Oh, Curt, I like that last comment, about finding the “who kins” and calling it
networking. Very astute on your part!! There are three of us in the blind
community here in Alameda, and I’m always confused with Gina although I’ve never
had a guide dog in my life. I don’t resemble her in looks at all. I look a bit
more like our mutual friend Sandy. They belong to the Jehova’s Witness Church
and do seem to find “who kins” within their congregation. I’m so blessed to
have a really good friendand neighbor in Ann who helps me to get places the
buses don’t take me or to South Shore Shopping Center, which is even hard for
sighted people to get around. I wish I could clone her!! My mom also does the
best she can to help me when I’m really in need, and just yesterday, she bought
me about 30 cans of cat food, some of which I definitely am going to give to
Ann, who has three kitties, all older than 10. It is hard, though, keeping up
the idea that we have to educate everyone and put our best foot forward so as
not to give a bad impression to a sighted person who’s never run into a blind
person before. When I went to the E R last Saturday, there was only one doctor
on duty, a Chinese doctor named Dr. Lee. He kept asking me if I could see him,
as if something magical would happen and suddenly I’d be able to see him. I
just answered “No, I can only see the sunlight outside. I can’t even see lights
on in a room anymore.” He finally got it. My oncologist, Dr. Yee, was even
worse, saying, “You have some vision, don’t you?” My mom was with me and we
simultaneously said “No!” “And Linda, you live with your mother, don’t you?”
Again, we simultaneously answered a very definitive “No!” He’s actually
treating me like a human being now. Even my wonderful Dr. Fitzgerald was a bit
shy about dealing with me at first, but he’s gotten used to me over the past
seven years, and he knows I really love having him as a doctor, and sometimes
I’ve apologized about coming in with this or that medical issue, and he’s
actualy patted me on the shoulder or taken my hand and said, “Linda, you never
have to apologize to me for anything like that!” My mom and I have given him
letters of commendation, the guy works so hard, and he doesn’t come off like the
usual doctor and wears jeans and just plain shirt, not a uniform.
Linda G.
From: ourplace-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:ourplace-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On
Behalf Of Curtis Delzer
Sent: Friday, February 26, 2016 11:59 AM
To: ourplace@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [ourplace] Re: laughter
in particular if they call you by another "blind person" or "handicapped
person's" name. :)
A friend of ours was commenting on that just this last Sunday afternoon, how
someone called her "joy" instead of her name. In fact, this is a very gregarious
and obviously "herself" type person, not someone innocuous.
I read "ball four," by Jim Bouton, and during spring training one year, while he
was on the mound, a coach yelled at him, "chuck it in here, Bob," and he was not
happy at all. It happens, in the "sighted" world when there are a lot of
participants, but it seems to me that we get categorized as "them, or "they,"
more often don't you all think? :)
and, of course, we've all heard of the "who cans," as in "do you have someone
"who can," help you?"
Karen and I always are looking for those "who kins," hoping that the Klan of who
kins can come see us sometimes, in particular, it seems when all else is lost.
:)
Maybe we could spread those who kins around amongst all of us. :)
These days, they call it "networking." :)
At 08:23 PM 2/25/2016, you wrote:
Well, let's just say that if one is poor and disabled, one is not always treated
with the proper dignity or respect we ought to show one-another.
