s I will never allow myself to forget how I felt when I first joined the NFB and went out to dinner with a group of old timers. They left me in their dust, striding down the sidewalks. I'd thought I was a better than average traveler, but try as I might I just bounced off poles, signs, and other people. I remember asking the sighted wife of one of those fellows, as to whether he had any vision. "He's a blind guy", she told me. I believed that this meant he was totally blind like me. I determined that if this man, and several others, could get around so easily, I could learn the tricks, too.
It was months before I learned that these men were all partially sighted and all of them had decent travel vision. I have to tell you that I was royally pissed.
But it was hammered into our heads that we must prove that we were indeed the independent blind.
I threw myself into the NFB, just as I'd thrown myself into Religion, and seriously worked at being the most independent blind man in the state of Washington. And I challenged all other blind people to do the same. Even many who could never have been independent if their sight was 20/20.
I have never forgiven those arrogant liars who thought that they were doing me a favor by pretending that they were totally blind, too. They deceived me intentionally. I swore that I'd never do that to anyone else.
So I promote interdependence. It's much more fun, too. I spent time getting interdependent with several charming blind women until I met Cathy. We've been interdependent for 31 years the 13th of February.
And believe me, life is much easier when one partner is sighted.
And that partner is telling me I'd better come and eat.
Carl Jarvis
----- Original Message -----From: Miriam VieniSent: Friday, January 25, 2013 5:58 PMSubject: RE: My call to SchumerCarl,
Yes, and I mention the details because all too often, blind people who have
easily available sighted help, don't mention it and blind people who don't,
and who have to struggle to find ways to get stuff done, feel as if maybe
there's something wrong with them or they're doing something wrong. There's
so much emphasis on independence and capability, and now-a-days, use of
technology, that a lot of times when blind people talk to each other about
their lives, they just omit the difficult details. We have a situation here
in Nassau County where the private company that is now running our
paratransit system, began occasionally using a different color, very quiet
van. Apparently, some of our LICB leadership encountered this, but it never
occurred to them to post the information on their email list or their
website. People with a bit of partial vision, could miss their rides because
they're used to white vans. And Everyone is used to vans with very loud
motors so a totally blind person can locate the van, even when it's idling.
Somehow, it never occurred to anyone to post the information about these new
vans that are occasionally substituted for the regular vans which look
totally different from what we're used to and which you can't hear. I can't
understand the self centeredness and denial of these people. I compare this
to my husband, Fred, who was probably one of the most skillful blind
travelers I've ever known. He had an incredible sense of direction and
fantastic hearing, and this ability to tell me if he passed a telephone
pole. But he understood that traveling around New York City and its suburbs
is incredibly challenging for blind people. I remember how, when we went to
meetings in the city, he'd always ask folks "How was your trip here today?"
And people appreciated that. As competent as they may have been at getting
around, it helped to talk about it. It was a recognition of what we all had
to deal with. So, getting back to debit card receipts, it's easy to buy
stuff that way. You don't have to identify currency. But then you have all
these little receipts.
Miriam
________________________________
From: blind-democracy-bounces@octothorp.org
[mailto:blind-democracy-bounces@octothorp.org] On Behalf Of Carl Jarvis
Sent: Friday, January 25, 2013 6:54 PM
To: Blind Democracy Discussion List
Subject: Re: My call to Schumer
Miriam,
Like you, I am not mathematically inclined. As a single parent, I also kept
Braille notes stapled to my receipts and a Braille ledger. My eldest
daughter did spend a few minutes each week reading statements and
identifying things I needed to Braille. My trade off with her was that I
did all the laundry and cooking. She helped with the bills and sometimes
watched the two younger children.
We got along, but I have to tell you that I would not trade Cathy for any of
those "good old days".
A sighted spouse, especially one you are really attached to, is one huge
advantage.
Carl Jarvis
----- Original Message -----
From: Miriam Vieni <mailto:miriamvieni@optonline.net>
To: 'Blind Democracy Discussion List'
<mailto:blind-democracy@octothorp.org>
Sent: Friday, January 25, 2013 12:55 PM
Subject: RE: My call to Schumer
Well, this is easier for sighted people because they can glance
through all
of those receipts and check them out against the balance in the
checking
account, etc. I make braille notes of those receipts, checks,
deposits,
withdrawals, etc. I use my CCTV to go through my bank statement and
it isn't
easy to do. Of course, the fact that I've always been
"mathematically
challenged" doesn't help.
Miriam
________________________________
From: blind-democracy-bounces@octothorp.org
[mailto:blind-democracy-bounces@octothorp.org] On Behalf Of Carl
Jarvis
Sent: Friday, January 25, 2013 1:14 PM
To: ceverett@dslextreme.com; Blind Democracy Discussion List
Subject: Re: My call to Schumer
Claude,
Even a Neanderthal, like me is going more and more to debit card
use. Up
until about two years ago we would draw our operating money for the
month,
divide it into compartments for food, gas, etc. Another draw from
our
business account was taken to cover client and business expenses.
Nowadays we just keep a log and enter in the information. We have a
second
debit card for our business.
So if we are out on client business and stop for lunch, out comes
the
business debit card. We include tax and tip. If the service is
really bad,
the tip is almost nonexistent. I have been known to take great
pleasure in
hearing a wait person pawing around among the dirty dishes, looking
for the
tip they are sure we left on the table. Usually that's the only
time we saw
them at our table after dropping off our food.
We also have a business credit card and another for our personal
use. These
cards are used from time to time, but are always paid up by the end
of the
month, to avoid interest charges.
This works well if you are as disciplined as my wife. Cathy is very
detail
focused. She keeps lists of the lists she keeps.
Her sister has three credit cards, all of them maxed. She is
trapped by the
Capitalistic system and will never get paid off.
Carl Jarvis
----- Original Message -----
From: Claude Everett <mailto:ceverett@dslextreme.com>
To: 'Blind Democracy Discussion List'
<mailto:blind-democracy@octothorp.org>
Sent: Friday, January 25, 2013 9:22 AM
Subject: RE: My call to Schumer
Miriam,
You said: "Soon, people won't be using cash anymore anyway. " I
tend to
differ, there are small purchases, tips, and other transactions,
which will
still need cash.
Claude Everett
"First of all: what is work?
Work is of two kinds:
first, altering the position of matter at or near the earth's
surface
relatively to other such matter;
second, telling other people to do so.
The first kind is unpleasant and ill paid; the second is pleasant
and
highly paid."
From The collection of essays "In Praise of Idleness" by Bertrand
Russell
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounces@octothorp.org
[mailto:blind-democracy-bounces@octothorp.org] On Behalf Of Miriam
Vieni
Sent: Friday, January 25, 2013 9:02 AM
To: 'Blind Democracy Discussion List'
Subject: RE: My call to Schumer
Well, they say that phone calls are more effective than letters and
personal
letters are more effective than petitions, etc. I think, if they get
enough
petitions from enough groups which appear to represent huge numbers
of
people, maybe they'll be influenced. Just think about the legal
opinion on
accessible money and see where this has gotten us so far. Several
private
companies made money from government contracts given to them to
study how to
implement the decision. How many years ago was this? And this was a
legal
decision in response to a suit. Soon, people won't be using cash
anymore
anyway.
Miriam
________________________________
From: blind-democracy-bounces@octothorp.org
[mailto:blind-democracy-bounces@octothorp.org] On Behalf Of Carl
Jarvis
Sent: Friday, January 25, 2013 10:37 AM
To: Blind Democracy Discussion List
Subject: Re: My call to Schumer
Miriam,
From one frustrated person to another:
Change the name and the State, and your experience could have been
mine.
While my congressman, Norm Dicks, did always answer me, it was with
form
letters or discussions about issues he was fighting for "on my
behalf".
Back in the days when you had to actually sit down at a typewriter
and pound
out your concerns, the stationary that came back with the ambiguous
reply,
was on good quality paper. For a while I thought I'd save them
until I had
enough to paper my office wall, but the quality went down to the
point that
it would be embarrassing to plaster them where anyone could see.
I've often thought that this made a statement even before anyone
realized
that we, the people, were so insignificant that our representatives
could
cut corners by reducing the quality of their stationary, just as
they
reduced their involvement in our affairs.
Carl Jarvis
----- Original Message -----
From: Miriam Vieni <mailto:miriamvieni@optonline.net>
To: 'Blind Democracy Discussion List'
<mailto:blind-democracy@octothorp.org>
Sent: Friday, January 25, 2013 7:08 AM
Subject: My call to Schumer
I said that I'd received this email indicating that he's supporting
cuts in
social security and asked if it were true. Since the email didn't
include
details, only saying that he'd "put cuts on the table", The aide
with whom I
talked said that this was just a rumor and that he wasn't in favor
of any
cuts and said something about how they were dealing with
reconciliation now,
whatever that meant. I didn't even want to get into the filibuster
or
medicare and medicaid cuts. But I did say that rumors often had some
reality
behind them and that even our President was supporting this and I
then
talked a bit about my own personal situation. The aide was polite,
did not
sound especially warm or sympathetic, asked for my zip code, and
said she'd
relay my concerns to the Senator. I did manage to include the fact
that
there are corporations that pay no taxes, and wealthy people who are
doing
very well, and that the Democratic party is not fulfilling its
traditional
mandate. The experience reinforced why I tend not to make these
phone calls.
They are frustrating and I don't usually feel like I've accomplished
anything.
Miriam
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