[NFBWATlk] Oppse, forgot the article

Sun Oct 2 15:28:18 UTC 2022

We had a gal in church, when I lived in Erie PA who would not even learn how to use a cane. I put my guide dog on purpose in the isle to see if she would see him laying there. Hands came from everywhere grabbing her so she wouldn't hit him. I hope such a hard step worked and she learned and used the cane. She apologized to everyone, especially me. She loved the theater, but wouldn't go. She couldn't see at night so she felt she didn't need to go.  I felt totally sorry for her. I used to walk to the theater six or so blocks away from where I lived with my partner a deep red golden boy. Then with my medium blond golden retriever. 

Becky in her Joy Wheels who uses a long white cane now, smile.

Becky  

-----Original Message-----
From: NFBWATlk <nfbwatlk-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Kris via NFBWATlk
Sent: Saturday, October 01, 2022 10:22 PM
To: NFB of Washington Talk Mailing List <nfbwatlk at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Kris <tishgifts at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [NFBWATlk] Oppse, forgot the article

Fantastic article! Thank you for sharing. I knew someone who had an accident that took her site instantly. However she would not use the long white cane because she did not want to look “stupid “. Instead she found a long Madrona  limb and use that instead. 

It took me a while to use mine and I think how I wish I would have picked it up sooner. Thanks again talk to you later

“To succeed  you have to believe in something with such a passion that it becomes a Reality.”

> On Oct 1, 2022, at 7:49 AM, Becky Frankeberger via NFBWATlk <nfbwatlk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> 
> What A Relief!
> 
> 
> by Denice F. Brown
> 
> From the Editor: Denice Brown is president of the Greater Philadelphia 
> Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind of Pennsylvania. She 
> has developed a healthy attitude toward the gradual vision loss 
> frequently associated with retinitis pigmentosa. In the following 
> article she describes the process of her evolution. This is what she says:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Have you ever sat down to think about all of the reasons why you don't 
> use a white cane? What excuses did you give? What tricks did you use 
> to try to conceal the fact that you couldn't really see where you were 
> going? How many times have you nearly harmed yourself--or someone else?
> I have been thinking about these questions recently. I am a proud long 
> white cane user now, but in the past it really took some 
> soul-searching to get me to this point. It also took some eye-opening 
> experiences to make me realize that I would be more independent and secure if I always used my cane.
> 
> What is it that really holds us back? I have asked many of my friends 
> this question, especially if they are still not using a cane all of the time.
> Here are some of my thoughts.
> 
> My vision has slowly diminished over the years because of retinitis 
> pigmentosa. This disease is a slow-moving degeneration of the retina. 
> My central vision stayed intact for years, even though I had a great 
> loss of peripheral vision and no night vision. I graduated from the 
> public schools of Philadelphia, and I received bachelor's and master's 
> degrees from Temple University. I was able to read all of my materials 
> without any assistance or accommodations. The hardest thing I had to 
> do visually was to find the subway steps when I was going to and from 
> my home. I kept a fold-up cane in my briefcase, but I would always 
> slide my foot forward in order to find the top step before going down 
> a flight of stairs. A few times I missed that top step and tripped 
> down the steps. I never tumbled or actually fell. I would always 
> stumble down at an uncontrolled run and land on my feet. I understood how dangerous this could have been, but I still kept that cane hidden.
> 
> Riding public transportation can be challenging if you cannot see and 
> are not confident enough to use your cane. Many times I was unable to 
> see where the empty seats were. If someone said, "There's a seat, 
> Miss," I would just ignore the advice or say, "I would rather stand." 
> Sometimes, even though I was exhausted, I stood in order to avoid the embarrassment.
> 
> In navigating the city streets, I walked into walls, construction 
> sites, signs, trash cans, traffic lights, people, information desks, 
> doors, cars, and other things too numerous to mention. It is a wonder 
> that I was never seriously injured. Despite all these warnings, I 
> still never gave a thought to pulling out my cane.
> 
> In the spring of 1995 I encountered something that made me stop and think.
> One Saturday I was briskly walking in familiar surroundings in 
> downtown Philadelphia. I was walking east and turned the corner to go 
> north, trying to turn the corner widely enough so that I wouldn't clip 
> the corner of the building with my shoulder. I proceeded north, and it 
> suddenly seemed to me that I was somehow walking above the pavement. I 
> was clearly stepping on something, but I didn't know what it was. I 
> continued to walk forward, and all of a sudden I was walking on the 
> ground again. For a moment I wondered what I had done. "Did I step 
> into some kind of construction? Have I walked along a barrier? Was that a manhole cover?"
> 
> It seemed as though I stood there asking myself questions for quite a 
> time, but it was only a few seconds. I turned around to try to see 
> what I had stepped on. To my surprise I saw a homeless man lying on 
> the ground. He was looking up, trying to figure out what had happened 
> to him. He did not know what had happened, but I did. I had walked 
> across his body. I had started at his ankles, and I came off at his 
> shoulders. I did not step on his head because it was tucked into his 
> chest. Yes, I had walked across him like a gymnast walks across a balance beam. I could have given myself a ten.
> 
> As the homeless man turned around, I thought, "What do you say when 
> you have walked across a person? What is the proper etiquette?" Today 
> I would ask myself, "What would Miss Whozit say?"
> 
> For the first time in my life I thought, "If I had used my cane, I 
> would have felt that person. I might not have known what it was, but I 
> would have known that I had to walk around it." I am grateful that 
> that man did not know what had happened and also that he was not 
> violent. That experience really made me think. I recognized that I 
> would not change overnight, but I knew that I had to start thinking more positively about using a cane.
> 
> That was only part of my problem. I used to worry about what people 
> were thinking about me. What would they think and say about my using a cane?
> Would people look at my big brown eyes and think that I was trying to 
> deceive them? People often commented that I didn't look as if I 
> couldn't see. Yet neighbors waved at me, and I did not wave back 
> because I never saw them. I was confused. I did not want to be 
> misunderstood, but I couldn't think of any way to make people I did 
> not know well or know at all understand my situation. I felt a great 
> weight of responsibility, and I wanted to lift it.
> 
> When I look back on those days, my worries seem foolish. Why should I 
> have worried about what others thought? Why wasn't I thinking about my 
> own safety and independence? Didn't I realize that the long white cane 
> would take me to new heights? Didn't I understand that it was 
> necessary that others know that I was blind?
> 
> It seems so simple now. If you want to be able to convince society 
> that you are a first-class citizen, you have to show people how secure 
> you are within yourself. Gaining security enables you to stand equal with other people.
> 
> So dust off those canes sitting in briefcases, behind doors, and under 
> beds, some of which have never been taken out of their original 
> packaging. Don't think about others first. Think about yourself. Think 
> how much better off you would be if you used your cane. It will take 
> you safely where you need to go. It will help you find obstacles with 
> ease. Walk proudly into that job interview. Show the world that you 
> are a force to be reckoned with. If you can do this, you too will be a 
> role model for other members of the National Federation of the Blind.
> 
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