Disabled American Veterans

Blind Veterans National Chapter #1

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

January/February 2015 Newsletter

Editor: Dennis O’Connell

Bvnc1@optonline.net is the new email address

 

"IF I CANNOT SPEAK GOOD OF MY COMRADE,

I WILL NOT SPEAK ILL OF HIM OR HER."

 

OFFICERS OF THE BLIND CHAPTER

Commander Carroll Prosser (SC), Phone (843) 997-1981

Email: heypops43@gmail.com

Senior vice Commander James Hogan (CA)

1st Junior vice Commander Terry Livingston (FL)

 2nd Junior vice Commander Charles Brooks (FL)

 3rd Vice Commander Ron Lester (AZ)

4th Junior vice Commander William Burgess (FL)

Judge Advocate Dennis O’Connell (NY)
Chaplain Rev. Tony Martino (IL), Phone 847 736 2111, email: deaconmartino@gmail.com

Adjutant/Treasurer Paul Kaminsky (FL) (also webmaster), Phone 904 291-576
email: pkjax@kaminsky.com

Immediate Past Commander Richard Bugbee (AZ)

 

PLEASE, if you know of any member who is sick or deceased inform one of the officers whose contact information is listed above ASAPP.

 

R I P

Carl Foley, Kettering OH

 

WELCOME ABOARD

Phillip Morris, Sebring FL

 

MESSAGE FROM THE COMMANDER

What an honor it has been to have served as the commander for the National blind chapter. I have been able to meet and get to know some of the most wonderful folks on this part of my journey through life. A special thank you to all of the officers and members who have made it so memorable. My greatest thanks and gratitude goes to the spouses and caregivers of our blinded veterans. It takes a special person to care for blind and visually impaired people.
A big thank you should go out from each of us to our adjutant Paul Kaminski. What a wonderful job he does for each and every one of us.
I hope to see as many of you as possible at our national convention to be held in Denver in August. Hope each of you have a healthy and happy new year.

WANT TO GET CRAZY WITH YOUR APPLE IOS DEVICE?

Nicole James, M.S.Ed., CVRT, COMS

Blind Rehab Specialist (iCATS)

Here are some neat, FREE GPS related apps that may get you movin’ and a-groovin’. Check them out:

Talking Goggles

Developer: Sparkling Apps

Description: This app can identify logos, landmarks and CDS, has a video mode that helps you recognize in real-time many things, in picture mode you can take pictures of products and different things and it will recognize it and find related information. The technology of this app is very interesting. This powerful app is improving more and more, try it!

Heare

Developer: Accessibility Foundation

Description: With 3D Sound this app can help a low vision or totally blind person get oriented.

Voice vision

Developer: Zhi Zheng

Description: This is a utility to help visual impaired persons to get a quick view of the sur¬rounding environment by the camera. It helps you detect walls, doors, windows and light sources. You can use it to know an object’s colors. This applica¬tion converts images from the back camera to sound. It scans from left to right, one to four times per second. A pixel from the image generates a tone at pitch from 440HZ to 15000HZ; the brightness controls the loud¬ness of the tone. The pixels from the top generate high pitch sounds, and the pixels from the bottom of the image generate low pitch sounds. There are about 30 pixels which generate sounds at the same time, like 30 people singing together with different loudness.

Taxi Magic       

Developer: RideCharge, Inc.

Description: This app allows you to get a cab from wherever you are, day or night. Many visually impaired and blind people are using this app. Also for a pro¬cessing fee of $1.50, you can pay your taxi fare in advance with a credit card. Taxi Magic works in over 4000 cities. Very useful app!

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TransLoc Rider: Transit Tracking

Developer: TransLoc, Inc

Description: This app helps you learn when your bus is coming. Available in certain locations only.

Saferbus

Developer: Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

Description: View safety performance of commercial bus companies.

Aroundme        

Developer: Attorno A Me S.R.L.

Description: Discover what is around you, banks, supermar¬kets, restaurants, etc. This app finds your location and uses that to serve as the starting point to find places around you.

Move

Developer: Everyware Technologies

Description: This app is wonderful for the visually impaired and blind. Learn what you have around you!

iNextbus

Developer: Idemfactors Solutions

Description: This app is a real-time bus checker.

Waze GPS and Traffic

Developer: Waze, Inc

Description: Waze is a GPS and traffic world community app! For people who don’t drive, still may be useful by telling the driver about traffic issues and to know how to plan your routes. Interesting app!

Mapp4All

Developer: Nexora

Description: Help us build a better world! Co-create a map of your city for everyone, together with thousands of people. With Mapp4All you can build a place where all people, regardless of their limitations, can be one more person without feeling excluded.

Seeing Assistant Move LITE

Developer: Transition Technologies S.A

Description: Seeing Assistant Move LITE is an application developed by Transition Technologies S.A. in order to support blind and visually impaired people in everyday life. Application provides advanced geo-location and navigation features as well as current weather reports. Also has a paid version with advanced features.

 

GLAUCOMA

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It’s a disease that affects more than 2 million Americans with no known cure, but only half of them actually know they have it. During January’s National Glaucoma Awareness Month, military health officials say while there might not be a cure, there are ways to prevent further or permanent loss of vision with medication and/or surgery.

Though there is no cure for glaucoma, there are some treatments which can delay the loss of vision,” says Dr. Mary Lawrence, deputy director for the Vision Center of Excellence at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, MD. “Medicines in the form of eye drops or pills are the most common treatments, however, they do not restore sight already lost from glaucoma.”  

Lawrence adds that the disease can affect anyone at any age. “Everyone is at risk for glaucoma, from infants to seniors,” says Lawrence, “Older people are at a higher risk for glaucoma, but babies can be born with the disease. African Americans in particular are susceptible at a younger age.”

Lawrence goes on to say that service members who have family members who have or have had glaucoma should be checked on a regular basis because they are 30 percent more likely to develop the disease. Other high risk groups for glaucoma include people over the age of 60 and Mexican Americans. The reason why the prevalence of glaucoma in Mexican and African-Americans compared to other ethnic groups is unknown, however knowledge of this is helpful with detecting the disease and getting treatment. Lawrence states people under the age of 40 should get tested every two to four years. People who have high-risk factors should be tested every one to two years after the age of 35.

Lawrence says that blunt eye trauma and blast trauma from combat can also increase a service member’s chances of contracting glaucoma. “There are 1.2 million neurons in each eye, and with the trauma that a blast can cause, these vision receptors to the brain can be permanently damaged,” she said.

While there are several types of glaucoma, open-angle glaucoma is the most common form of the disease. Fluid build-up on the optic nerve leaves the chamber at the open angle where the cornea and iris meet. Other forms of glaucoma include normal or low-tension glaucoma, congenital glaucoma, and angle-closure glaucoma, which can cause severe pain, nausea, redness of the eye and blurred vision. Persons suffering from angle-closure glaucoma need to seek treatment immediately.

Lawrence feels good eye health is essential to having a better, more efficient military.  “The wellness of our service members is vital to us maintaining an elite global fighting force,” said Lawrence. “So it is very important that during National Glaucoma Awareness Month, service members make sure to get tested.”

 

 

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GOD BLESS AMERICA!