Disabled
American Veterans
Blind Veterans National Chapter #1
WEB SITE:
http://www.davbvnc1.com/contents.htm
May/June
Newsletter
Editor: Dennis OConnell
Bvnc1@verizon.net
"IF I CANNOT SPEAK GOOD OF MY
COMRADE,
I WILL NOT SPEAK ILL OF HIM OR HER."
OFFICERS OF
THE BLIND CHAPTER
Commander
Richard Bugbee (AZ)
Phone 480 986-0304
Email:
dadbug37@gmail.com
Senior Vice
Commander Dave May (OH)
1st Junior Vice Commander Carroll Prosser (SC)
2nd
Junior Vice Commander Gary Traynor (WI)
3rd Vice Commander James Hogan (CA)
4th
Junior Vice Commander Stephen Moffitt (RI)
Judge
Advocate & Immediate Past Commander Dennis OConnell (NY)
Chaplain Rev. Tony Martino (IL)
Phone 847
736 2111
email: Deaconmart@wi.rr.com
Phone 904
291-0576
email: pkjax@kaminsky.com
If you know
of any member who is sick or deceased please inform one of the officers whose contact
information is listed above.
Timothy Hornik, Lawrence KS
Geoffrey Joseph Krizan, St Lucie FL
Milan Yencik, North Lima OH
REST IN
PEACE
Ronald
Mackie, Jacksonville FL
TRAVEL PAY
DEDUCTIBLE
Deductible
requirement is subject to a monthly cap of $18.00. Upon reaching $18.00 in deductibles or
6 one-way (3 round) trips, whichever comes first, travel payments made for the balance of
that particular month will be free of deductible charges.
$3.00 one way ($6.00 round trip)
Waiver of
Deductible
A waiver of the deductible will be provided if you
are eligible for travel and you:
--
are in receipt of a VA pension or;
--
are a NSC veteran and your previous years income
does not exceed, or your projected current calendar years income, in the year of
application will not exceed the applicable VA pension rate, or
--
are a SC veteran and your previous years income
does not exceed, or your projected current calendar years income, in the year of
application will not exceed the applicable national means test income threshold or,
--
are traveling for a scheduled compensation or pension
examination
SIGHTED
PEOPLE
People who
are sighted may walk or ride public transportation, but most choose to travel long
distances by operating their own motor vehicles. They have gone through many hours of
training to learn the "rules of the road" in order to further their
independence. Once that road to freedom has been mastered, sighted people earn a legal
classification and a "Driver's License" which allows them to operate a private
vehicle safely and independently.
How To Assist A Sighted Person
Sighted
people are accustomed to viewing the world in visual terms. This means that in many
situations, they will not be able to communicate orally and may resort to pointing or
other gesturing. Subtle facial expressions may also be used to convey feelings in social
situations. Calmly alert the sighted person to his surroundings by speaking slowly, in a
normal tone of voice. Questions directed at the sighted person help focus attention back
on the verbal rather than visual communication. At times, sighted people may need help finding things, especially when operating a motor
vehicle. Your advance knowledge of routes and landmarks, particularly bumps in the road,
turns and traffic lights, will assist the "driver" in finding the way quickly
and easily. Your knowledge of building layouts can also assist the sighted person in
navigating complex shopping malls and offices. Sighted people tend to be very proud and
will not ask directly for assistance. Be gentle yet firm.
How Do
Sighted People Use Computers?
The person
who is sighted relies exclusively on visual information. His or her attention span fades
quickly when reading long texts. Computer information is presented in a "Graphical
User Interface" or GUI. Coordination of hands and eyes is often a problem for sighted
people, so the computer mouse, a handy device that slides along the desk top, saves
confusing keystrokes. With one button, the sighted person can move around his or her
computer screen quickly and easily. People who are sighted are not accustomed to synthetic
speech and may have great difficulty understanding even the clearest synthesizer. Be
patient and
prepared to explain many times how your computer equipment works.
How Do
Sighted People Read?
Sighted
people read through a system called "Print." This is a series of images drawn in
a two dimensional plane. People who are sighted generally have a poorly developed sense of
touch. Braille is completely foreign to the sighted person and he or she will take longer
to learn the code and be severely limited by his or her existing visual senses. Sighted
people cannot function well in low lighting conditions and are generally completely
helpless in total darkness. Their homes are usually very brightly lit at great expense, as
are businesses that cater to the sighted consumer.
How Can I
Support A Sighted Person?
People who
are sighted do not want your charity. They want to live, work and play along with you. The
best thing you can do to support sighted people in your community is to open yourself to
their world. These Americans are vital contributing members to society. Take a sighted
person to lunch today!
FYI
The National
Personnel Records Center (NPRC) has provided the following, which was copied off the MTWS
site.
Website for
veterans to gain access to their DD-214s online:
http://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records/
This may be particularly helpful when a veteran needs a copy of
his/her DD-214 for employment purposes. NPRC is working to make it easier for veterans
with computers and Internet access to obtain copies of documents from their military
files.
Military veterans and the next of kin of deceased former military members may now use a
new online military personnel records system to request documents.
Other individuals with a need for documents must still complete
the Standard Form 180, which can be
downloaded from the online web site. Because the requester will be asked to supply all
information essential for NPRC to process the request, delays that normally occur when
NPRC has to ask veterans for additional information will be minimized. The new web-based
application was designed to provide better service on these requests by eliminating the
records centers mailroom and processing time.
FROM THE
EDITOR
Soon you
will receive ballots asking you to select the members of our chapter that you feel who are
best qualified to represent us at the DAV National Convention in Orlando. Please read the
biographies of the candidates and make your decision on who you think are the best
qualified members.
Your ballot
may make the decision who is a delegate, alternate delegate or not even be a delegate to
the convention. Dont forget to send your choices as quickly as possible.
My wife and
I wish all of you a safe and healthy Memorial Day.
FROM
JANUARY/FEBRUARY ISSUE
ARTICLES
NEEDED
Feel like
writing an article, or sending one from somewhere else that members might be interested
in? Just send them to bvnc1@verizon.net and they
just might appear in a future issue.
GOD BLESS
AMERICA!