[rehab] Heartbraking story

Sat Feb 13 15:51:13 UTC 2016

Hi Angel

Personally I don't think this case is all about blindness.The writer, Joseph 
says: "
> I was locked up in a mental institution for defending myself against my
> mother's attacks." This sends alarms his side her side and the right side.
Joseph as a child seems to according to his story have had parents who might 
have had some mental issues which he may have inherited which is why he 
couldn't pull himself out of the man hole as yourblack  coleague did.
This sounds like a multiple handicapped issue and perhaps even Joseph 
himself is in denial to some degree blaming everything on the external 
circumstances and nothing on the internal condition.
How long was he kept in a mental institution? What did the doctors find out? 
Washe during this episodeas a   child put in to therapy probably not 
probably no follow-up back then. And how violently did he attack his mother?
was her life endangered?Was she hospitalized as a result?
Did the local district attorney choose to put Joseph in an institution 
because it was believed to be a safer place for this blind criminal than 
prison? Has Joseph had any other violent eppisodes since that time?
He also writes: "
> I lived in constant terror of my parents. This had caused me severe
> psychological
> problems that persist to this day."
Could he be schizophrenic or suffer some other mental illness?
He says his family abandoned him but if he attacked his mother and nothing 
was done to fix the problem he was known to have did they abandon him or 
were they afraid of him?

Note,  This isn't a "young man" he is 69 years old born in 1947 he wrote: 
Back then times were much different which is why he hasn't gotten the needed 
followup therapy. If he displayed problematic mental characteristics it is 
probable that counselors and social workers just dealt with him at some 
level believing he would not be employable except at perhaps an agency like 
goodwill or salvation army. When counselors working with services for the 
blind sent him to the other agencies who largely believed blind people are 
incapable and also saw his mental issues if he did work at a sheltered 
workshop I imagine he didn't make very much. Most likely if mental issues 
were pravelent he was viewed as a difficult case and somewhat as a threat to 
other clients so as soon as possible he was removed from the protected 
populations. He probably felt he was  not provided adequate services and 
most likely there is some truth to his charge. I think if I were providing 
services I would want an initial mental assessment to determine what 
services could be beneficial or practical in his case then proceed to 
develop an IPE if he has intentions of working.  He might be elligible for 
some homemaker type services but I doubt they will raise his standard of 
living.
It's not surprising without proper mental health followup this man is in the 
position he is in and being forced to live in a single roomm and eating in 
soup kitchens to survive.
if no strong agency can be found locally to do an active intervention this 
sad story will continue until this man reaches eternity.
Perhaps a local NFB chapter can help advocate for him.
I don't know if at his age based on the mental issues he seems to have if he 
can work or volunteer but he definitely needs to become more actively 
involved with other people it sounds like. I am concerned however that he 
seems to be asking for a handout not a hand up.
Radio shows aren't the way to go he seems to be soliciting sympathy in hopes 
of some financial help.   People largely want to help disabled and blind 
children but selling them on helping disabled and or blind adults is more 
difficult. In fact eating at soup kitchens seems to perhaps cause me to feel 
even more strongly we are dealing with mental issues having assisted a 
homeless ministry for a short time. I might be way off but all the pieces 
seem to fit.

Mike peterson

-----Original Message----- 
    From: Angel via rehab
Sent: February 13, 2016 02:25 PM
To: Rehabilitation Counselor Mailing List
Cc: Angel
Subject: Re: [rehab] Heartbraking story

This person has been feeling sorry for himself for as long as he has been
alive, it seems to me.  I am writing  this from the perspective  of a
congenitally totally blind mother and grandmother.  It sounds like something
my sighted son would have said when he was about 14 years old.  It is sad
some people never grow out of such feelings.  Anyone can take a circumstance
such as blindness and turn it in to the worst tragedy, and use it as a
reason for making excuses .  Perhaps this is why this person can't develop
relationships between him and the opposing sex.  No one likes a whiner.
Firstly, we hear all the time about "dysfunctional families.  I ask you to
show me a "functional family.  Regardless a Childs circumstances, his
parents might not get along.  Being both a parent and grandparent, I can say
most parents do the best they can do to bring up their children well.
Unless, they are totally warped.  This reminds me something my sighted
daughter said to me when she was about 10 years old.  I punished her for
something I thought she had done.  When I later discovered she hadn't done
the thing for which she had been punished, I apologized for the punishment.
She replied. "That's all right mother.  You were just doing your job."
Which was quite profound for the sighted child of a totally blind single
parent to say.  I mention this because my children could well have
criticized me for things as not being able to drive, and not having as much
money as they felt I should have to purchase for them what it was they felt
they should have.  I said that to say this.  Which parent whether he be
blind or sighted, can't look back at his grown children and say he might
have done things more perfectly, and which child can look back, and say he
couldn't have been a better child to his parents.  So it makes no sense to
cast blame on parents for what a person makes of his life after he is grown.
Which one of us can't find some fault with how we were brought up.  As no
one is perfect.  These issues ought to be resolved with maturity.  Regarding
a segregated education:  There are prose and cons to be said for both
mainstreamed and segregated educations .  I, for example, use to beg my
parents to send me to Perkins school.  Because I encountered a young woman
with a far better academic education than had I.  I felt I wasn't given such
at the school in which I was educated.  I asked my father why it was I was
not sent to a segregated school.  He gave me a reason.  Which dissatisfied
me at the time.  My parents died both before my 21st birthday.  I then
understood the reasoning behind his choice.  As we grow and mature, it is up
to us each to grow beyond whatever mistakes we feel were those of our
parents when they brought us up.  For many, the experience with us is the
first experience they ever had dealing with blindness.  Yet an adult blind
person still expects them to have dealt with him, as if they were
professionals experienced in all ways with people with blindness.   and make
for ourselves lives of which we and our children can be proud.  We blind
people have different experiences than do sighted people around us.  Most
are more difficult than are theirs.  But there have been always those of us
who have turned our circumstances in to advantages.  I see it all the time
on blindness buy sell and trade lists.  I make a point of purchasing as much
product as I can from blind vendors.  To assist them to make livings for
themselves.  There are those of us who are employed in all walks of life.
We run homes, and have children and grandchildren.  If we had felt sorry for
ourselves, and used our bringing up and our blindness as a reason why such
things might not be possible for us, we would never have done such things.
Another true example I will tell you of now.  I went to school with a blind
young man.  Who, now, isn't so young, (smile) who was the youngestof 15
children.  He was totally blind and black.  He was neglected, and as far as
I was aware starved.  Because his family was so large.  Rather than sitting
around feeling sorry for himself, he became one of the finest blind
travelers I knew of then.  In those days, over 40 years ago now, black
children, regardless how bright they were weren't sent to college by white
vocational rehabilitation councilors.  In those days, in my city, all
rehabilitation councilors were white.  This totally blind youth was
extremely bright, and was determined to go to college.  He knew the bureau
of services for the blind wouldn't pay for his education.  So he managed to
fall into an open man hole, and, as my late husband use to say:  "He got out
of that man hole, and said:  "I'm going to college".  He sued the city for
enough money to pay for his college education himself.  He became a well
respected attorney in my city.  Who was well loved and was respected by all
who knew him.  He made both sighted and blind friends.  Now, he could well
have cried on lists about what we all knew of his poverty stricken childhood
circumstances.  But, he took what it was he had inside himself, and made a
success of his life.  He is now a grandfather, and is a role model for all
who know him.  He is not alone.  There are many others about whom I could
write.  If I knew their circumstances.  My advice to this young man is:
Stop regarding blindness as a "handicap" and start using the talents and
gifts God gave to you.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "adrijana prokopenko via rehab" <rehab at nfbnet.org>
To: "rehab" <rehab at nfbnet.org>
Cc: "adrijana prokopenko" <adrijana.prokopenko at gmail.com>
Sent: Saturday, February 13, 2016 1:31 PM
Subject: [rehab] Heartbraking story

> Hi all,
>
> Just got this heartbraking story by email. This person allowed me to
> copy it and send it to this list, so hopefully someone can find out
> what lies behind all this, seems like this person has it way too hard
> for some reason and he lives in the US. Feel free to read through,
> email him and send this message to others if you think they can
> somehow be of help.
>
> Falling threw the Cracks Please make a difference By Joseph Machise.
> I am writing out of mixed emotions from a handicapped person's world. This
> is
> my story. My name is Joseph Machise and I am blind. I was born to Joseph 
> and
> Alice Machise on March 2, 1947. From the beginning it was difficult for my
> parents to accept my blindness. After I was born, things between my 
> parents
> became physically abusive. My mother tried to leave my father, but she was
> convinced by family members to stay. My fate was sealed. Apparently they
> blamed each other for my blindness.
> I lived in constant terror of my parents. This had caused me severe
> psychological
> problems that persist to this day. I was kept isolated and forced to 
> study.
> I was punished for the smallest infractions. They would say "We love
> you, and that
> is why
> we punished you. I longed for a normal life with loving parents, but it 
> was not
> to be. Neighbors and other family
> members refused to intervene, so I just had to take it.
> Life for me was largely without meaning. I had trouble even getting 
> around.
> I became frustrated at "things" because they were always in my way and
> causing trouble. When I showed my anger, my parents belittled and
> abused me verbally, as well as physically, causing me to rebel. As I 
> became
> older, I developed problems in
> school. Eventually, I was sent to Perkins School for the Blind. This was
> before "mainstreaming" and we were
> kept separated from the rest of the world. I was unable to enjoy
> relationships with the opposite sex. For a time,
> I was locked up in a mental institution for defending myself against my
> mother's attacks.
> Today, my family has little contact with me. We haven't been able to
> reconcile our differences, although I
> have tried. For the most part, they have abandoned me. I presently live in 
> a
> one-room apartment, alone. I enjoy listening to
> radio, classical music and short-wave. Electronics and Aviation also hold 
> a
> fascination for me. I hope, one day, to have an electronic bill
> reader to make money identification easier. I frequently eat at the public
> soup kitchen to stretch the meager
> government allowance that I depend on. Agencies for the blind have done
> nothing but put me on endless
> waiting lists. Improving my living conditions just does not happen. 
> Appeals
> to radio talk shows have failed.
> Thank you for reading and hearing my situation in life. If you can help in
> any way, financially or otherwise,
> please feel free to call or contact me at the number and address listed
> below. You are also welcome to e-mail
> me. My e-mail
> is
> josephmachise at comcast.net.
>
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