okay ad'ers. ask me anything (but be nice! :))

[Hear Again]

?

anyway...are you fan of University of Wisconsin [Badger] ?

yes, i'm a HUGE badger fan!

in fact, i have dvd's of the 1999 and 2000 seasons when the badgers won the rose bowl.

 

[typeingtornado19]

yes, my cts does have a negative effect on my signing. due to the weakness, numbness, tingling and burning i experience, it's difficult for me to manipulate my left hand the way i want since moving my fingers (except my pinky) causes pain. i also have trouble physically moving and twisting my wrist to make certain signs because this causes pain and i don't have the strength to move my wrist in a circular motion. i often wake up with stiffness in my fingers which impairs my ability to fingerspell. i have difficulty forming certain letters such as "m," "n," "s" and "t" because of the way the first four fingers are situated. i have alot of trouble making a fist which also may explain why i have difficulty fingerspelling certain letters of the alphabet. i'm slowly learning how to fingerspell with my right hand, but it feels strange to me and i have problems forming certain letters of the alphabet because they just don't feel right. my right hand isn't my dominant sign hand, so when i fingerspell or make certain signs, i'm not able to make them as easily as i could with my left had before i had problems with cts.

i understand, i have been learning to practice with my non dominant hand (my left) because i didnt want to be screwed and something happen to my left hand or arm and not be able to sign. im sorry cts interferes so much.

 

[Sosie]

Haven't you read "Blind Zen, A Case Study of Sensory Enhancement for the Blind and Vision Impaired" by Stefan Verstappen? It was good.

 

[Hear Again]

i understand, i have been learning to practice with my non dominant hand (my left) because i didnt want to be screwed and something happen to my left hand or arm and not be able to sign. im sorry cts interferes so much.

thanks.

fortunately, most people are still able to understand my signing, but sometimes a few signs are a little unclear because i don't form them completely.

 

[typeingtornado19]

thanks.

fortunately, people are still able to understand my signing, but sometimes a few signs are a little unclear because i don't form them completely.

I understand. i have a hard time with k.

 

[Hear Again]

Haven't you read "Blind Zen, A Case Study of Sensory Enhancement for the Blind and Vision Impaired" by Stefan Verstappen? It was good.

wasn't that book about a blind woman learning self defense and how it led to an experiment to adapt martial arts and eastern philosophy?

 

[dreama]

Thanks very much for answering my question.

1. i learned how to use an opticon in 11th grade. i can still remember how strange it felt to feel the vibrations of each letter underneath my finger. it took me a little time to get used to, but with some practice, i was able to develop good speed and read the opticon at a pretty good clip.

That's good.When was the last time you used the opticon?
How do you feel about the fact it's not being sold any more? I think it's a pity. Even though I was always a little slow. I was blind for psycosomatic reasons so that's why I used it. Then I regained some of my sight and used a CCTV instead. I tired to read opticon recently. I don't know if my opticon is out of order or wether I am since I just didn't get it. Although I did read part of harry potter and the order of the phenix with the opticon because my eyes were very bad from hayfever and I could no longer see the screen of my CCTV but since I was at an exciting point I wanted to keep going.

2. going to class can be a real struggle for me sometimes (especially since my lectures are at least 2 hours long). i seem to have the most trouble when i'm manic because i have alot of difficulty concentrating, making decisions and can't sit still long enough to focus on what is being said in lecture. i'm also negatively affected by loud, sudden noises, large crowds and certain voices (depending on their pitch) which all make me manic. since i attend a school with over 30,000 students, it's not uncommon for me to feel overwhelmed. when i'm manic i often have difficulty with starting several projects at once, but never finishing any of them. this means that when i'm studying, i can switch from statistics to social work within the span of minutes without really accomplishing a thing (like i would if i sat down and studied one subject for 2 hours at a time). when i'm having a depressive episode, my mood is calm and i'm able to focus on parts of the lecture a little better because my mind isn't racing so much like it does when i'm manic. because of my schizoaffective disorder (which i also have in addition to bipolar), i have alot of problems with lack of motivation. i really have to force myself to study and attend class. i used to be the kind of student who *loved* going to school, but now it's more like a chore to me. i *love* to learn new things, but the effort it takes to ride the university bus (especially in inclimate weather) and walk around a campus that has a 6 block radius just seems like too much effort sometimes. as difficult as it is, i'm trying to hang in there because i only have 2 more classes to take before earning my bachelor's degree. it has been a long time coming and after everything i've been through to reach this point, it will be wonderful to be able to hold that degree in my hands after 20 years of changing majors and constantly adjusting to progressive hearing loss.

I'm very impressed that you've managed to keep to classes. Even though it was a struggle. I managed my first year ok. But then my 2nd year was a nightmare. I wish you luck with getting the rest of your degree.

when i attended my first aadb (american association of the deaf-blind) convention in 1996, i met a wonderful woman who was totally deafblind from birth and in a wheelchair. she communicated by using tactile sign (asl), the telebraille, fingerspelling and a communcation board (which had braille labels for each picture). one of the things that immediately struck me about this woman was that she never once complained about being unable to see, hear or walk. she had a lively spirit and a zest for life that was infectious. she loved to tell jokes and put others at ease. i learned a great deal from this woman and thought if she could function as a totally deafblind woman, so could i.

Thanks for sharing about this lady. Do you still keep in touch?

 

[Hear Again]

Thanks very much for answering my question.



That's good.When was the last time you used the opticon?
How do you feel about the fact it's not being sold any more? I think it's a pity. Even though I was always a little slow. I was blind for psycosomatic reasons so that's why I used it. Then I regained some of my sight and used a CCTV instead. I tired to read opticon recently. I don't know if my opticon is out of order or wether I am since I just didn't get it. Although I did read part of harry potter and the order of the phenix with the opticon because my eyes were very bad from hayfever and I could no longer see the screen of my CCTV but since I was at an exciting point I wanted to keep going.

i'm disappointed that the opticon is no longer being made. two of the things i really like about the opticon are the fact that it's portable and allows a blind person to read just about anything, anywhere.


I'm very impressed that you've managed to keep to classes. Even though it was a struggle. I managed my first year ok. But then my 2nd year was a nightmare. I wish you luck with getting the rest of your degree.

thanks! yes, attending college as a student with mental health issues can be challenging -- let alone when a student has mental health issues AND a disability.


Thanks for sharing about this lady. Do you still keep in touch?

yes, i do still keep in touch with her. we communicate by e-mail. like me, she uses a braille display and screen reader on her computer.

i

 

[heartwheel]

Descriptions...would you like to encounter more of them, here or in your life? Do you feel satisfied or tired of asking? I can rephrase this if I didn't say it clear.

 

[Hear Again]

Descriptions...would you like to encounter more of them, here or in your life? Do you feel satisfied or tired of asking? I can rephrase this if I didn't say it clear.

i love descriptions (both visual and auditory) and like to have as many of them as possible.

for example, when i use relay to make a business call, i ask the ca to tell me about the tone of a person's voice and any background noises they hear. the more descriptions they provide, the better.

since i was born totally blind and have always relied on sighted-hearing people for descriptions, i never get tired of asking. most people are very good about providing thorough, understandable descriptions once they learn that i am totally blind.

if a sighted-hearing person's description isn't clear or doesn't contain the information i need, i ask for clarification.

 

[Sosie]

wasn't that book about a blind woman learning self defense and how it led to an experiment to adapt martial arts and eastern philosophy?

Yes. So, what do you think? Personally, I think it's great idea for her and other blind people to learn how to self defense.

Haven't you read The Madness of Usher's by Dorothy H. Stiefel? She wrote about coping with the stress of vision loss, I think. I have read soooo many books but I am trying to remember all. I think I am getting sentile.

 

[dreama]

I'm glad that you still manage to keep in touch with your friend by Email.

Yes, it was a shame when the opticon stopped running. Their are so many useful gadget for us deafblind people that keep going out of buisness just because their are so few of us about. I'm worried about the tactaid 7 going out of buisness before I finally get my apointment sorted out. Since it's not something urgent it's going to be a long wait for me.

Here are some more questions?
How tall are you?

Have you ever tried using the tadoma method?

Do you use a miniguide or similar item to get about with?

 

[Hear Again]

I'm glad that you still manage to keep in touch with your friend by Email.

Yes, it was a shame when the opticon stopped running. Their are so many useful gadget for us deafblind people that keep going out of buisness just because their are so few of us about. I'm worried about the tactaid 7 going out of buisness before I finally get my apointment sorted out. Since it's not something urgent it's going to be a long wait for me.

Here are some more questions?
How tall are you?

Have you ever tried using the tadoma method?

Do you use a miniguide or similar item to get about with?

1. i'm 5'1".

2. no, i've never tried using tadoma. however, i'd love to learn, but don't know who can teach me. i wish i could have learned it at my local deafblind center, but they don't teach tadoma as a communication method for db clients.

3. yes. i use a mowat sensor. i've had my mowat since 1995 and it still works perfectly. the day it stops working is the day i'm going to be REALLY disappointed because it's so much better than the miniguide. imo, the miniguide is too small and doesn't provide the same degree of tactile feedback as the mowat. i also had the opportunity to try a hand guide, but it was even worse than the miniguide. another thing i like about the mowat is that it has better range (i.e. coverage) than the miniguide and hand guide. the battery in the mowat also lasts longer since it uses a 9 volt.

 

[Hear Again]

Yes. So, what do you think? Personally, I think it's great idea for her and other blind people to learn how to self defense.

Haven't you read The Madness of Usher's by Dorothy H. Stiefel? She wrote about coping with the stress of vision loss, I think. I have read soooo many books but I am trying to remember all. I think I am getting sentile.

i agree. i think it's a great idea for blind and deafblind people to learn self-defense.

in fact, i've been considering taking tai kwon do or judo myself.

i've never read Stiefel's book, but it sounds interesting. i'm going to see if it's available in audiotape or braille. thanks for mentioning it. i'm always looking for a good read!

 

[dreama]

3. yes. i use a mowat sensor. i've had my mowat since 1995 and it still works perfectly. the day it stops working is the day i'm going to be REALLY disappointed because it's so much better than the miniguide. imo, the miniguide is too small and doesn't provide the same degree of tactile feedback as the mowat. i also had the opportunity to try a hand guide, but it was even worse than the miniguide. another thing i like about the mowat is that it has better range (i.e. coverage) than the miniguide and hand guide. the battery in the mowat also lasts longer since it uses a 9 volt.

Sounds great. Are they still selling them? If so Could you provide me with a link please. I have a panasonic which is similar to the miniguide. I also used a bat cane but it stopped being made. My mobility teacher stopped teaching now as she says that I'm not responding well enough but she takes it away after each lesson and I've problems concentrating anyway. So that makes it harder to learn. I think I was benifiting from it. But since I can't buy my own (since they are no longer made) then there isn't much I can do about it.

 

[Hear Again]

Sounds great. Are they still selling them? If so Could you provide me with a link please. I have a panasonic which is similar to the miniguide. I also used a bat cane but it stopped being made. My mobility teacher stopped teaching now as she says that I'm not responding well enough but she takes it away after each lesson and I've problems concentrating anyway. So that makes it harder to learn. I think I was benifiting from it. But since I can't buy my own (since they are no longer made) then there isn't much I can do about it.

if you don't mind my asking, what does your o&m instructor mean by the fact that you're not responding well enough?

i can emphasize with your difficulty concentrating. i have the same problem when i'm manic. i also have difficulty making simple decisions during a manic episode. also, because of my bipolar meds, i have problems with short term memory.

unfortunately, the mowat is no longer being made. i believe it was discontinued shortly after vr purchased mine in 1995.

 

[Hear Again]

dreama,

i didn't know panasonic came out with a product similar to the miniguide. could you provide a link where i can find out more?

 

[dreama]

This is the devise I was talking about. Similar to miniguide.

Palmsonar PS231 ultrasonic obstacle detector - RNIB Online Shop

The Ultru cane (bat cane) has 2 vibrator attached to cane. The advantage of it was I can hold cane and vibrator in one hand since I only have 2 hands, one cane, one guide dog, one or more bags etc...

I learnt the Ultru cane for 6 months. Once a week. I would sometimes fail to detect the obsticles. Either due to poor concetration or maybe petit mal epilepsy. sometimes I seem somewhere and then somewhere else. Don't know if you get what I mean?

 

[Hear Again]

This is the devise I was talking about. Similar to miniguide.

Palmsonar PS231 ultrasonic obstacle detector - RNIB Online Shop

The Ultru cane (bat cane) has 2 vibrator attached to cane. The advantage of it was I can hold cane and vibrator in one hand since I only have 2 hands, one cane, one guide dog, one or more bags etc...

I learnt the Ultru cane for 6 months. Once a week. I would sometimes fail to detect the obsticles. Either due to poor concetration or maybe petit mal epilepsy. sometimes I seem somewhere and then somewhere else. Don't know if you get what I mean?

thanks for the link. if my mowat should ever stop working, i'm definitely going to look into the palmsonar.

i have a question about bat canes. how are you able to concentrate on two different forms of tactile feedback at the same time?

for example, feeling the vibrations the cane gives you as it gets closer to an object yet at the same time feeling the tapping movement of the cane as you use two or three point touch?

i know exactly what you mean about being somewhere, but *not* being there. this happens to me when i'm manic. since my judgement is impaired, i have difficulty thinking things through, making decisions and evaluating the environment around me. the same thing also happens to me when i experience auditory hallucinations. sometimes i will be in my own home and completely forget where i am.

 

[dreama]

I don't know what you mean by three point tapping. I don't tap. I tend to roll the cane backwards and forwards for better feed back so I'm not sure what you mean by tapping. It's possible. I suppose it's just a matter of concentrating. My M and O instructor said I was missing clues. I think it needed more then 6 months though.