[stylist] Please read my latest Live Well column

Thu Oct 6 15:58:04 UTC 2011

Hi Jacquin,
Most blind people get training through an itenerant rehab teacher or O&M 
specialist that comes to their home to train them or go to a residential 
center such as an NFB center. There are also many state centers for the 
blind that have housing  on campus and there are nonprofit centers as well 
such as the carroll center for the blind and of course many lighthouses.

I'm surprised you have to hire aides to read mail and drive to appointments
such as medical appointments and meetings. Is there not a paratransit 
service in your area? In my county, they also have a door to door  service 
for seniors called seniors on the go.

If you have money to hire assistants, that is good. As long as you're in 
control, get your goal accomplished, and feel happy with it then that is 
what's important. It just came across that hiring assistance is your only 
option. And it may be, I do not know the resources where you live.
Many blind people hire readers and drivers. I'm glad you found help.

If you want to read about training at centers, the Braille monitor has 
several articles.

Ashley

-----Original Message----- 
From: Jacqueline Williams
Sent: Wednesday, October 05, 2011 11:24 PM
To: 'Writer's Division Mailing List'
Subject: Re: [stylist] Please read my latest Live Well column

Dear Bridget,
Again, I thank you for a comprehensive explanation of the course of an event
that turned into many events that led to your blindness. It does make one
understand that blindness is not always the worst thing that can happen.
Certainly your extremely productive life of writing has displayed in inner
spirit and vigor that can hardly be matched by a seeing person. I am
particularly interested in your training. In fact, the training of all the
participants here.
I got some training through vocational rehabilitation only when I applied to
work at age 76. It was spotty but I kept at it in spite of constantly
changing teachers and methods some of whom came to my house, and as many
computer breakdowns and software problems, that the lessons were the least
of the time spent. When the recession hit big time, I was 79, and in spite
of a resume that is stellar, I just could not compete, and I dropped from
the program before having solid computer skills.
I wonder how most blind people get their wonderful training. Is it all
government and State money? There are probably big differences in the
states. I know how much NFB has done to insure that young people and beyond
have done to get educational opportunities. However, at my level of computer
skills, and other lacks, I find it expensive to be blind.    Though I do my
own cooking, laundry, personal care, I still have to hire aides for
voluminous mail with so many follow-up problems, getting to a class,
meetings, shopping, medical care, etc.
I do wonder how elderly blind people who live alone who have no families
left, who are poverty-stricken, manage.
Perhaps that underlies my interest in the details of others lives who show
such tremendous spirit, have managed to keep going on an upward arc from
wherever the severe problems started. There are so many of you.
Jacqueline Williams

-----Original Message-----
From: stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Bridgit Pollpeter
Sent: Tuesday, October 04, 2011 1:28 PM
To: stylist at nfbnet.org
Subject: [stylist] Please read my latest Live Well column

Jacqueline,

Thank you for reading. I appreciate your comments.

Yes, about two months after this incident is when they determined I was
losing vision. After this E R visit, I was hospitalized three weeks
later with an unknown viral infection, uraceptis and pnuemonia. I had an
absess on my heart and kidney, and my liver became enlarged. I was
twenty-two-years-old, weighing 90 pounds, and 5'5" tall, but I had so
much fluid on me I puffed up like a marshmellow. My body was shutting
down, and the antibiotics weren't working. They told my parents to
prepare for the worse outcome. This entire situation is a little foggy
for me since I was so sick and hopped up on a lot of drugs.

After a month and a half, the drugs suddenly started working. It took
about a year, but I eventually regained my strength and everything went
back to normal. The absesses left and my liver shrunk back to a normal
size. My type 1 diabetes went out of control during this time, and
combining my diabetes with the illness, my eyes were one thing that
couldn't be corrected. I also have tachycardia, which is an elevated
heart rate, but for the most part, it runs normal now around 80. And my
low blood pressure worsened, and I now experience severe low BP and take
medication for it.

My diabetes also got under control again, and I started using an insulin
pump, which has provided me with the most regulation of my blood sugar
levels ever.

At first it was a slow progression with my vision, becoming just a
little hazy like a Monet painting, but eventually the vision in my right
eye deteriorated to the point where it wasn't useable at all. The vision
in my left eye wasn't very clear either. It would clear up some days to
where I could make out objects when up close, and other days, it was
just light with swirling colors and shapes. After a surgery that was
suppose to clear it up more, I ended up losing all the vision.

For years, I was totally blind, but within the last two years it has
cleared up a bit. I can't use it, but I have light perception, and most
days I have to wear sunglasses all day, even inside, because my eyes are
so sensitive to light, and it can lead to severe migraines. I see
shadowy figures, but usually can't make out what it is, although on
bright, sunny days, I can sometimes make out a definition on some
shadows. I can see certain colors like blue and red, and when objects
move in front of me, like cars or people, I have flashing lights.

I never struggled much with my blindness though. I think I was just
happy to be alive. Not that I don't miss having vision, but I know I'm
still the same person with the same dreams and goals. Once I received
training, it really clicked that blindness isn't something holding me
back- only I hold myself back.

I hope my blog cultivates an informed opinion on blindness as well as
diabetes. It's great that I get to use writing to educate and inform.
Thank you so much for the support.

Sincerely,
Bridgit Kuenning-Pollpeter
Read my blog at:
http://blogs.livewellnebraska.com/author/bpollpeter/

"History is not what happened; history is what was written down."
The Expected One- Kathleen McGowan

Message: 1
Date: Mon, 3 Oct 2011 10:03:08 -0700
From: "Jacqueline Williams" <jackieleepoet at cox.net>
To: "'Writer's Division Mailing List'" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [stylist] Please read my latest Live Well column
Message-ID: <F1284C1077AC4B7D8E73A4AD440845E5 at JackiLeePoet>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Bridget,
Your title is so appropriate for this blog. I can't say I enjoyed
hearing about the trauma, but again, you capture it so eloquently in
your writing. You did not say that it was at this point that you lost
your sight, but I am assuming that it was a precursor. Keep up your
wonderful writing helping us all to understand. Jacqueline Williams

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