Disabled American Veterans
Blind
Veterans National Chapter #1
WEB
SITE: http://www.davbvnc1.com/contents.htm
May-June
2016 Newsletter
Editor:
Dennis O’Connell
Email
address: bvnc1@optonline.net
"IF I CANNOT SPEAK GOOD
OF MY COMRADE,
I WILL NOT SPEAK
OFFICERS OF THE BLIND CHAPTER
Commander James Hogan (CA)
Phone
661 251 7870 email: ja2paroses@aol.com
Senior vice commander: Ron Lester (AZ)
1st Junior vice Commander David May
(PDC, PC) (OH)
2nd Junior vice Commander Leonard
Pope (NJ)
3rd Junior Vice Commander
Dennis O’Connell (PC) (NY)
4th Junior vice Commander
Robert Abshire (CO)
Judge Advocate Richard Bugbee (PC) (AZ)
Chaplain Rev. Tony Martino ( PDC) (IL),
Phone 847 736 2111, email: deaconmartino@gmail.com
Adjutant/Treasurer Paul Kaminsky (ret. Cmdr.) (FL) (also
webmaster),
Phone 904 291-0576, email: pkjax@kaminsky.com
Immediate Past Commander deceased
Carroll Prosser (PDC) (SC)
PLEASE, if you know of any member who
is sick or deceased inform one of the officers whose contact information is
listed above ASAPP.
COMMANDER’S MESSAGE
Hello Blind Vets, Family & Friends,
The warm weather is starting up for most of us. Thoughts summer are on the horizon, Time for more outdoor activities. You might want to check out your local VA recreational therapist or voluntary services for their schedule. Your closest DAV chapter just might have some fun stuff going on. Also it is time to make plans to be in Atlanta for our National Convention.
I suppose what I am trying to tell you is, get out and enjoy all life that has to offer. I look forward to getting my travel gear ready to go and seeing you all in Atlanta!
Stay Cool,
Part
2-Deaf-Blind Access Technologies and
Strategies Out of Sight or Out of Sound: There Is Always a Way--Living with a
Secondary Hearing Impairment By Deborah Kendrick, AFB'S "
In
addition to the earbuds included in the purchase with most smartphones, there
are a number of high performance wired and Bluetooth headsets to augment volume
and clarity. Look for ones with inline volume controls.
Direct
ConnectionsIn addition to the variety of external speakers and headsets
designed to enhance sound for everyone, the person who wears hearing aids has
even more options for a direct connection to sound. From wearables to mini
microphones, the hearing health marketplace is exploding with a smorgasbord of
direct connection devices.
Want
to be sure you hear every word of a movie playing on your television? There is
a device that can plug into the auxiliary port on your TV and deliver its audio
directly into your hearing aids. The same technology can be used for direct
delivery of sound from virtually any electronic device in your home or work
environment.
Want
to be sure you hear everything a presenter has to say? Ask him or her to clip a
small microphone-like device to a jacket (or wear it around the
neck)
and every word will sound as though it is being spoken directly into your ear.
Again, the same device could be used by a friend or family member walking with
you through a mall or amusement park. Even though he or she is
20
feet away, with a direct-connect FM or Bluetooth device in hand, all commentary
regarding the route you are taking or the description of sights around you will
be easily heard and understood.
The
guidance of an audiologist will be needed to select the best wireless hearing
accessory, and to make sure that one is selected that is compatible with your
particular hearing aids. You will also need the assistance of an audiologist or
other hearing professional to pair your new accessory appropriately with your
hearing aids. Phonak makes several excellent accessories but there are other
manufacturers as well.
Sometimes,
tweaking your hearing technology to play nicely with your vision technology can
be a challenge, but as more people experience a combined vision and hearing
loss, the larger the pool for sharing tips and tricks becomes. The bottom line
is, just as you learned that life can be lived to the fullest without perfect
vision, so you will also learn in time that impaired hearing can be
accommodated with technology.
Whether
out of sight or out of sound, there is always a way!
TAKEN
FROM A GUIDE DOG CONFERENCE CALL
To
All Members,
After
our phone discussion yesterday regarding guide dogs being attacked by other so
called service animals on VA property,I called the Kathy Treadwell, the GLA
Chief of Police. After a lengthy
discussion of the situation where Hoosier was attacked by an aggressive boxer
that a female veteran in a wheelchair claims is her service dog. Here is the recommendation on what one should
do when faced with the situation on VA premises.
1.
Remove yourself and your guide from the incident area.
2.
Call the VA Police ( program the local VA police number into your cell phone so
that you have it handy)
3.
When the officer arrives be aware that without their actually seeing the attack
or the absence of any marks, there is not much they can do. However, you can file a complaint with the
officer. Make sure you also have
witnesses to the incident.
Or
4. Have the officer escort you to the location of the aggressive animal. Hopefully the animal is still there and
reacts to your guide with the same aggressive behavior. Once this behavior is
observed by the officer, then they will make a criminal incident report and
will insist that the person remove the aggressive animal from the VA property.
In
addition, the individual will be informed that if another incident occurs with
the same animal they will be notified in writing that the animal is permanently banned from
the VA property.
Hopefully
this information will help us to make the VA a safer place for our guides dogs.
Free Record Retrieval
Veterans
and retirees who served on active duty or in the reserves and their family
members are eligible to receive a variety of service-related documents for
free. It's just a matter of knowing how.
Records
and other documents are available from Human Resources Command, Department of Veterans
Affairs, National Archives and other official government sources.
Because
the documents are provided free to those qualified to receive them, there is no
reason to get them from commercial firms that charge fees, according to Army
& Air Force officials.
A
good first stop for information on how to get veteran service documents is
HRC’s Human Resource Service Center at 1-888-276-9472 or DIN 983-9500, or email
at ask-hrc@us.army.mil.
Veterans
can receive a copy of a lost DD Form 214 by submitting a request on a SF Form
180. Veterans who were never issued a DD Form 214 can request an issuance,
provided there is enough information on file.
If
there is not enough information in the record, HRC will issue a Transcript of
Military Records (DA Form 1569) or a Statement of Service (AHRC Form
2496-E). Both documents are authorized
replacements for DD Form 214.
While
HRC can verify a veteran’s military service, requests for veteran benefits
eligibility should be directed to a local Veterans Benefits Administration
office, or the Department of Veteran Affairs.
One
of the most popular benefits is the VA Home Loan. To qualify, veterans must
provide proof of service to the VA with such documents as the DD Form 214, a
Chronological Statement of Retirement Points (AHRC Forms 249-E or DARP 249) or
the National Guard Bureau Retirement Credits Record (NGB Form 23).
Officials
recommend that requests for proof of service be submitted to HRC at the same
time a veteran contacts a mortgage company. Processing can take 30 to 45 days.
Requests should be submitted on a SF 180 or a signed and dated letter.
VAMC
INFORMATION
VA
Hospitals | Ratings, Care Outcomes, Performance Data
http://va-hospitals.healthgrove.com/
REMBER: Always
Ask for Your Veterans Discount