[NFBF-L] You are a fall risk because you are blind

Sat Sep 2 21:02:12 UTC 2023

Hi Everyone Who Replied To This Thread:
I have experienced some of these experiences with the "healthcare
professionals." I would like to be part of the committee following up on
the resolution we passed. Good luck with your surgery, Scott. I hope that
your medical team will treat you with dignity and respect as you navigate
through the administrative barriers, which may have been set in motion as a
result of COVID 19. The world has changed so much in these last four years.
Kind Regards,
Judy Hamilton

On Sat, Sep 2, 2023 at 2:59 PM PLipovsky via NFBF-L <nfbf-l at nfbnet.org>
wrote:

> Good luck with your surgery Scott.
>
>
>
> PL
>
>
>
>
>
> *From:* NFBF-L <nfbf-l-bounces at nfbnet.org> *On Behalf Of *Scott Wilson
> via NFBF-L
> *Sent:* Saturday, September 2, 2023 2:51 PM
> *To:* NFB of Florida Internet Mailing List <nfbf-l at nfbnet.org>
> *Cc:* Scott Wilson <s.wilson661 at icloud.com>
> *Subject:* Re: [NFBF-L] You are a fall risk because you are blind
>
>
>
> Hello all, in a few weeks, I will be going in for a knee replacement. I
> will have to let you know how everything goes. I have already been worrying
> about these type of situations.  I should be spending a minimum of two days
> in the hospital and the possibility for more if necessary. In addition,
> they will be delivering a therapy machine to my home for me to use to
> regain all of the motion and strengthen the muscles in my leg. I’m very
> skeptical about this as well because it contains a Bluetooth device and a
> portal that I am to log into. Most portals are not accessible. As I said
> previously, I will keep you all up-to-date.
>
> Best regards
>
> Scott Wilson
>
> 727-423-4312
>
>
>
> On Sep 2, 2023, at 2:37 PM, Jody ianuzzi via NFBF-L <nfbf-l at nfbnet.org>
> wrote:
>
> 
>
> Hi Kathy and all. This is really an outrageous situation that I think
> should be brought to the attention of national. This cannot be allowed to
> continue. It is actually in violation of the ADA! We are being killed by
> kindness. Just think of how far this could go and it's discrimination.
>
> JODY
>
>
>
> To Boldly Go  🖖🏻
>
>
>
>
>
> thunderwalker321 at gmail.com
>
>
>
> "What's within you is stronger than what's in your way."  NO BARRIERS
>  Erik Weihenmayer
>
>
>
> On Sep 2, 2023, at 12:45 PM, Kathy Davis via NFBF-L <nfbf-l at nfbnet.org>
> wrote:
>
> 
>
> I am with others who would like to be on this committee. The last time I
> had surgery, about a year ago, an alarm was put on my bed and I couldn’t
> even get up to go to the bathroom without the thing going off. I had
> several joint replacements over a year and a half. With each one, hospital
> personnel had me up on my feet the same day of each surgery. I am totally
> blind but certainly was capable of getting up with my walker to get to the
> bathroom or sit in a chair. I think I was treated as a person  who was
> incapable of moving around my hospital room because of being a senior
> citizen and being  blind. They didn’t put the alarm on hospital bed when I
> had my hip replacement or my shoulder replacement. The knee replacement is
> when it all when down hill. I explained that I live alone and have done so
> for 20 years being completely capable of managing home responsibilities and
> working my 6th guide dog. That didn’t matter. They insisted on keeping
> that alarm on my bed as well as bed rails. I was totally indignant! !
>
>
>
> I should also mention that twice while in the hospital, my meal was left
> across the room from my bed and I didn’t even know it was there. So much
> education is needed for hospital personnel!
>
>
>
>
>
> Kathy Davis
>
>
>
> *From:* NFBF-L <nfbf-l-bounces at nfbnet.org> *On Behalf Of *PLipovsky via
> NFBF-L
> *Sent:* Friday, September 1, 2023 8:26 PM
> *To:* kaye.j.zimpher at gmail.com; 'NFB of Florida Internet Mailing List' <
> nfbf-l at nfbnet.org>
> *Cc:* PLipovsky <plipovsky at cfl.rr.com>
> *Subject:* Re: [NFBF-L] You are a fall risk because you are blind
>
>
>
> I would definitely like to be a part of such a  committee, so pleased keep
> me in mind if it comes to fruition.
>
>
>
> Thanks.
>
>
>
> P:L
>
>
>
>
>
> *From:* NFBF-L <nfbf-l-bounces at nfbnet.org> *On Behalf Of *Kaye Baker via
> NFBF-L
> *Sent:* Friday, September 1, 2023 7:50 PM
> *To:* 'NFB of Florida Internet Mailing List' <nfbf-l at nfbnet.org>
> *Cc:* Kaye Baker <kaye.j.zimpher at gmail.com>
> *Subject:* Re: [NFBF-L] You are a fall risk because you are blind
>
>
>
> This seems to be an ongoing issue. In the past few months,  I have, like
> you spoken to many who have been told they are a fall risk by the medical
> profession because they are blind and only because they are blind. Last
> year at our state convention, we passed a resolution to begin working with
> medical professionals to show them the real truth about people who are
> blind. Working on this resolution will take a lot of work, and actually it
> will require work from many,  not just a few. It is my sincere hope that in
> the near future we can form a committee to begin to decide how we conduct
> this much needed training, and where the training would have the most
> impact and effectiveness.
>
>
>
> *From:* NFBF-L <nfbf-l-bounces at nfbnet.org> *On Behalf Of *Jody ianuzzi
> via NFBF-L
> *Sent:* Friday, September 1, 2023 7:24 PM
> *To:* Blind Talk Mailing List <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
> *Cc:* Jody ianuzzi <thunderwalker321 at gmail.com>; NFB Talk Mailing List <
> nfb-talk at nfbnet.org>; Raul Gallegos - NAGDU <rgallegos at nagdu.org>; NFB of
> Florida Internet Mailing List <nfbf-l at nfbnet.org>
> *Subject:* [NFBF-L] You are a fall risk because you are blind
>
>
>
> The last time I went to see my doctor he really made me angry. He told me
> that he was concerned that I might fall because of my visual impairment.  I
> said that if I just lost my site that there would be a period of adjustment
> where I would have to learn alternative techniques to be more confident.  I
> told him that I have  been blind my entire life  I had no more chance of
> falling than he did and that since I started learning the martial arts 52
> years ago, I could probably teach him how to fall without getting hurt!
>
>
>
> Since this happened I have relayed the story to many people have told me
> that they are also considered a fall risk by medical professionals. So is
> this a new protocol? Are we all incompetent at walking without having
>
>
>
> Since this happened I have relayed the story to many people who have told
> me that they are also considered a fall risk by medical professionals. So
> is this a new protocol? Are we all incompetent at walking without having to
> worry about falling?  I think it is so much of a coincidence that I have
> heard the story from many places around the country. I think I think we
> really have to educate the medical profession as well as everyone else!
>
>
>
> JODY
>
>
>
> To Boldly Go  🖖🏻
>
>
>
>
>
> thunderwalker321 at gmail.com
>
>
>
> "What's within you is stronger than what's in your way."  NO BARRIERS
>  Erik Weihenmayer
>
>
>
> On Sep 1, 2023, at 6:55 PM, Raul Gallegos - NAGDU via BlindTlk <
> blindtlk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>
> Hello Mark. That’s a new one for sure.
>
> On a different but slightly related note, I went on a cruise earlier this
> year.
>
> Upon my re-entry back onboard the ship after indulging a nice and long day
> of sun and adult beverages, the security folks wanted to check my cane
> before letting me on the ship. I politely declined and told the nice
> security person that my cane posed no threat and that I could just walk
> through the gate and that I have done this many times. He was rather
> insistent, however. So, the compromise was to let me walk through, then
> they would check the cane anyway. Considering I was tired, and a little,
> well, happy, and I didn’t want my good mood to be ruined, I let the
> security folks check my cane after I walked through. Here is where the
> funny part comes in.
>
> As I am standing in front of the nice security person while my cane is
> getting checked for contraband, he puts his hands under mine and tells me
> that it is all going to be okay, and I can just lean forward on him, and he
> will make sure I do not fall. I instantly figured out that he honestly
> thought my cane was for balance, not guiding. Instead of educating him
> further, I grabbed his hands and started dancing with him. We twirled
> around a few times, and as we danced, I educated him that my balance was
> better than fine, and that my cane made a great dance partner when my wife
> was not around and when my cane wasn’t doing its real job of guiding me.
>
> In the end, it was a funny time, and hopefully, this nice security cruise
> ship person received a little education in a positive way.
>
>
>
> --
>
> Raul Gallegos
>
>
>
>
>
> From: nFB-Talk <nfb-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Mark Tardif via
> nFB-Talk
> Sent: Friday, September 1, 2023 5:25 PM
> To: Blind Talk Mailing List <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: Mark Tardif <markspark at roadrunner.com>; NFB of Florida Internet
> Mailing List <nfbf-l at nfbnet.org>; NFB Talk Mailing List <
> nfb-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: [NFB-Talk] Strange Stuff
>
>
>
> Alright, friends.  I’m going to tell you something that will either leave
> you laughing or crying, and it is to demonstrate that no matter how well
> educated you are, if you are not familiar with blindness, well, you can
> still come across as, to put it politely, not the brightest light in the
> room.  The other day I saw a doctor I had never met before.  He had never
> spoken with someone who was born blind, and I suspect he had never spoken
> with any blind person.  Anyway, he saw my long white cane and, get this,
> asked if this was my “eye stick.”  Yes, that was the term he actually used,
> “eye stick.”  I wasn’t sure whether to laugh or to just moan with sadness,
> but one does need to remember manners in this situation, so I told him that
> we call it a long white cane and told him what it was for.  He actually
> asked a number of good questions about blindness, which I thought was good,
> but it was clear that he needed much educating.  He seemed surprised I can
> actually walk around town independently.  I guess we have a lot of work to
> do, still, to put it mildly.  Also, I must say that while people up here
> are often extremely nice and courteous, they seem to pride themselves on
> being quite insular, even more than the rest of Maine, which is my state
> incidentally.  I say that because along with the term “eye stick,” I’ve
> often heard some very strange and, frankly, primitive ideas that I won’t
> actually go into here, but I do often think that holds us back in a lot of
> ways.  Anyway, I just thought I would share that bit of strangeness.
>
> Mark Tardif
> Nuclear arms will not hold you.
>
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