[NFBF-Tampa] Caring for our NFB family

Tue May 20 18:07:21 UTC 2025

 Ineko,
I’m glad you are a member of the deaf blind division of The NFB, And I did not think you were simply being smart in your response about the cancellation of Hartplus trips. 
All I would like to do is ask you what do we need to do as a chapter so that you can attend the meetings in person if that is what you want to do. 
Take care,Barbara

Sent from AOL Mobile Mail

On Tuesday, May 20, 2025, 1:38 PM, Ineko Gary via NFBF-Tampa <nfbf-tampa at nfbnet.org> wrote:

I am part of the NFB DEF LINE Division. And they always reach out to all the=
 deaf blind members to see what kind of access we need.

I always tell them I need the sign language because my friend comes over at a=
 certain time to do textile sign language. Meaning that handover hand.

She watches the interpreter on the screen, and then she will sign the meetin=
g in my hand.

That=E2=80=99s how I also do when I have doctors appointment all the interpr=
eters. I have no tactile, sign language handover hand. I will put my hand ov=
er my interpreter=E2=80=99s hand and they would sign normally. And then when=
 it=E2=80=99s my turn to talk, I will just sign and interpreter will watch a=
nd tell the doctors what I=E2=80=99m saying.

Yes, there are a few reasons I stopped going. Certain members would always t=
ell others how much I can. I can=E2=80=99t see which is not their business. T=
hey don=E2=80=99t know me and my loss of vision. Because they=E2=80=99re not=
 my doctors

And that I am also deaf in both ears, and with hearing aids, turned up to th=
e max I can pick up just a few words and so that=E2=80=99s how I knew when p=
eople would say to other people or wear a certain person would say to the on=
e woman that was on the bus that I could see more than what I=E2=80=99m sayi=
ng, which is unreal

Why I stopped going to meetings and went back to my JW For The DEAF cause th=
ey all do sign language. We have the fully hearing and fully decided that no=
 sign language. We have the deaf and severely hard of hearing no sign langua=
ge. And I am the only deaf blind in the congregation. And they all enjoy hav=
ing my Guide dog Frisco.

And they do not walk up to me or judge me on what I can=E2=80=99t see. Or my=
 hearing and my vision. Because they know that is wrong in Jehovah=E2=80=98s=
 eyes.

Also, when I had mentioned about letting HART plus they like it is, we=E2=80=
=99re calling out two hours ahead me and my friend thought it was a good ide=
a. We wasn=E2=80=99t being smart or mean. We was just saying that if you=E2=80=
=99re able to ride the city bus go ahead and cancel two hours ahead of time a=
nd just catch the city bus. We was not being me or smart. Alec whoever told u=
s that yesterday.

I as a deaf blind person who is totally blind and the left eye and losing vi=
sion or lost a hunk of vision. We only have light shadows and the red eye. W=
e noticed a bunch of totally blind men and women rides the city bus. With th=
eir long white canes.

That=E2=80=99s why I only suggested that or no Not being a smart Alec or bei=
ng mean.

So that=E2=80=99s why when Miranda was president I decided to stop coming an=
d go back to the JW for the DEAF.

When I was there, I was just there like what=E2=80=99s going on in a meeting=
. I will purposely record the meeting and then send a recording to my sister=
 and then she would text me to let me know what was being said. Or I would d=
o the recording When someone was free. Let them hear it and then they would t=
ext me on what was being said.=20

That took too much time and too long.

Again, I am part of the deaf blind, Division and the president over there se=
nt out a group email on who needs sign language, who needs close caption. An=
d who needs a transcript. I explain to the president, even though I cannot s=
ee the screen and the person signing. Sometimes my friend would come over an=
d tactile the meeting. I told her the president that she just volunteers her=
 time to come to my house and copy the interpreters on the screen since she n=
o sign language even though she=E2=80=99s not an interpreter she does know s=
ign language because she=E2=80=99s a coda so she learned through me how to d=
o tactile sign language and she only does it for me.

> On May 20, 2025, at 12:45=E2=80=AFPM, Barbara Gaw via NFBF-Tampa <nfbf-tam=
pa at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>=20
> =EF=BB=BF Good afternoon,
>=20
> I=E2=80=99m sending this email to everyone because I think we should all b=
e part of this conversation.
>=20
> Ineko, I apologize for not ever, bothering to ask why you had quit coming t=
o the meetings. Maybe you told others, or maybe you kept it to yourself. Sti=
ll, I should have reached out to you. I had wondered why we didn=E2=80=99t s=
ee you at the meetings, but I=E2=80=99m sorry I never asked.
>=20
> Now I would like to ask the leaders of our NFB chapter if what Ineko=E2=80=
=99s friend has told her is true. I am aware that there is a deaf, blind div=
ision as a part of the NFB, but that doesn=E2=80=99t solve the problem of ho=
w we can have people who are deaf, blind attend our meeting and be able to p=
articipate in person. Is it true that we can=E2=80=99t afford an interpreter=
 for the two hours that we meet once a month? How can we feel comfortable ha=
ving social outings if we exclude people due to accessibility issues? Has an=
ybody ever bothered to find out how much that would cost?
>=20
> The bottom line to be is, if we say the pledge every week about how we wan=
t to advance and raise up our lives to be what we want them to be. How can w=
e exclude other members of our group for lack of accessibility?
>=20
>=20
>  If we are truly to be stronger together, then that means everybody.
>=20
> Barbara Gaw
>=20
> Sent from AOL Mobile Mail
> _______________________________________________
> NFBF-Tampa mailing list
> NFBF-Tampa at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbf-tampa_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for NFBF-=
Tampa:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfbf-tampa_nfbnet.org/rubiigary%40gmail.=
com

_______________________________________________
NFBF-Tampa mailing list
NFBF-Tampa at nfbnet.org
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbf-tampa_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for NFBF-Tampa:
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfbf-tampa_nfbnet.org/gawberg%40verizon.net

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/nfbf-tampa_nfbnet.org/attachments/20250520/6b725da6/attachment.htm>