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 Eddie Humphrey
2nd
Junior Vice Commander Joe Wallace
3rd
Vice Commander Junior Farley
4th
Junior Vice Commander William Burgess
Judge Advocate Dave May
Chaplain Rev. 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
Marilyn
and I hope you all had a great Veterans Day, and would like to wish all members
and their families a Happy Thanksgiving Day, Merry Christmas, a Happy Hanukah
and a Happy, Peaceful & Healthy New Year.
Personally,
my cast came off 4 days before my son’s wedding and I am still going through PT
(to some it could be pain torture or to others physical therapy).
Hope
you all voted on November 2, and as the old saying goes, if you didn’t vote
then don’t complain!
Membership
is the lifeblood of our Chapter. Please try and recruit a member. I recruited 4
members since July 1, why don’t you just find one to join and boost up our
membership.
WELCOME
ABOARD
Jack
Shapiro, Jackson Heights, NY
RECEIVED
TOO LATE FOR LAST ISSUE
If
you're an Ohio State fan you'll be able to relate to a local woman's dream. She
used to be in the OSU Marching Band ... the band that does what's called
"Script Ohio" on the field at half time. Her dream is to again be the
one on the field to "dot the I" but Local 12's Paula Toti says there's a twist .. she'll do it with or without a guide dog.
From the signature of famous coach Woody Hayes
to the photo of the first and only time she got to dot the "I" in
Script Ohio, Lisa Haynes-Henry has a lot of OSU memorabilia. She was thrilled
in college to land a spot in the marching band. "Since then as they say .. I bleed scarlet and gray."
It
was in grad school that Lisa noticed she was losing
her vision. She has what's called Retinitis Pigmentosa
or RP ... you often lose your peripheral vision first ... and it progresses.
Fighting vision loss, Lisa set goals. "I knew I was going to dot the I."
Lisa is also fighting her disease ... she
participated in a research study funded by the Foundation Fighting Blindness.”
And we did a two and a half year follow up to see what it's done for my vision.
What's it done? It's stabilized my vision."
A
drug the size of a grain of rice was implanted in her eye. Money for research
comes from donations and Vision Walks like this one. Lisa's says even five
dollars can help. "And I can sit here and say that five dollars may be the
little bit that pushed it over the top so the study I was in was made
possible."
Another
dream was made possible ... Lisa has been invited to dot the I in Script Ohio
at OSU's home opener next Thursday ... she won't even need the guide dog.
"I've been anticipating this for years and it's hear ..
Just a few days away."
Paula
met Lisa through my own involvement with Vision Walk and FFB. Her story gives
Paula hope we're on the right track in terms of finding cures. This year Lisa
is walking for team Eye Dotters and Paula is walking for "Team Tim"
on October Second.
In an twist for this Buckeye fan ... Lisa had her treatment in
Michigan. The Foundation Fighting Blindness is working for a cure for other eye
diseases including macular degeneration.
MORE
INFORMATION ON THE TEE TOURNAMENT
If
you go to You Tube www.youtube.com and in the search edit
field you
enter VA National blind golf event and search you will get to listen and for
those who can see can watch as well. When you enter you will have to down
arrow with Jaws or Windows Eye and you will get to the link to the T gold
event. You can also go to www.va.gov and
put in VA sport event
where you will get a list of events that the VA have to
offer for our veterans.
For
military forms and records on line
http://www.archives.gov/veterans/evetrecs/index.html
Carmakers agree to make electric cars noisier
by
Peter Valdes-Dapena, NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) –
Automakers
and advocates for the blind have agreed on a plan to address an unintended
problem caused by electric and hybrid cars: They endanger sight-impaired and
distracted pedestrians because they make no noise when running on electric
power.
The
groups joined together to present Congress with a proposal for minimum noise
levels that future electric cars would have to make
Sometimes
even sighted pedestrians can be unaware of the cars' approach.
"As
a person who walks my dog in Virginia, where there are no sidewalks, I've been
startled by hybrid cars, too," said Gloria Bergquist,
vice president of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers.
A
study done last year by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
showed that hybrid cars tend to hit pedestrians more often than other cars in
situations where the approaching car cannot be seen.
The
AAM, along with the Association of International Automobile Manufacturers, the
American Council for the Blind and the National Federation for the Blind,
presented Congress with suggested language that could become part of the Motor
Safety Act of 2010, a bill now moving through Congress that would create a host
of new auto safety rules.
The
proposed language would have NHTSA create a new safety standard for
electrically powered cars involving some sort of minimum sound required when
operating at low speeds. At higher speeds, wind and tire noise are typically
enough to make the car detectable.
The
sound couldn't be just anything. For instance, vehicle owners would not be able
to "customize" the sound of their car the same way they can download
ringtones for cell phones. That's specifically prohibited in the proposed rule.
Instead,
car manufacturers would provide an approved sound or set of sounds for a given
make and model of car.
It
would be up to NHTSA to set the minimum noise level a vehicle would have to
make at givens speeds and to determine what sort of sounds would be allowed.
The sounds would need to communicate something about the car's speed and
acceleration, just as the sound of a rumbling gasoline engine does.
VA Presumptives associated with exposure to Agent
Orange
For
more information please contact your National Service Officer.
VA
Presumptive VN Vet Diseases Update 04:
VA
has recognized certain cancers and other health problems as associated with
exposure to Agent Orange and other herbicides or as associated with military
service. Veterans suffering from the following conditions
may
be eligible for disability compensation and health care benefits:
• Acute and Subacute
Peripheral Neuropathy - A nervous system condition that causes numbness,
tingling, and motor weakness. Under VA's rating regulations, it must be at
least 10% disabling within
1
year of exposure to Agent Orange and resolve within 2 years after the date it
began.
• AL Amyloidosis
- A rare disease caused when an abnormal protein, amyloid,
enters tissues or organs.
• Chloracne
(or Similar Acneform Disease) - A skin condition that
occurs soon after exposure to chemicals and looks like common forms of acne
seen in teenagers. Under VA's rating regulations, chloracne
(or other
acneform disease similar to chloracne) must be at least 10% disabling within 1 year of
exposure to Agent Orange.
• All chronic B-cell leukemia’s
including, but not limited to, hairy-cell leukemia and chronic lymphocytic
leukemia. - A type of cancer which affects white blood cells.
• Diabetes Mellitus (Type 2) - A disease
characterized by high blood sugar levels resulting from the body’s inability to
respond properly to the hormone insulin.
• Hodgkin ’s
disease - A malignant lymphoma (cancer) characterized by progressive
enlargement of the lymph nodes, liver, and spleen, and by progressive anemia.
• Ischemic Heart Disease including, but
not limited to, acute, sub acute, and old myocardial infarction;
atherosclerotic
cardiovascular disease including coronary artery disease (including coronary spasm)
and coronary bypass surgery; and
stable, unstable and Prinzmetal's angina - A
disease characterized by a reduced supply of blood to the heart that leads to
chest pain.
• Multiple Myeloma - A disorder which
causes an overproduction of certain proteins from white blood cells.
• Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma - A group of
cancers that affect the lymph glands and other lymphatic tissue.
• Parkinson ’s
disease - A motor system condition with symptoms that include a trembling of
the hands, imbalance,
and
loss of facial expression.
• Porphyria Cutanea Tarda - A disorder
characterized by liver dysfunction and by thinning and blistering of the skin
in
sun-exposed areas. Under VA's rating regulations, it must be at least 10%
disabling within 1 year of exposure to Agent Orange.
• Prostate Cancer - Cancer of the
prostate; one of the most common cancers among men.
• Respiratory Cancers - Cancers of the
lung, larynx, trachea, and bronchus.
• Soft Tissue Sarcoma (other than Osteosarcoma, Chondrosarcoma,
Kaposi’s sarcoma, or Mesothelioma) - A group of
different types of cancers in body tissues such as muscle, fat, blood and lymph
vessels, and connective tissues.
VA
has recognized the following birth defects associated with exposure to Agent
Orange or service in Vietnam:
• Spina Bifida
(except Spina Bifida Occulta)
- A neural tube birth defect that results from the failure of the bony portion
of the spine to close properly in the developing fetus during early pregnancy.
• Birth Defects in Children of Women
Vietnam Veterans - Covered birth defects include a wide range of conditions
associated with women veterans' service in Vietnam.
Additionally, VA has recognized Amyotrophic
Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) diagnosed in Veterans with 90 days or more of
continuously active service in the military was caused by their military
service
(not responsible for spelling on this article…Editor)
Flag Presentation Update 06:
The
United States Flag Code establishes advisory rules for display
and
care of the flag of the United States. It is Section 1 of Title 4 of the United
States Code (4 U.S.C. § 1 et seq).
The
following guidelines should be followed during periods when the flag is being
paraded, the Pledge of Allegiance is given or the national anthem is played,
and when the flag is in mourning:
Parading
and saluting the flag
When
carried in a procession, the flag should be to the right of the marchers. When
other flags are carried, the flag of the United States may be centered in front
of the others or carried to their right. When the flag passes in a procession,
or when it is hoisted or lowered, all should face the flag and salute. To
salute, all persons come to attention. Those in uniform give the appropriate
formal salute.
.
Members of the Armed Forces and veterans who are present but not in uniform may
render the military salute. Citizens not in uniform salute by placing their
right hand over the heart and men with head cover should remove it and hold it
to left shoulder, hand over the heart. Members of uniformed organizations in
formation salute upon command of the person in charge.
The Pledge of Allegiance. All present except those in uniform should stand at
attention facing the flag with the right hand over the heart;
National Anthem. The composition consisting of the words and music known as the Star-Spangled
Banner is the national anthem. During a rendition of the national anthem when
the flag is displayed:
All present except those in
uniform should stand at attention. Men not in uniform should remove their
headdress with their right hand and hold the headdress at the left shoulder,
members of the Armed Forces and veterans who are present and not in uniform may
render the military salute. Individuals in uniform should give the military
salute at the first note of the anthem and maintain that position until the
last note; and When the flag is not displayed, all present should face toward
the music and act in the same manner they would if the flag were displayed.