reached our hand around and held our drink so it could not spill. The other hand used the cane and looked for an empty chair at the same time. We then sat and ate just like everyone else in the place. Of course, he was testing my blindness skills.

 

As we ate we discussed how Dr. Jernigan handled a buffet put on by the blind. A blind person stood behind the item or items he was serving and told the person going through the line what he had to offer. since the server knew where the tray was it was easy for the server to put the food on the plate, but if it was finger food the eater could easily find the food to take. It all sounded simple, but Dr. Jernigan and his students had been perfecting these techniques for years. 

 

Another time we were working in San Francisco. We were on a crowded city bus. The driver was not happy by the sound of his voice, but when Muz yelled in his stentorian, polite voice from the back of the bus that he wanted to know the name of the next street, the driver very politely told him. Later the driver stopped the bus at Muz's stop and patiently gave Muz directions to Muz's questions. My jaw dropped. I was sure that driver would have yelled at me and that would have been that.

 

I later learned that a couple of decades earlier when he was a rehab counselor, he would give cash to his blind clients out of his pocket. He would simply state that he remembered when he was a poor student and that was that.

 

Muz and his wife owned a three-story home. The garage was at street level with his flat on the second floor; the top floor apartment was rented; He said the rent paid for upkeep and taxes. 

 

He handled all the upkeep needs of the building, and he also did all the food shopping. He took his shopping cart which he pulled behind him, his Braille shopping list and his cane and off he went. Of course he could only buy what would fit in his cart, so he shopped often. Rain or shine he was walking the streets to the store with his white cane always leading the way. 

 

Of course he knew all the folks in the neighborhood and would stop many times to chat. Taxi drivers would see him and would honk and stop to chat also. I think he knew everyone in San Francisco because he was always out and about.

 

There were many subjects which interested Muz. One was the planting, pruning and all other care of roses. I told him I was interested in growing roses. He gave me detailed instructions on the purchase of roses, digging the holes and all the products to nourish the soil. When I had everything ready, I called him. Shortly thereafter he showed up at my door with a suitcase in hand.

 

Inside were his work clothes which he quickly changed to. Then it was out to the future rose garden where we planted and watered those rose roots. I got stabbed and jabbed but he said I would learn to be more cautious. He was right again.

 

He showed up the following fall when it was time to prune. Again, I caught my fingers in those thorns, but I was reminded how much I had loved the beautiful blooms. Speaking of those flowers, Muz was a judge for the San Francisco Rose Society. I wonder if there was anything he could not do!  

 

Muzzy taught many blind persons that it is respectable to be blind. He carried his cane with pride and educated everyone who met him. What a mentor he was! The blind who worked with him learned more than they could ever learn from a book. He opened countless doors for many, many blind and showed us how to change what it means to be blind. What a gift he was to the blind of this nation.

 

He said that a blind person can learn from reading and watching TV, but that there is a great big world out there with many open doors to opportunity. He stated that we needed to pick up that cane and go out and expand our knowledge in the world. NFB members had made it possible for the blind to live normal lives in the main stream of society, but that each of us had to choose our path! He was living proof that it was possible!

 

 

NFBSD Board Member Tells about Her Life

by Margo Downey

 

Editor's note: Margo was again elected to serve on our board at the 2011 annual meeting.

I was born in Fort Hayes, Kansas in 1954; however, because of my father's employment we moved to Texas when I was three. My airplane ride to Texas was my first, but there would be many more because my father designed planes.

I was one of the RLF babies born in the 1950's. Luckily my parents had very progressive attitudes for the times. When I was very young these home counselors would come to our house, including some blind ones, and tell my mother what I could not do. 

Even as far back as when I was crawling, my parents would leave me to explore my environment. If I were in danger of falling down stairs, they would show me the stairs and take me away from them, but did not teach me fear.

Even as I grew, my mother would sit me down and talk to me about how I could do what I needed to accomplish and she would ask me how I thought I would complete the task. 

I went to private pre and elementary school through the first grade. Then my family transferred me to public school. I did learn to use Braille and finally to use a white cane when I was ten, but my parents did not feel I was learning all the skills of blindness. I was not allowed to take Home Ec or PE.

Beginning with the tenth grade I transferred to the Texas School for the Blind. I'm glad I had both, but I did learn a lot from my peers at the School for the Blind. 

After graduation I decided I did not want to go and finish a college degree. But, now after all those years I think I shall finish. In New York we can design our own degree program and I am very happy with that idea. 

I did work for the Texas Commission for the Blind. I was a receptionist-secretary at our rehab center for blind and otherwise disabled persons. I also worked for IRS in Saint Louis. I liked moving around.

In the 1980's I taught blind people to use computers. I had received my training which was set up for learners before they even went out to look for a job. I wish there were more classes like this because learning a computer while trying to learn a job is too much. 

I liked teaching computer but sometimes payment was a bit different. One time I was training a gal who was working for a department store. Instead of paying me, she paid my credit card bill at that store. 

Another of my clients let me stay at their home and in turn I taught the gal to use a computer. That was really fun. I didn't even have to shop or cook.

It was back in 1979 that I joined NFB. I went to the convention in Florida. When I went back home to Louisiana, I was voted in as state secretary at the next state convention. I was there when Joanne Wilson started the NFB center in that state.

In 1987 I moved back to Texas. I had a job at the local college. I had a job at the center for students with disabilities. I was a note taker for those students who could not use their hands or for those who were deaf. Also, I did tutoring, and I think that that was my favorite job. 

I then worked for tech support for Juno. I did not stay at that job very long, because I did not like working at a call center. What I hated was that each call was timed and I would be told to shorten the calls. I did not like that at all because I really wanted to help people solve their problems. This job had brought me to New York state.

I also worked at the VA medical center for a while. I worked at a switchboard but took care of the security alarm systems. Part of my job was looking up patient information. One thing I really liked was getting to know the vets in the hospital. I found them very likeable folks.

Now for various reasons, I am somewhat retired. However, I am busier now than when I was working. My partner and I have three grandchildren who keep us busy, and I am on a couple of NFB boards. I am president of my church board. Besides my other jobs in the church, I sing in the choir. 

I love to read, sing, and listen to music. I like to cook and take part in water sports. I skydived ten times. Since my father dealt with planes, I would love to be able to fly every day.

Besides my local chapter, I want to start a division for seniors. We might hold meetings on the phone because seniors are so scattered around the state. The important thing is that we find seniors and get them involved. 

My philosophy is that we are always evolving. NFB is a life philosophy. Together the blind have made more successful lives with the help of NFB.

 

 

A Garden from the Rubble

by Patrick and Trudy Barrett

 

Editor's Note: Pat Barrett is first vice-president of the Metro Chapter in Minnesota and a member of the NFB of Minnesota board of directors. This article appeared in the Windom Community News, Spring 2011, and is a good example of how NFB of Minnesota members are involved in their local community.

 

We moved 1300 miles east to Minnesota from Idaho (not Iowa or Ohio as some confuse those state names) in the summer of 1993. Windom Gables has been our home since then. Our town home is close to public transportation, shopping, and doctors' offices.    Our apartment managers and maintenance folks have been outstanding. Both of us are blind, and have raised our 24-year-old sighted daughter for most of those years here.

Eighteen years have seen many changes on the northwest corner of 62nd and Nicollet Avenue South. This is the planned site for the Windom Community garden (not officially named yet). Raeann, our daughter, and her friends from Windom Gables used to go to Virge's Gas Station to get pop. A 36-unit apartment complex was there. Mounds of sand and rock occupied that spot during the agony and ecstasy of the Crosstown project.

Today, the spot sits serene, absent of machines and rubble. Brian O'Shea, also a Windom Gables resident and newest member of the Windom Community board, is heading up the community garden project. We, along with many other enthusiastic people, serve on the project task force. 

Our first meeting was on May 12. At the meeting, we came up with the following four goals for the garden: 

. Improve appearance of intersection/community 

. Build community relationships by creating a gathering space

. Grow healthful food for our families 

. Make the garden an educational tool for neighborhood kids, and potentially neighborhood schools

We also identified five other benefits of the garden, in addition to the four things above: 

. Public health benefits from food and activity 

. Access to gardening for renters who may not have space 

. Potential park/play lot/green space next to garden 

. Property value increases 

. Public safety improvements through community building

Brian has had soil samples from the lot tested by the University of Minnesota to determine if there are any contaminating chemicals in the ground. As of this writing, we are waiting for those results. A hydrant is on site for watering. The Department of Transportation owns the site, and Brian has also been working with them to transfer ownership of the space to the city.

We probably will not be able to plant, weed, or water until the spring of 2012, because we are waiting for all the paperwork and red tape to be completed.

 

 

This and That

 

Laughing Matters

 

Editor's note: SOME LAUGHS FROM AROUND THE WORLD Contributed by Dick Campbell. These jokes are from the monthly newsletter put out by the life care facility where I live.

 

. A Bangkok temple: It is forbidden to enter a woman, even a foreigner, if dressed like a man.

 

. An airline office in Copenhagen: We take your bags and send them in all directions.

 

. Cocktail lounge in Norway: Ladies are requested not to have children in the bar.

 

. Doctor's office in Rome: Specialist in women and other diseases. 

 

. Dry cleaners in Bangkok: Drop your trousers here for best results. 

 

. A Nairobi restaurant: Customers who find our waitresses rude ought to see the manager. 

 

. A road sign when leaving Nairobi: When this sign is under water, this road is impassable. 

 

. A poster: Are you an adult that cannot read? If so, we can help. 

 

. A restaurant: Open seven days a week and weekends. 

 

. A cemetery: Persons are prohibited from picking flowers from any but their own graves. 

 

. Tokyo hotel: Guests are requested not to smoke or do other disgusting behaviors in bed. 

 

. A Swiss restaurant: Our wines leave you nothing to hope for. 

 

. A Tokyo hotel: You are invited to take advantage of the chambermaid. 

 

. A Moscow hotel lobby across from a monastery: You are welcome to visit the cemetery where famous Russian and Soviet composers, artists and writers are buried daily except Thursday.

 

the end