JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2023 NEWSY NOTES

TSB meets every Tuesday – 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Christ Presbyterian Church, 6565 E. Broadway
Come when you can and leave when you must. Bring a sack lunch.
For more information call Barbara, 298-2427 or Tom, 721-1029

www.tucsonsocietyoftheblind.org

Download Printable Version   PDF   MS Word

Calendar

JANUARY

3rd: Shawn Mangan, Assistant Manager of Sun Van, “Ways to improve the Sun Van service”

10th: “Ex NY Governor dealing with Vision Loss,” Annie and Barbara will give tips on how to organize your stuff

11th: Field Trip to Lovin’ Life after 50 Senior Expo. Free. Reid Doubletree Hotel, 445 S. Alvernon Way, 9:00 – 11:00 AM – Health Fair,
Raffle drawing $100 each hour, Lunch afterwards at the Olive Garden, 5410 E. Broadway; Let Barbara know by January 6th if you are coming.

13th: TSB Board Meeting 7026 E. Broadway, 10:15 AM

17th: Karla from AZ Technology Access Program, Pizza Party, Stay until 12:30 PM. Karla will demonstrate the latest visual impaired equipment. See details below *

17th: Manny’s class on the iPhone on Zoom 6:30 – 8:30 PM

24th: Barbara and Annie will lead a discussion of two books “Guiding Emily,” the story of love, loss and courage, and “The Unexpected Paths” by Barbara Hinske. Both books are available from the AZ Talking Book Library and BARD. Please read the two books before the meeting.

31st: Dr. Charles Gerba, microbiologist from University of Arizona, “How to avoid germs and properly clean surfaces.

FEBRUARY

7th: Jeff Babson AZ Biologist, “All about AZ Desert Animals and Desert Plants”

10th: Board Meeting, 10:15 Am, Biscuit Country Café, 7026 e. Broadway

14th: Heather from AZ Poison Control,”Learning about Medicine Safety, Toxic Household Substances, and How to Treat Bites and Stings,” Potluck Stay until 12:30.

14th: Steve Patton, “My Life Story and Orientation and Mobility Instructor,”

21st: Manny iPhone class on Zoom, 6:30-8:30 PM, on phone 1-605-468-8020 access code 969009 pound

28th: Janiela from Tucson city government, “Tips on Fire Safety and Avoiding Falls”

We will be on the phone until March 30th

 

* Arizona Technology Access Program (TAP) is a federal program located in Phoenix.  AZ TAP will lend out the latest visual equipment for 14 days.  You have to fill out an application and the shipping of equipment is free and comes with a free return label. Please do not order equipment until after Vision Specialist Karla Parker’s visit.  Karla will demonstrate the following items: DaVinci Pro: CCTV with OCR recognition, four different Portable video magnifiers including the talking Ruby with OCR recognition, Envision glasses, a wearable device to read text out aloud to you, We Walk Smart cane, Two tape recorders, Micro Speak and another, and the Blind Shell Cell Phone, Talking glucose monitor.  Karla will demo the first hour and then help people individually to try out the equipment the second hour.

AZ TAP offers Federal Loans of 4½ percent for those who qualify to pay off loans to purchase equipment within five years.

Karla Krissel Rivas Parker

Email: Karla.Rivas-Parker@nau.edu  phone: 602-728-9530

To schedule an appointment, call 602-728-9534, 800-477-9921 or send an email to askAzTAP@nau.edu.  To schedule an AzTAP tour, contact Adi Schaeffer at 602-728-9534/1-800-477-9921 or email adi.schaeffer@nau.edu.

https://aztap.org/

Here is the link for the Arizona Loans for Assistive Technology: www.azlat.net

You can read all the information about the financial program and download the application. But in case this is difficult for some of you, I have attached their brochure and application.

Regarding a 14-day borrower agreement, this is generated after we received and Assistive Technology Request for Equipment. You can take a look at the inventory on the link below:

Search Inventory

Follow these steps to submit an Assistive Technology Request:

• Add the item in your cart.
• Select to complete the inquiry request form online.
• Fill in the requested information.
• Select to borrow the device.
• Put any additional information in the additional
  comments/needs/requests field if needed, and then
• Select if the item will be picked up or shipped. (Be sure to complete shipping info if you select that option).
• Submit application.

Once submitted, the request will come to us and we will go ahead and get it in process.

 

ANNOUNCEMENTS

President’s Message by Barbara Macpherson

Welcome to Fall and the cooler mornings! Our annual meeting will be on Tuesday, November 8, 2022. TSB members will vote on the Board of Directors Election, approve the 2022-2023 budget, hear the president’s and TSB’s financial reports, and give member feedback to the TSB Board. According to our bylaws, all members have to pay their dues before the annual meeting in order to vote. Individuals who wish to run for the Board of Directors will have to let the President know by the October 14th board meeting so the TSB Board can approve their nomination. The TSB Board asks that all candidates need to be able to use email as many reports are delivered by that method.

After the Annual Meeting, members will enjoy a submarine sandwich lunch with pumpkin and apple pie for dessert. The Board encourages all members to attend the Annual Meeting.

We are going on field trips. Recently we had a fantastic time at the Gadsden Pacific Toy Train Museum. Coming up are a field trip to John McCann’s house on Friday October 7th, another trip to Tohono Chul Park on Friday October 21st and a possible field trip to Old Tucson on Friday November 18th. Please let President Barb know ahead of time if you would like to go on these field trips so she can arrange food and transportation. These field trips are lots of fun!

We are still selling Jim Click raffle tickets. All funds received from the raffle ticket sales go directly to the TSB treasury. Tickets are $25 each or five for $100. You may win a double cab 2022 Ford Lariat pickup truck or take the money. Second prize is two world class tickets to anywhere, and the third prize is $5000 In cash.

If you wish to purchase Jim Click raffle tickets contact Barbara at 520-298-2427 or email her at bjmacpherso@aol.com. You can also make a tax-deductible donation by a check to TSB. For those of you who have already purchased Jim Click Raffle tickets, thank you very much! TSB members appreciate all the ticket sales and this is our major fundraiser. All donations are really appreciated and help us to support TSB programs

Eye Talk by Annie Schlesinger – NLS Talking Books – Part Two

Many of us learn to accept blindness after some time being in and out of denial. Books can show us there are many ways of living the life we want.

“More Than Meets the Eye” is Joan Brock’s story. DB039905 1994.  She was a teacher of blind students when her own vision began to fail. She first lost the ability to see the color pink; then was soon blind. I heard her speak at SAAVI years ago.

“Haben: the Deaf Blind Woman Who Conquered Harvard” by Haben Girma. DB096188 2019. She describes her life, world travels, and how she advocates for those with disabilities.

Helen Keller is well known for her deaf/blindness story. There are many books in the library by and about Helen Keller who was a remarkable woman, a pioneer in disability rights and social issues. Talk to your reader advisor about a recommendation for you. I feel we all need to know about Helen Keller!

The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) has a series of little books, short stories. They are written by blind people.

One of the first stories I read was by a blind man who liked to fish in the nearby lake. He left a radio playing by his gear so he could find it again. I was very impressed with this practical experience.

The stories are by men and women writing about everyday situations. Tell Talking Book Librarian that you would like some of the Kernel books by Marc Maurer or Kenneth Jernigan. The librarian can put them on a cartridge.

Also, I found out that any book on BARD can be put on a cartridge.

Talking Book Library has a book club!  Monthly meetings are on the second Thursday of the month. These fun meetings are held mornings at 10:00 AM and evenings at 6:00 PM. You can join in by computer, web connected device, or by telephone. They will call you if you prefer. Call the library for more information or to sign up.

I attended the August meeting; the book was Carnegie‘s Maid,  a historical novel by Marie Benedict. I like to discuss books and this group is very convenient.  We are currently reading Dewey, The Library Cat in December.  Books have been picked out for the whole year, so you can have the Library send you on a cartridge with all the books on it.

 

Health Information by Annie

Recently my daughter-in-law volunteered to call and check on my lab orders. Because of HIPAA, the staff told her they couldn’t give her my health information. So, because of this, at each medical office I am now signing a release form which lists spouse, others, and gives permission to leave voice messages. Being an emergency contact is not enough! HIPAA restricts access to an individual’s private health information.

 

Tips for emotional adjustment to vision loss

• Learn all you can about your eye disease.
• Realize that progress is two steps forward and one step back.
• Have good news and inspiring stories to listen to on bad days.
• Set goals to learn something new.
• Call a friend or listen to music when frustrated.
• Limit self-pity parties to three days.
• Keep track of your progress.
• Remember where you started from.
• Have an exercise routine.
• Get organized.
• Learn how to use Alexa and iPhone and Newsline.
• Mark clothes with safety pins, Pen Friend labels, or Wayaround stickers.
• Be willing to work hard to learn new things.
• Set time aside for Talking Books.
• Check out Hadley Resources.
• Take baby steps toward goal.
• Listen to audio described movies.
• Check out audible on Alexa.
• Have a positive attitude on most days.
• Do as much as possible yourself even if it takes more time.
• Reframe your thinking.
• There is a learning curve to using the iPhone.
• Put a steering wheel on your emotions.
• Know your trigger points that spur anger.
• Start a journal on computer or iPhone to express feelings.
• Do new things or go to new events despite the fear.
• Ask for help when you need it.
• Clean out the junk drawer when frustrated Most time eye diseases progress slowly, so you have time to get ready.
• Don’t Ever Give Up – You are never a loser until you quit trying.
• Anyone can give up, it’s the easiest thing in the world to do. But to hold it together when everyone else would understand if you fell apart, that’s true strength.
• Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
• If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.

“It’s not the critic that counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled or whether the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust, and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and often comes up short again and again. Who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions and spends himself in a worthy cause. And who, if at best in the end, knows the triumph of higher treatment and high achievement, and who at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly so that his soul shall never be with those cold and timid ones, who know neither victory nor defeat.”

Theodore Roosevelt

 

Don’t Quit

When things go wrong as they sometimes will, 

When the road you’re trudging seems all up hill,

When the funds are low and the debts are high

And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,

When care is pressing you down a bit,

Rest if you must, but don’t you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,

As every one of us sometimes learns,

And many a failure turns about

When he might have won had he stuck it out;

Don’t give up though the pace seems slow 

You may succeed with another blow,

Success is failure turned inside out

The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,

And you never can tell how close you are,

It may be near when it seems so far;

So, stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit

It’s when things seem worst that you must not quit. 

Edgar A. Guest

 

“Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never— In nothing, great or small, large or petty–never give in, except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.”

Winston Churchill

 

In Honor of Tucson Rodeo February 18 through – February 26, 2023

COWBOY JOKES

1. What Do You Call A Happy Cowboy? A jolly rancher
2. What Do You Call Someone Who Wears Cowboy Clothes? Ranch dressin’
3. How Did the Cowboy Ride into Town On Friday and Ride Away Three Days Later On Friday? The horse’s name was Friday!
4. What Did the Cowboy Say When His Dog Left? Doggone!
5. Why Did the Bowlegged Cowboy Get Fired? Because he couldn’t keep his calves together!
6. Why Did the Cowboy Take Hay to Bed? To feed his nightmares.
7. What Sickness Did the Cowboy Get from Riding A Wild Horse? Bronc-itis
8. Why Did the Cowboy Die with His Boots On? Because he didn’t want to stub his toe when he kicked the bucket!
9. Why Can’t the Bankrupt Cowboy Complain? He’s got no beef!
10. Why Did the Cowboy Ride His Horse? Because it was too heavy to carry.
11. Why Did the Cowboy Get A Lot Of Laughs? Because he’s always horsing around!
12. What Do You Call A Cowboy With Bad Gas? Darn Tootin’
13. What Did the Cowboy Say To The Pencil? Draw, partner
14. Where Do Cowboys Cook Their Meals? On the range