Tom’s blog

was just listening to the presidents health-care reform proposal in ohio on C-SPANN earlier today.

while I do agree with the president that all that should happen, the question is, does his proposal actually accomplish all that? I think thats what the debate is about, I think we all agree thats what we want to do, but rather it will happen or not with this proposal is another story entirely. Does his proposal really accomplish all that? or is he just lying to gain votes?  I think thats what the real debate is all about truthfully.

What bothers me about all this health care reform, people who are on Social Security for any reason, rather its for old age, a disability of some sort, rather its blindness, deafness, paraplegics, altimers, Cancer, whatever the case may be, those of us on disability who can’t work anymore, SHOULD NOT have to pay ONE DIME out of pocket for medical coverage!! not one dime! How do they expect us to? I mean, disability only pays us, what? $700 bucks a month, maybe $800-900 at the very most?  then you got your $105 a month for the monthly insurance premium +  $500 a month rent + $100-200 a month in utilities + food, etc etc, ya know people on disability don’t all live with mommy and daddy, no matter how much our bills are, wer are all in the same boat on that, how can the federal government expect us on disability to pay the other 20% Medicare doesn’t cover? there’s just NO WAY! and that is what bothers me more then anything else about all this reform they’ve been talking about. How do they expect those of us on disability to pay those $10-20 grand premiums and medical expenses that medicare doesn’t cover? especially those medical expenses related to our disability, how can the federal government expect us to pay that much? and since we’re unemployed, the doctors and hospitals can’t sue us for not paying it, even the doctors can’t expect us to spend money we don’t have, so what ends up happening is we either get stuck in financial debt up to our eye balls, or we’re stuck without medical care at all, They can’t expect someone making a 3 figure salary to pay $10,000 a month , for example, that some of these drugs cost, some are even more then that,  much of less those of us on disability who have nothing! Its crazy, there’s no way out of it, Medicaid won’t pick up the other 20%,  we all know that, and those of us on disability can’t afford supplemental insurance, we shouldn’t have to pay any medical expenses at all, and I’m a big believer in that.

I mean, think about it for just a minute, now you all may think, your bills are higher then mine.   Thats absolutely true!  I’m very lucky to have my bills as low as they are, but think about it for a minute….  Think about how much YOU pay for your medical bills?  food, rent, etc etc,  think about it for just a minute,  if you lost your sight tomorrow, and you couldn’t work anymore,  how would you get those bills you currently have paid on $700 a month?   When you loose your sight, and you go on government disability aid, thats all you get is $700.    The government does NOT care if your mortgage is $7,000 a month,  or your electric bill is $1,000 a month.  if you were making $90 grand a year at your job before you lost your sight.  Thats  still ALL you get is $700 thats it!  and its the same for everybody.  The only difference, is people in certain states, get a little less, or a little more, then others, but like, Indiana is $700,  Rhoad Island could be $689,  Deleware could be $704,  hawaii could be $804, but thats it, it all depends on that states average cost of living is how its determined, its not based on your past income or your bills in ANY way, and thats what alot of people don’t understand, its not like unemployment.

or not even blind,  lets say for example, the doctor told you you had Altimers disease, and you couldn’t work anymore, all you get is $600 a month…. could you continue to pay that  $9 grand a month mortgage payment? or whatever it is?

Do you understand my point?   the government does not care what your bills are, people who can’t work anymore, are simply collecting on an insurance policy they’ve been paying into when they were employed.  In order for a person to recieve Social Security benefits, that person has to have worked at least 8 years to collect disability, its like your pension at work in other words,  your just collecting on an insurance policy,  so its not that people working are paying for me to be unemployed, I’m simily just collecting on my pension, or insurance policy.  thats all  disability,  and it isn’t based on what you made,  its based on what state you live in, and thats it.

Now Medicaid is different, you get slightly more food stamps, maybe $200 vs $120,  if you have children,  but Social Security is a set amount, and they don’t care if you made a 3 figure salary, your set amount is still $700 a month, not including your expenses for insurance food rent and everything else.

and thats not right!!  I shouldn’t have to pay another $10 grand a month, that I don’t have, for the other 20% of medical expenses that Medicare doesn’t cover.  Even the supplemental insurance policies that you have the option of buying wouldn’t cover all of it, and paying for a supplemental plan would bring you down to $0 more then likely, the goverment doesn’t care, thats all you get.

So before people start whining to me about their bills, about their expenses,  think about for a minute what you would do, if you lost your sight, or your hearing, or your mental capacity,  and could no longer work for some reason, you think your bills are bad now?  lol

I thank God everyday that I at least have some income, for it could be worse I could have nothing at all. I thank God for that, but what bothers me, us being sued for medical expenses and then people telling me “well thats nothing you should see my bills” yeah, well, then you should have a better idea of what its like,  do you think you’d have an easier time then me because your bills are higher?   you’d be whining more then I am. I’m happy where God has put me in life, but its not fair that we should be sued and responsible for paying medical bills we don’t have the money to pay. When you don’t have it, it doesn’t matter if the bill is $900,000 or  $1,000,  it might as well be a million, you still can’t pay it.

I guess what most people fail to understand, is when your unemployed and have a disability, your not exempt from paying your bills.   That doctor still sends you a Office visit bill for $114,  even if your blind and can’t read the bill, or unemployed and can’t pay it, they still expect you to be responsible for it.  The government does not help you just because your blind or deaf or paraplegic, or whatever the case may be.  In fact according to the government, Social Security disability is considered income, so your taxed for it at the end of the year also, just like if you were working, except the difference is,  the tax deductions aren’t being taken out of your check every month, instead you have to pay it at the end of the year,  according to the federal government, they see SS not as a benefit, but as an insurance policy,  or pension plan, except the government is paying it instead of your employer. hehe, so basically the government becomes your employer,  and thats all the government pays is that $700, you don’t get excempt from medical bills, or housing, or anything else, I think its sad that alot of people don’t think of it like that.  I hear so many people complain about the Social Security System, would you want your pension at work taken away? or the unemployment system taken away?   think about it….

written by tcoburn

Normally I don’t blog about these kinds of things, but this is very amusing now that I look back on it, so thought I would share.

I live in a 5 story high-rise building now, on the 2nd floor.   Its alot like an old folks home, or dormitory.  Well, in my apartment, if I go out and turn right, just before the elevators, there are two doors on both sides of the hallway, door to the left leads to the garbage shoot where I take out my trash, door to the right leads to the washer / dryer room where I put in quarters and do my laundry.

Well, one day, I was taking out my trash,  had a bunch of nasty grease and stuff on it ya know stuff kitchen trash normally has in it,  I accidentally turned to the right, instead of to the left,  I put the garbage bag into the washer, walked out, went right back to my room,  then as I started to sit down at the computer, I thought  “what the heck did I just do?”   LOL!!!

So I had to walk back to the laundry room, take the garbage bag out of the washing machine, and take it over to the garbage shoot to throw it away.

I never did tell anybody in the building what I did,  thank goodness it was in a bag and didn’t get washed by accident.   Does the 5 second rule count in this case?   LOL!!  Was probably more like 15-20 seconds though.  lol

written by tcoburn

Mark your calendar now, to attend an important event that will increase your awareness of resources available to people in Northeast Indiana who live with some form of vision loss. The Insightful Expo will feature services, adapted equipment, recreational opportunities, and much more for people who live every day with a vision impairment.

Who:    Anyone of any age with any kind of vision impairment.
What:   Insightful Expo
When:  Saturday, March 6, 2010 from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm.
Where:  Allen County Public Library, Meeting Rooms A, B, C, 900 Library Plaza.

Hosted By: Lakota Chapter  American Council of the Blind;  Senior Blind Services,
League for the Blind and Disabled;  Lions Clubs of Northeast Indiana;
Northeast Indiana Radio Reading Service, NEIRRS;  and Fort Wayne Workers for the Blind.

All of your questions about living independently with a vision loss can be answered at
this one stop informational and educational event.

I’ll be there,  not sure what I’ll be doing yet, but I’ll be around.  Should be fun!

written by tcoburn

I get asked this question alot, so I thought I would post about it.

How does a blind person get around?

Many blind people use different techniques.   Most blind women depend on their husbands to get them around, do their shopping for them, etc, but when your a single man,  you don’t have a wife, or family, or sometimes even friends to get you around.  I know most sighted people don’t think about this, but when your single, live alone, no children, and you only see your relatives around the holidays,  you don’t have a choice but to fend for yourself.  Its either that, or starve to death, and you definitely don’t want to do that.  lol

So how does someone who is blind do all of this?

Most people “assume” that a blind person should have someone around to take care of them, but that isn’t always the case.  Besides, my independence is very important to me,  just because I can’t see, doesn’t mean I should have to depend on others.  I can still hear after all.

First misconception I’d like to clear up,  a seeing eye dog can NOT tell you where the grocery store is,  or where that can of tomato soup is on the shelf.  Dogs are smart, but not THAT smart!  You can’t carry on a conversation with a dog, so the dog doesn’t know where you need to go,  so I want to clear up that misconception right away!

Secondly,  even those who have dogs, have to go thru several hours of training, and that dog still doesn’t help you get to or around the store.  A sighted guide dog isn’t for everyone, and there are many blind people who never use sighted guide dogs,  so one doesn’t HAVE to get a dog just because their blind.  Mostly, blind people use dogs so they don’t have to use a white caine, but me personally, I’d rather use a white cane then a dog,  a white cane doesn’t leave poop on the carpeting!  lol

So if blind people don’t use dogs for that purpose,  then how does a blind person get around?  Let me explain….

First, rather a person has some sight, or no sight at all, that person is put thru what they call Mobility Training.    Mobility Training consists of blindfolding the individual if that person has some sight.  The reason for this, is because a partially sighted person doesn’t have enough vision to see traffic lights, or traffic coming at you, so the first thing a mobility trainer teaches the blind student by blindfolding them,  is to ignore what sight they have, and use your other senses instead.   kinda like karake training in the movies…  lol  jk

So how does one get around without sight then?  Its simply a matter of listening, touching, and memorization.  Our other senses aren’t any better then anyone elses,  but try blindfolding yourself once and see what happens..  You first notice you become aware of sounds around you that you didn’t know where there before,  well that’s essentially what happens,  when you loose one of your senses, you just become more aware of the others, thats all it is.

As for getting around, think of it like going on a long trip, like to Florida for instance.  When your out there driving on the highway,  with no gas station around for miles, lol,  you have to at least know the way to get there, otherwise you could end up in Canada somewhere, right? lol  rather it be using a map,  or just memorizing the way in your own head, like you take 69 to 33 to whatever, you have to know that in your head before you even leave on the trip.   Thats the same thing a blind person does,  he knows before he even leaves the house,  that if he goes to the light, turns left, then goes straight so many feet,  thats the shopping center,  he doesn’t have to “see it” in order to know its there.   If you took the same route over and over and over again, wouldn’t you know how to get there fairly well, even blindfolded? lol  well, its no different then a blind person.   The rest is just, listening to the traffic,  listening for people, and using the white cane to follow the grass or curbs or sidewalks.

Did you ever see the movie “fantastic 4″? where the blind girl always knew when Joey entered the room?   Just because we can’t see, doesn’t mean we can’t hear, or smell, or feel.  I can always tell if someones in the room, or coming near me, just by the sound of their footsteps, of their breathing, or even their heartbeat if its loud enough.   In a store, I can always tell where the people are by the sound of the carts. It helps to be able to see shadows, but even with my eyes completely closed, I can still tell where the people are.  I don’t know “who” they are, but I know “where” they are, which is all thats important really.

So what I always tell people,  I know where northwood plaza is because I go there every single day.  I know the city bus routes I take every day,  so I don’t have to ask the bus driver when its time to get off,  Its all about memorization.  If I take a new route thats not familiar to me, yes I’ll ask, but familiar routes I don’t even have to ask the bus driver when I’m at my destination.   Now that is independence!

Now what gets tricky, is what we call unfamiliar territory.  THAT is when I appreciate the assistance of someones arm, especially if its a parking lot.  I avoid parking lots when I’m by myself, so when I am with someone, I do appreciate a helping arm.    At church for instance,  I probably could get around on my own,  but I never turn down a sighted elbow, especially at church,  that helps me alot especially in unfamiliar territory where I don’t know, or can’t remember, my way around.   I would never go to a place I’ve never been before, without the help of someone showing me how to get there first.  Most of the time I ask strangers for directions, but it is always nice when someone offers you a helping hand,  but isn’t always necessary in familiar territory is my point.

Part of my mobility training, was my instructor showing me the way around the mall, showing me how to get to northwood plaza from my house, showing me where Scott’s is, and where things are in the store, all of that was part of my mobility training, so thats all familar territory to me.  Places I’m not familar with, I either avoid,  or ask for assistance, its not that hard really.

Alot of blind people do have the grocery clerks get their groceries for them, but I have found that I know my way around Walmart, and Scott’s, so well,  that I don’t need anyone to tell me where tomato juice is, I just know in my head.   I know its the 5th isle over on the right side, so many feet down that isle, its really not that hard, especially when your like me, and get basically the same stuff every time. LOL  and if there is something I don’t know where it is, I go up and ask a clerk, no big deal.  Every walmart is setup the exact same way, some stores are backwards, but still same layout,  and I know the layout of my scott’s store, and the mall, which is all I need to know really.

So that’s basically it in a nuttshell.   Anyone who is blind has the ability to be independent, but some just choose not to be,  out of fear mostly.  Just because someone is blind, or deaf, or paraplegic, doesn’t mean that person can’t fend for themselves.  Its just some people choose not to out of fear.   Me, I have no fear,  God took away my fear of getting around outside my home,  because I knew a long time ago, that God put me on this earth to survive on my own, to make a difference in this world,  not to sit on my butt and let other people take care of me, thats not why God put me here,  God has plans for me,  I may not know what those plans are, but I know they weren’t to sit in my apartment doing nothing all day, so I face the fear and just do it….  I get so many complaints from people, saying I should wait for such and such person to take me, or take care of me,  but I know in my heart that’s not what God is calling me to do.  God calls me to face my fear, get out there in the world, and volunteer my services serving God in how he wants me to serve him,  and I’m darn proud of myself for that!  and I know God is proud of me too!

written by tcoburn

I get asked all the time, what my vision is like?   Alot of times, to strangers especially, its difficult to explain how much, or little, vision a person has when that person is considered “legally blind”.    Because the term “legal blindness”  has such a wide spectrum of different vision levels,  its extremely difficult to emulae that to someone who has normal vision.  In other words,   we don’t understand what you see, any better then you understand what we see.

Lets use this picture of a woman as an example.  Pretend for a moment, that this picture represents what a person with 20/20, perfect vision, can see.

Now this picture, is what a person with a age-related cataracts sees like.  Notice how the image is blurred? People with cataracts see like this all the time, blury like that, almost like your trying to see on a foggy day in cases like mine for instance, which is more distorted then this even.

Now, remember the fact that I have cataracts.  In my right eye,  the following photo is what happened to my vision about 3 years ago, on top of the foggy day.  Notice how there is no vision right in the center?   This is a Macular Degeneration photo, but its also what happens in severe cases of Glaucoma, which is what happened in my right eye. The black spot in my right eye is much larger then the one represented in this photo, but gives you a basic idea.

Now in my left eye, this photo demonstrates what happened.   Notice how there is still some vision in the center, but is black around it?  This is called Glaucoma.  Eventually, what will happen, is the black around the edges will consume the entire image, making the sight completely gone within a few years. They can slow this process down with eye drops, but the end result remains the same. Again,  the black around the edges is much larger in my case, but this is the general idea.

Another question I get asked alot, if this is all you see, and you really are blind, then how do you get around?  To answer this question takes some explaining.

When an adult goes blind, they are given the opportunity to take what is called “Independant living skills training”.  This is training that teaches a person how to do everyday tasks, such as cooking, cleaning, dressing themselves, or whatever else we do in our everyday lives.

Along with Independant Living Skills,  that person is also given the option to learn what they call  Mobility Training.   Mobility means getting around, walking from point A to point B, crossing streets, traffic lights, so on and so forth.   Much like an Independent living skills instructor, a Mobility trainer is specializes in training for the blind.  She or he usually has a Masters Degree in orientation & mobility, so its not just anyone who trains you.

Basically what is taught to a partially sighted person. The partially sighted person is first blindfolded, and then taken out to be trained. The purpose of the blindfold, is to train the individual to not depend on what sight they have. The reason for this, is because a partially sighted person’s sight is not reliable. When you walk out onto a street with floaters in your eyes, or distorted vision, you may think a car is further away then it really is, or get hit by misjudging, so just like in karate training, you first have to learn the blindfold technique, so you learn to use the force, and not your sight. hehe. just joking, but you are blindfolded so that you can use your sense of touch, smell, and hearing, to get from point A to point B.

Just as an example, I can cross a traffic light just by listening to the sound of the traffic. I know that if I am standing at a light, and the car next to me starts up and goes forward, then its my turn to go as well. If I hear that car just sitting there, then I know the light is red, and I stand there and wait, its as simple as that. You use the same technique for arrows in lights, if you hear a car going forward and turning in front of you, you don’t go, but if you hear the car going straight, then you know its safe to cross and you don’t have an arrow.

The white cane is very important. It first alerts the drivers that you are blind, so if your sitting there waiting for a light to change, the driver should be aware that you are blind and just listening for the traffic. If I don’t know if its safe to cross, or not, I won’t cross. There are times in busy intersections, where a blind person has to wait for 2-3 light cycles in order to know its safe to cross. This is a good thing, so don’t interrupt a blind person by screaming out when there trying to listen to the traffic.

Just like at stop signs, 2 and 4 way stops, blind people are taught to go in the order that the cars arrive. If you as a driver go out of order, it makes it more difficult for the blind person to know when its their turn to go, so as a driver, if you see a blind person walking, just obey your traffic laws, and the blind person will not get hurt. Alot of times if I’m not sure, I’ll just wait until all the cars are gone to cross. Again, thats just being over cautious, nothing wrong with that, because alot of drivers do stupid things, like one day I was waiting for a car to go in front of me, the car stopped, so I went, but as soon as I went, he went too, so he ended up running into me. It was as if he was trying to hit me or something because I knew he knew I was there. Because of situations like that, I just stand there and wait til all the cars have gone, that way no miscommunication between drivers and pedestrians.

A division of the state called Vocational Rehabilitation, which is a division of Social Security,  pays for all this training, in an attempt to get the person employed.   VR as its commonly called,  VR’s mission, is to get the disabled off Social Security, and into the workforce.   After all,  in general terms, its cheaper for the government to train someone how to keep employment, then to keep them on disability the rest of their lives.    This is VR’s mission,  but some counselors  advice their clients better then others.

Some VR counselors won’t pay for training at all, or they will only for a certain length of time, depending upon the counselor.    I’ve had most counselors who treat their clients like everything they authorize is taken out of the counselors own personal pocket,   so getting authorization is sometimes difficult.  Since Mobility and Independant Living Skills training has to be paid for by VR,  not all blind or visually impaired people get the training and supplies they need to live their lives.   I’ve seen blind and partially sighted clients who never find work, because their counselors don’t get them the supplies and training they need at all,  but most only agree to authorize for stuff as long as that client is unemployed.

VR counselors have the authority to authorize for things like,  a college degree,  glasses, eye exams, mobility and living skills training, braille training,  computer software for the blind and the training on how to use it, or anything else that an authorized living skills trainer suggests to VR that the client needs.    However, the problem is,  not all VR counselors will agree to cover the cost of these things, mostly because they act like everything they authorize comes out of their own personal pockets, which is sad I think, because that only destroys VR’s mission, which is to get clients off disability.

Now me personally, if I was a VR counselor,  I’d be searching for ways to get all my clents off disability, so that I wouldn’t have to pay them Social Security checks for the rest of their lives.   If I had the attitude that everything I authorized came out of my own personal pocket,  then I’d be thinking it would be cheaper in the long run, to get this person employed in a good paying job,  instead of paying him or her Social Security benefits out of my own pocket the rest of their lives,  but I guess VR counselors get paid the big bucks  just to be idiots, I don’t know.

I mean, think about it,  say it costs one client $20,000 for 4 years to get that client employed permanently, or $80,000 total.    Which would be cheaper?   $80,000    or   $800  x  12 mo x 20yrs  =  $192,000?  so which would be cheaper?  $80 grand or $192 grand?    then you take that times 100+ clients, its no wonder the Social Security system is going broke…     The goal should be, getting as many of these disabled people employed as possible,  especially the younger ones, then paying them Social Security benefits the rest of their lives.  I mean, its crazy.

I mean, if it wasn’t for the fact that I can’t get what I need to complete my college degree, I’d not only be employed,  but I’d be working for VR to work on fixing this issue, at least in my county.   My old VR counselor  I had 15 years ago was blind,  and he tried and tried to talk me into going to IPFW, but I didn’t listen because I was young and stupid..  All I wanted to do at that time was get married,  I thought IPFW was too hard, so I didn’t listen to him..

Now I wish I did, because I’d give anything right now to have a Bachelors Degree from IPFW,  and I would have if I had listened to him.  Now that I want to, I can’t,  because my current VR counselor won’t support me on it.  My only hope is to go on FAFSA and Pel grants,   now that I’m single not married anymore,  I have that opportunity now,  just depends if I can get the funding that way or not.

I was thinking either a VR counselor, or a disabilities Coordinator.   Disabilities Coordinators  make the accomodations for people who are in college, or at school,  and I keep thinking, what better person for the job of getting disabled people the things they need in school, then a person who is disabled themselves?   and can understand what people with disabilities go thru on a daily basis.    If only I can get that college degree, my dreams would be a reality.

written by tcoburn

I returned from surgery at St Joe Hospital  yesterday. Anesthesia always makes me feel nauseous, so I expected that,  but even with them giving me benedryl,  I felt that way the whole night, into the next morning.   The area they did surgery on hurts a great deal this morning, but the doctor gave me some pain meds for that, so I am feeling ok now.  I couldn’t sleep a wink lastnight because of that nauseous feeling, but I know it will pass in time.

My birthday is coming up.  For the first time in my life, I have no idea what to ask for?   I kinda want a slate and stylus so I can start learning how to write in braille,  but with a slate, you have to write backwards, which I don’t think I am ready for yet. I have a hard enough time reading braille forwards. lol

All Slates you have to write backwards.  Most people start out writing using a Braille Writer bur those perkins braillers are $700,  which I don’t have that kind of money, and since VR won’t cover the cost, I’ll just have to put off writing for now.

I finally decided to ditch my verizon phone, and switch to vonage.  ITs $24 but with taxes its something like $31, which is fine. I found out today I was paying  $54 with verizon FIOS.   I signed up for their triple freedom plan back in November, which was supposed to be $99,  but they decided to discontinue that deal, so my bills suddenly skyrocketed to $178.  I was like “what the hell?” but what had happened is, when verizon decided to stop their triple freedom for $99 deal, they started charging me for the 3 services separately, instead of the bundle price,  so that made me mad, because I was supposed to be paying $99 until November 2009,  so I had to sign up for their new $109.98 triple deal instead, which was fine $109 is still cheap for phone + internet + TV,  but they told me I can’t go with vonage or I’ll be breaking my bundle pricing, but still, $49 for internet plus $44 for TV, is still way cheaper then $109 for all 3 or $178 so I may just keep it like that.   or just switch to a double deal since they broke my 1 yr contract as it was.   I hope they don’t charge me for breaking that contract, or I’m going to throw a major fit.  Verizon FIOS is really getting on my last nerve with their pricing schemes.   Its like, they can break their own contract and its fine, but if I break mine, then I get in trouble,  thats not fair.

written by tcoburn