Disabled American
Veterans
Blind Veterans
National Chapter #1
WEB SITE: http://www.davbvnc.com/
"IF I CANNOT SPEAK GOOD OF MY COMRADE,
I WILL NOT SPEAK ILL OF HIM OR HER."
OFFICERS OF THE BLIND
CHAPTER
Commander Dennis
O’Connell
Phone 516 328-3438
Email: bvnc1@verizon.net
Senior Vice Commander
Richard Bugbee
1st Junior Vice Commander Joe Wallace
Judge Advocate Dave May
Chaplain Tony Martino
Phone 847 736 2111
email: Deaconmart@wi.rr.com
Phone 904 291-0576
email: pkjax@kaminsky.com
Immediate Past
Commander Eddie Humphrey
If you know of any
member who is sick or deceased please inform one of the officers whose contact
information is listed above.
MESSAGE FROM THE
COMMANDER
Congratulations to
the eight members who were voted in as delegates/alternates to represent the
membership at our next DAV National Convention. I hope you all agree with me, considering
that it was his first time handling it, that Paul Kaminsky did an outstanding job
with this election process.
With just arriving
home today from a nine day cruise, I have a lot of catching up to do, and I
wanted to get this newsletter out to the membership ASAP. As I type Memorial
Day is only eight days away, so, Marilyn and I would like to wish you all a
Peaceful and Happy Memorial Day weekend. Let’s not forget Flag Day, June 14th
and Father’s Day June 20th also!
REST IN PEACE
Al Gauden,
Streetsboro, OH 44241
ELECTION RESULTS
Congratulations to
the following members who gave biographies and whom the membership elected as
delegates and alternates to this year’s DAV National Convention in Atlanta. The
first four member names were selected as delegates and the next four as
alternates.
Anthony Martino,
Jerry Abney, Eddie Humphrey, Junior Farley,
Joe Link, Richard
Bugbee, Joe Wallace, William Burgess
Mystic Seaport passes available
The National Library Service for the
Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) has renewed its membership with Mystic
Seaport: The Museum of America and the Sea and is once again offering NLS
patrons use of a free one-day seaport pass. The seaport is a world-renowned,
not-for-profit historical and educational institution occupying thirty-seven acres on the Mystic River, near New London,
Connecticut. Highlights of the site include restored tall ships, tours by
shipwrights and craftsmen, and a variety of exhibit galleries. The pass
entitles two adults and three children or grandchildren under eighteen to free
admission to Mystic Seaport on the day of the week specified on the pass. The
opportunity is available year-round. The pass will be sent by
express delivery and will include a
prepaid return envelope.
If interested, e-mail jcau@loc.gov or fax (202) 707-0712,
attention Mystic Pass Coordinator,
Publications and Media Section.
Include your name, street address,
telephone number, and the date and day of the week you wish to visit Mystic
Seaport. For visitor
information, including accessibility
details, membership opportunities,
directions, lodging, and more, go to
www.mysticseaport.org.
SHINGLES Update 02:
A vaccine for
shingles, which Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) researchers helped develop,
is available to veterans who are patients at VA medical facilities nationwide. The
Secretary of Veterans Affairs said, “Shingles can seriously degrade the quality
of life for those who suffer from this disease. Offering this vaccine to our
patients is further evidence of VA’s commitment to provide world-class health
care to America’s veterans.
VA will
continue research that leads to real-life solutions like the distribution of
this shingles vaccine for patients at VA facilities across the country.” VA
physicians will offer the vaccine to patients with appropriate medical
conditions, usually those who are 60 years of age or older and have healthy
immune systems. A single dose of the vaccine offers protection against
shingles, which is scientifically named Herpes Zoster. VA researchers and
patients from across the country participated in studies which led to the
vaccine’s approval by the Food and Drug Administration. The vaccine is
available immediately to those who are recommended for the treatment.
Shingles
is a miserable painful skin and nerve infection caused by a reactivation of the
chickenpox virus. Each year more than 800,000 Americans develop shingles, also
known as herpes zoster. About half of those who live to 85 will get the
disease that had chickenpox as a child. When a young person recovers from
chickenpox the varicella zoster virus continues to remain in clusters of nerve
cells next to the spinal cord. The immune system causes the virus to lay
dormant for many years but as we age the immune system weakens allowing the
virus to reactivate. Factors other than age that can heighten the risk of
reactivation are those that compromise the immune system. AIDS, Hodgkin’s
disease, intact of drugs that suppress the immune system, and stress can play a
role in triggering the disease.
Contact
with an infected person does not cause another person’s dormant virus to
reawaken. However, the virus from a shingles patient may cause chickenpox
in someone who has not had the disease before. When the virus reawakens it
travels through the nerves to the skin. The first symptoms can be
flu-like such as fever, chills, headache, nausea, or upset stomach. Some
people experience itchiness, a tingling feeling, or pain in the initial
stage. Within a few days, a painful rash develops usually on the chest,
back or face. When the rash is at its peak it can be intense and
unrelenting. This rash develops into small, fluid filled blisters that
begin to dry out and crust over after about a week.
For most people the disease will resolve without
treatment and after one attack the condition is unlikely to return. If
treatment is provided with antiviral drugs within the first couple of days it
can reduce the pain and may help prevent a shingles complication known as post
herpetic neuralgia. This condition results from damaged nerves and can
continue long after the rash heals. While not life threatening, Shingles can
develop into chronic pain that may bring with it insomnia, weight loss,
depression, and other medical problems. Fortunately, only about 10% of
all people with shingles develop post herpetic neuralgia and in most cases the
pain is not sever and goes away within a couple of months. If shingles
appear on the face it can lead to vision or hearing problems. If the
cornea becomes infected the result can cause permanent blindness. For
additional
info refer to www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd-vac/shingles/vac-faqs.htm . [Source: VACO OPIA Early AM Rpt 23 Aug 07 ++]
Announcing two brand
new Sendero products and the new Sendero GPS 2010 for BrailleNote
More options for independence, March 23, 2010
1. With a shake of the iPhone, Sendero GPS
LookAround announces the nearest address, cross street, heading and points of
interest. LookAround runs on the iPhone 3GS. Positioning is done through a
combination of cell towers and GPS along with the iPhone's built in compass.
The optional free Voice Over program provides accessibility to the
touch-screen. Sendero GPS
LookAround is the first in a series of apps planned for the iPhone and is
expected to be free or very low cost depending on the features enabled by the
time of its release in April.
2. The new Sendero Maps software for the PC
will provide the virtual explore capabilities available on the 4 products
powered by Sendero GPS version 2010 or later. The full keyboard and power of
the PC may sometimes be preferable when researching a location or calculating
long routes. These routes and points of interest can be transferred to and from
portable Sendero GPS devices. Sendero Maps will be included at no additional
charge
with the purchase of a new Sendero GPS 2010 for the BrailleNote. There may be a
small charge for those upgrading. Sendero Maps version 1 does not yet offer GPS
tracking.
3. Not to be upstaged by the new kids on
the block, Sendero GPS 2010 for the BrailleNote is packed with new features,
maps and points of interest. It is the gold standard for accessible GPS. For a
list of features since the last paid upgrade, go to
http://senderogroup.com/products/GPS/v2010changes.htm
From January 2000 to March 2010, Sendero Group is proud to have developed
accessible GPS for six platforms. Since not one size fits all, Sendero will
continue to improve current products and to offer new ones based on your user
input.
To see an entire list of all accessible GPS products, go to
http://senderogroup.com/docs/Summary_GPS.doc
Contact Sendero Group:
http://www.senderogroup.com
direct phone: +1 530 757-6800
toll free phone (US & Canada): 888-757-6810
FYI
from:
Melanie Brunson, Executive Director
American
Council of the Blind
Hi all,
There have
been a couple of posts here and some calls in the office bout the new $100 bill
being unveiled by Treasury this week. The question asked is what about
accessibility features. Here’s what I know. First, the court order
requiring accessibility features applies to the designs that are undertaken
after the date of the court decision. The design of this new $100 bill
was already well under way when the court ruled in our case, and is therefore
not covered by the court’s order. However, it does have some interesting
features. The numerals are rather large and may be easier for folks with
low vision to see. In addition, there are two new anticounterfeiting
features that have been incorporated into this bill that people might be able
to feel. There is a strip on the bills, which is referred to as a
security ribbon, created by incorporating ground up glass into part of the
paper. This is a technology that is in use on Swedish currency. Also,
on Ben Franklin’s shoulder, they have added some enhanced entaglio
printing. Depending on how “enhanced” it is, that might change the texture
of the paper where it is located. Neither of these things were done with
accessibility in mind, but they could be sufficiently tactile to make the bills
identifiable, at least while they’re new. We won’t actually know this
until we can see one. Our attorney, Jeff Lovitky, told me this morning
that the actual bills won’t be available until February, so we may have to wait
until then to find out more about these features. In the meantime, I
thought you might be interested in a bit more info.
Melanie
Brunson, Executive Director
American
Council of the Blind
2200
Wilson Blvd. Suite 650
Arlington,
VA 22201
(202)
467-5081
1-800-424-8666
Fax: (703)
465-5085
Mbrunson@acb.org
IMPORTANT
LINKS AND PHONE NUMBERS FOR VETERANS
VA
Benefits 1-800-827-1000.
Health
Care 1-877-222-8387.
Education 1-888-442-4551.
Life
Insurance 1-800-669-8477.
Debt
Management 1-800-827-0648.
Mammography
Hotline 1-888-492-7844.
Telecommunication
Device for the Deaf (TDD)
1-800-829-4833.
CHAMPVA 1-800-733-8387.
Headstones
and Markers 1-800-697-6947.
Special
Health Issues: Gulf War, Agent Orange, Project 112/Shad 1-800-749-8387.
Web Sites
VA
Home Page ....................................................... www.va.gov
VA
Health Care ............................. www.va.gov/health_benefits/
Returning
Veterans ................. www.seamlesstransition.va.gov/
Survivors
.......................... www.vba.va.gov/survivors/index.htm
VA
Facilities ................... www.va.gov/directory/guide/home.asp
VA
Forms ................................................. www.va.gov/vaforms/
VA
Benefit Payment Rates ........ www.vba.va.gov/bln/21/Rates/
Education
Benefits ........................................ www.gibill.va.gov/
Home
Loan Guaranty ......................... www.homeloans.va.gov/
Life
Insurance ....................................... www.insurance.va.gov/
Voc
Rehab ........................... www.vba.va.gov/bln/vre/index.htm
Burial
and Memorial Benefits ......................... www.cem.va.gov/
Veterans
Employment and Training .............. www.dol.gov/vets/
Federal
Jobs ......................................... www.usajobs.opm.gov/
Veterans
Preference ............ www.opm.gov/veterans/index.asp
Records
.............. www.archives.gov/st-louis/military-personnel/
Department
of Defense ............................ www.defenselink.mil/
The
National Archives and Records Administration is where you can order a copy of
your military personnel and medical records.
Always have copies of these. www.archives.gov/veterans/
The
U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims could be your next step if your claim
has been denied. Study this site
carefully...you will find everything needed to take your claim to the court.
www.military.com/benefits/legal/appeals/u.s.-court-of-veterans-appeals
IF
YOU DIDN’T KNOW
Guide
dogs, if they are registered with the VA, are considered prosthetics for blind
veterans. You do not have to be service connected to have the VA pay for your
veterinary bills. Just ask your VIST coordinator to process the paper work and
within a short period of time your guide dog’s veterinary bills will be paid by
the VA. Of course, this does not include grooming, just the health needs of
your companion.
TEE
TOURNAMENT
Applications
are now available for the VA sponsored National TEE (training, experience,
exposure) Tournament. If you never played the game, but wanted to try, or a
once in a while player, or even someone who can break 100, then this is
something you should experience.
For an application,
contact Kirt Sickels at the Iowa City VAMC by phone 1. 319.338.0581 ext. 7104
or via email at
You
may also contact your VIST coordinator or someone at the Recreational Therapy
Department at your local VAMC, to see if they can get you an application.
Over the years many
of your Chapter members have attended, and are still attending. To name just a
few of those who have gone to this event; Barbara Anzelmo, Bill Burgess, Rick
Calissi, Carl Foley,
Jerry Hogan, Richard
Holden, Sam Huhn, Eddie Humphrey,
Paul Kaminsky, Terry
Livingston, Glenn Logan, Rubin Martinez, Steve Matthews, Dave May, Elvon
Miller, Dennis O’Connell
and Joe Wallace. Why
not add your name to this list?
GOD
BLESS AMERICA!