Disabled American Veterans
Blind Veterans National Chapter #1

WEB SITE: http://www.davbvnc1.com/contents.htm

May/June Newsletter
Editor: Dennis O’Connell
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 O’Connell (NY)
Chaplain Rev. Tony Martino (IL)
Phone 847 736 2111
email:
Deaconmart@wi.rr.com

Adjutant/Treasurer Paul Kaminsky (FL) (also webmaster)

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.

 

 

WELCOME ABOARD

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 year’s income does not exceed, or your projected current calendar year’s income, in the year of application will not exceed the applicable VA pension rate, or

--       are a SC veteran and your previous year’s income does not exceed, or your projected current calendar year’s 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. Don’t 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!