[nfb-talk] [NFB-talk] Here We Go Again: Home Makeover -blindcouple in OH

John Heim john at johnheim.net
Mon Dec 6 22:32:54 UTC 2010


That's not a blindness related issue.

FWIW, my wife keeps telling me the show has been criticized a lot of this 
very reason. In defense of ABC, they did give them $50,000 to cover 
maintenance. And the couple no longer has a mortgage so they might be able 
to pay the taxes with whatever income they were using to pay their mortgage. 
Even if they can't, they can sell the home and they'd still come out way 
ahead. I'm sure they'd be able to take the bar code scanner with them.




----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Cindy Handel" <cindy425 at verizon.net>
To: "NFB Talk Mailing List" <nfb-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Monday, December 06, 2010 3:50 PM
Subject: Re: [nfb-talk] [NFB-talk] Here We Go Again: Home 
Makeover -blindcouple in OH


> OK, maybe they couldn't afford a plumber.  But, how can they now afford to
> maintain this new home they have been given?  How can they afford to pay
> taxes on all these lovely things?
>
> The fact that this lady can't remove something from her oven without 
> burning
> her arms is some indication that she hasn't had proper training.  Has she
> never heard of oven mitts?  The fact that they can't cross the street,
> safely, to get a bus, is an indication they have not had proper training.
> Do you really know a lot of blind people who need an open area home, 
> because
> they can't navigate their home with walls and doorways, because they keep
> bumping into them?  I wouldn't want to be counseled by someone who has 
> that
> much difficulty maintaining their own lives.  I'm not saying that they'll
> never be qualified to counsel other blind or disabled people.  But,
> experience is a great teacher.  Until they've had some experience, maybe
> they shouldn't teach.
>
> Cindy
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "John Heim" <john at johnheim.net>
> To: "NFB Talk Mailing List" <nfb-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Monday, December 06, 2010 3:16 PM
> Subject: Re: [nfb-talk] [NFB-talk] Here We Go Again: Home
> Makeover -blindcouple in OH
>
>
> I doubt that these people were too stupid to know they could call a 
> plumber.
> More likely, they couldn't afford it.
>
> And I don't think there was anything about that show that tended to 
> indicate
> that the couple didn't get proper training. Can you give any examples? 
> Like
> I said, about the only thing I can put a finger on is the cans. But that 
> is
> such a minor thing and it can easily be explained away. If somebody was
> offering me a free bar code scanner, I'd go into the pantry and pull all 
> the
> braille labels off before they got there. And for all we know, she might
> have explained that there were ways to deal with cans besides a bar code
> reader. But the bar code reader is nicer. You might not like it but I sure
> wouldn't turn one down.
>
> PS: I have a friend with a device that attaches to his cane that uses 
> sonar
> to help him locate objects. He loves it. And it sounds very similar to the
> device built into the canes they gave the couple on last night's show. I
> wouldn't disregard that particular technology without trying it first.
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Cindy Handel" <cindy425 at verizon.net>
> To: "NFB Talk Mailing List" <nfb-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Monday, December 06, 2010 1:25 PM
> Subject: Re: [nfb-talk] [NFB-talk] Here We Go Again: Home
> Makeover -blindcouple in OH
>
>
>> John,
>>
>> I have never tried to replace a toilet or sink and don't think I'd ever
>> try.
>> This isn't because I'm blind, but because I don't know how to do it and
>> have
>> no desire to learn.  But, when I know there is a problem with my toilet 
>> or
>> sink, I know how to call the plumber and they know how to repair the
>> problem.  So, although my house is more than 58 years old, it is in good
>> repair and I have never had a sink fall off the wall or a toilet which
>> turns
>> from side to side.
>>
>> Yes, you're right; if someone is going to give me a lot of new 
>> technology,
>> I
>> have to demonstrate that I need it.  The problem is, although some of it
>> would be nice, and even though I appreciate the technology I already 
>> have,
>> I
>> don't *need* every piece of technology that comes along.  I don't need a
>> bar
>> code reader to read the cans in my cupboard, and I certainly don't *need*
>> a
>> high tech cane which tells me where obstacles are, in front of me.  My
>> long
>> straight fiberglass cane does just fine and has ever since I started 
>> using
>> a
>> cane, more than 40 years ago.
>>
>> I wonder how much of this stuff would have been necessary if the couple
>> had
>> received proper training in blindness skills?  If they don't have these
>> skills, what impressions are they passing along to the people they are
>> counseling?
>>
>> I didn't see the show, last night, and haven't had the time to watch it,
>> yet.  But, from Ms. Rovig's description, this couple does need help, but
>> not
>> the kind they received.
>>
>> Cindy
>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>> From: "John Heim" <john at johnheim.net>
>> To: "NFB Talk Mailing List" <nfb-talk at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Monday, December 06, 2010 2:12 PM
>> Subject: Re: [nfb-talk] [NFB-talk] Here We Go Again: Home
>> Makeover -blindcouple in OH
>>
>>
>> One thing that really bothers me about the conversation on this list is
>> that
>> people are complaining about ABC depicting this couple as helpless.  But
>> can
>> anyone on this list replace a toilet or a bathroom sink? I've done things
>> like replace garbage disposals, light fixtures, and electrical outlets.
>> But
>> I don't think I'd try replacing a toilet. I might replace a sink though.
>> Assuming the standard hookups are already there, you can do that.  But 
>> I'm
>> not sure that even most sighted people would try that either.
>>
>> I guess the question is whether ABC's depiction of blind people was
>> inaccurate. Are these people more helpess than a typical blind couple?
>>
>> The one thing that puzzled me was the problem the woman had with cans of
>> food. I don't know what's in our kitchen cupboard but that's because my
>> wife
>> does the cooking and shopping. When I did my own cooking and shopping, I
>> put
>> magnetic braille labels on the cans. But, I suppose, its nicer to have 
>> the
>> bar code scanner. The woman might have played up the problem in order to
>> make it look good. I mean, ABC isn't going to want to show the woman
>> dealing
>> with her canned food with braille and then give her a scanner anyway.
>>
>> When you think about it, if you've got a TV show about giving people new
>> shirts, you have to make their old shirts look crummy. It would be lame 
>> to
>> give someone a new shirt if the person already has a closet full of 
>> really
>> nice shirts. In fact, aren't all gifts kind of an insult? Say you buy
>> somebody a shirt. Does that say their old shirts are crummy? Couldn't you
>> always say, "Well, if you didn't think I needed a new shirt, why did you
>> give me a new shirt? "
>>
>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>> From: "Cindy Handel" <cindy425 at verizon.net>
>> To: "NFB Talk Mailing List" <nfb-talk at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Monday, December 06, 2010 11:16 AM
>> Subject: Re: [nfb-talk] [NFB-talk] Here We Go Again: Home Makeover -
>> blindcouple in OH
>>
>>
>>> Oh My!  This is just terrible.  It's not the first one Extreme Home
>>> Makeover
>>> has done about blind people.  I hope something can be done so it's the
>>> last.
>>> It's so destructive.
>>>
>>> Cindy
>>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>>> From: "Rovig, Lorraine" <LRovig at nfb.org>
>>> To: "NFB Talk Mailing List" <nfb-talk at nfbnet.org>
>>> Sent: Monday, December 06, 2010 12:01 PM
>>> Subject: Re: [nfb-talk] [NFB-talk] Here We Go Again: Home Makeover -
>>> blindcouple in OH
>>>
>>>
>>> Here We Go Again: Home Makeover Extreme Edition - blind couple in OH
>>>
>>> Well, I watched it. It was pretty bad and it could have been worse. It
>>> could have been a lot better too.
>>>
>>> Their original bathroom -- a sink fell off the wall once when Jasmine
>>> washed her hands so they had no bathroom sink; the old toilet would
>>> swivel left and right about 20 degrees either way if your toe pushed it.
>>> Other parts of the old home and front porch were dangerous.  The part of
>>> the old house facing the street appeared to be two-rooms wide, small
>>> rooms, and I do not remember if it was two-story.  They were given a
>>> two-story, large, modern home with all new appliances in the kitchen,
>>> laundry room, every other room, and etcetera.
>>>
>>> This is an African-American family, the Andersons of Maple Heights, Ohio
>>> (near Cleveland). I do not know if either one has a job; both appear to
>>> be in their early 40s.  The mother, Jasmine, states she is visually
>>> impaired. She uses a folding cane with a fat white tip that I think is a
>>> marshmallow tip.  Husband, Andre, pronounced the French way, is totally
>>> blind and uses a guide dog named Valentine. The show gave the dog a
>>> heart-shaped bed.
>>>
>>> Jasmine gave a tiny monologue stating she lost enough sight to be
>>> visually impaired and was depressed for awhile but then she became
>>> "courageous" like she is now. They never charge for their [untrained]
>>> counseling and encouragement of other people with disabilities. They
>>> give lots of speeches to educate the community how to make life easier
>>> for blind people and people with other disabilities.
>>>
>>> The couple told us they are in danger every time they cross a street and
>>> the camera mike was held close to trucks and cars as vehicles zoomed by
>>> on a city street. Jasmine said she was hit in the shoulder by a moving
>>> car one time. Ty Pennington, the shows' big-hearted hero,
>>> furniture-designer and designer of his own line of linens and other
>>> goods for the home, excellent carpenter and TV show leader, went on
>>> about how dangerous it is for blind people every day when they are
>>> outside the home. He got installed for the Andersons a fancy talking
>>> device at the single crossing nearest to their home at their bus stop.
>>> Jasmine told us "we're not the only blind people living here, you know"
>>> and, she said, this will help people with other disabilities that live
>>> in their neighborhood too.
>>>
>>> The show gave her a CCTV rigged to a lady's dressing table so she can
>>> see to put on her make-up and not have to ask her son if she did it
>>> okay. She got choked up that she can see her nails now and can paint
>>> them as she could not see to do before, and for the first time she
>>> exclaims, as we watch her look at it, she can see the beautiful ring her
>>> husband gave her.
>>>
>>> In the old house, Jasmine shoved up the sleeves on her dress to show Ty
>>> and us the many burns on her arms that she got from using her
>>> conventional electric 4-burner stove and oven.  The show gave her
>>> "induction heating" which does not give out any heat except to a metal
>>> pot placed on the burner, and she got a wall oven so her oven is at a
>>> better height for her to use. The house got a talking temperature gauge.
>>> On the plus side, so the two wouldn't get lost, nothing odd was built
>>> into the kitchen or the walls and floors.  Also on the plus side, except
>>> for the induction oven, normal if fancy Sears's appliances were placed
>>> in the home for the kitchen and the baths.
>>>
>>> Both Andre and Jasmine got computers that I think had JAWS installed on
>>> them. They got a home theatre room with one "Sound Dome" over both their
>>> heads that directs the sound directly only to them, and lets them hear
>>> the SAP channel along with the show. They have two very helpful,
>>> respectful sons (one may be age 12 and the other is a young teenager).
>>> Ty stated the older son got a vacation from verbalizing what is on
>>> screen plus he got the SAP thing with words running below the screen
>>> when folks talked (which he needed but I missed the part that said why
>>> he did). The younger son is sure he wants to grow up to be an eye doctor
>>> so he can cure blindness, beginning with his mother's visual impairment.
>>>
>>> Both Jasmine and Andre got brand new, fat-bodied, folding canes that
>>> have built-in sensors to inform them of obstacles by their head and at
>>> their feet, and, said Ty, "these aren't even on the market yet." Andre
>>> expressed their gratitude.
>>>
>>> They got a huge main room that runs from a living room grouping through
>>> an empty space of floor to a dining room grouping to a kitchen with no
>>> barriers or changes in floor, so they do not have to worry anymore about
>>> running into posts or walls, as they did run into in their cramped
>>> original home.  I noticed they are both bulky overweight people and the
>>> original house doorways were older and appeared smallish, plus a post
>>> was inconveniently placed, especially for any overweight people trying
>>> to get past it to the bedrooms and bathroom.
>>>
>>> The mortgage company paid off and tore up their mortgage; the local
>>> branch of the state college gave them 2 college scholarships for the
>>> boys; Sears gave the four of them enough clothes and shoes to fill some
>>> of their new closets; the local basketball team called The Cavaliers,
>>> gave the teen-aged son a closet-full of their clothes plus 3-shelves of
>>> their basketballs with its metal rack. The building company gave them
>>> $50,000 to a fund to handle their home maintenance.
>>>
>>> Braille got a "shout out" as the modern lingo has it. Ty added palm-size
>>> wooden "dots" to their bed's headboard to spell out in grade one, "Love
>>> is Blind."  Large print got a "shout out" too, with their top bed quilt
>>> decorated with "Love is Blind" sewn on as stuffed, raised-up
>>> hand-writing.
>>>
>>> (For me, I keep wondering how they and other Ty Pennington-show
>>> homeowners can afford their new taxes on their giant gifts of money,
>>> goods, and a huge new home.)
>>>
>>> The Andersons were so very grateful for all they received from Ty and
>>> Sears Company and ABC. Tears all around.
>>>
>>> You can view the entire episode on the Anderson Family via computer,
>>> here:
>>> http://abc.go.com/shows/extreme-makeover-home-edition
>>> Anderson Family
>>>  | Full Episode
>>> A visually impaired couple devoted to helping the community receives a
>>> home makeover, complete with technologies that help people with
>>> disabilities;
>>> EXTREME MAKEOVER: HOME EDITION - "Anderson Family" - Andre and Jasmine
>>> Anderson have never allowed their visual impairment to slow them down,
>>> but rather have faced it head on, and established the Disability
>>> Awareness Center in Maple Heights, Ohio, to help others who are
>>> struggling with sight loss. The couple and their sons learned they would
>>> be recipients of a home makeover while aboard the public bus that they
>>> ride every day. The "EM: HE" team surprised them on the bus and revealed
>>> plans to give them a new "smart" home, equipped with technologies that
>>> support people with disabilities. This episode of "Extreme Makeover:
>>> Home Edition" airs SUNDAY, DECEMBER 5 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC
>>> Television Network. (ABC/MIKE CROUCH) ANDERSON FAMILY HOME - AFTER -
>>> BEDROOM
>>>
>>>
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>>
>>
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