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Old 04-24-2012, 07:41 PM
 
Location: ...
3,925 posts, read 2,557,508 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by animalcrazy View Post
Can you contact the utility companies and explain your situation? They have programs to help people in need. You should also qualify for food stamps. Are there food pantries in your area? We have a place called Manpower that will find temporary work. There may be something like that in your area. We have an agency therapist that barely gets any hours now that had her 4 grandkids dumped on her by her drug addicted jailbird daughter. She was barely making it on her own let alone feed 4 kids. She doesn't qualify for welfare as she doesn't have legal custody of the kids. We all got together and raised some money for her and the ones with kids donated some clothes for the kids. She does visit food pantries. Are you involved with any churches? Put an ad in all of the grocery stores by your house for house cleaning. Anybody else out there with some good ideas? I hope things get better for you soon.
Quote:
Originally Posted by nimchimpsky View Post
Another good way to get some money is to donate blood to the Red Cross. You get $50 each time and you can donate every 52 days or something like that.
Good ideas, thanks. I do have food stamps, my utilities are covered as is my rent. I am not as bad as it sounded, but not good because I can't pay for other bills, can't fix my car. Sorry. I wish I could give blood but my veins are small, the blood stops before they get enough when I have tried this in the past and it didn't work. :-(

I am not wanting sympathy or have a woe is me post. I just am just so frustrated!! The only thing I can do is not give up. OH HOW I want to- but I can't. I can SAY it though!
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Old 04-24-2012, 11:18 PM
 
Location: Chicago area
18,748 posts, read 11,735,644 times
Reputation: 64084
There's a lot of people out there in your situation love. Our country is in a very precarious state. I have 2 friends in foreclosure now. One from a motorcycle accident and one from his second stroke. Neither one can work. I guess no matter how you look at it you're always in the middle. There's always someone worse off than you and always someone better off than you. Things will be better for you some day.
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Old 04-25-2012, 01:57 PM
 
Location: Old Town Alexandria
14,496 posts, read 26,536,953 times
Reputation: 8966
Quote:
Originally Posted by nimchimpsky View Post
When I was totally deaf and blind, I got into a fight with my partner at the time and she slammed the door on my hand, breaking three fingers and causing my pinky to dangle by skin. We went to the E.R. and were made to wait three hours before I was given any pain medication, and before they reattached the finger. They told me I would probably lose the finger and need physical therapy for my hand to work. I used that hand to use sign language, receive sign language, and it’s my dominant braille-reading hand. Also as a jazz pianist, it is crucial in harmony. So the idea that I might not have full function of my hand, and that I might have only 9 fingers was the scariest thing I could possibly hear. It turns out that my finger was saved, though I lost some sensation in it. My hand dexterity is fine, though. When I use my hands a lot, and when it rains, I feel pain in the bones that had been broken. Since then I’ve gotten my hearing back (which was related to the same physically abusive situation that almost cost me my pinky).

I wasn’t scared while this happened, because I didn’t know any better, but my roommate relayed the whole story to me much later, since he didn’t think I could handle knowing what had happened at the time. My roommate and I were hanging out at a coffee shop. I was in a lot of pain that day so I wasn’t swinging my blind cane, but instead, had it folded up under my arm and was holding onto him for sighted-guide. I sat down for a moment, and while my roommate went to order us some coffee, a cop saw my cane and thought it was a gun. He told me to drop the weapon but I didn’t hear him cause I was deaf. Since he thought I was ignoring his command, he was just about to pull the trigger when my roommate turned around and yelled, “She’s deaf and blind! That’s a cane, not a gun!” He yanked the cane out from under my arm and extended it to its full length. I go to a deaf school now and it scares me that a deaf person could be walking down the street, an officer could issue a command, and because they wouldn’t hear it, they would be shot. Stories of deaf people being shot cause they didn’t hear an officer command have made the news before.
This is scary, so sorry this happened to you. Our society seems to be losing civility.
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Old 04-25-2012, 05:12 PM
 
10,449 posts, read 12,429,534 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dreamofmonterey View Post
This is scary, so sorry this happened to you. Our society seems to be losing civility.
What scares me even more is that my friend (the guy who saved my life) interviewed a bunch of cops after that incident and asked them all what they would have done. They all answered they would have reacted the same. I really believe cops should be trained to check if someone is deaf before they assume the person is ignoring their command.
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Old 04-26-2012, 12:02 AM
 
Location: Chicago area
18,748 posts, read 11,735,644 times
Reputation: 64084
Quote:
Originally Posted by nimchimpsky View Post
What scares me even more is that my friend (the guy who saved my life) interviewed a bunch of cops after that incident and asked them all what they would have done. They all answered they would have reacted the same. I really believe cops should be trained to check if someone is deaf before they assume the person is ignoring their command.
DH had a situation where this crazy old man pulled a gun on some neighborhood kids and threatened to shoot them for going on his lawn. When he arrived the old man was still holding the gun. He told him to drop it but he wouldn't. He instead went into the house. DH saw him put the gun on a table so he carefully entered the house and grabbed the gun. The old man was on the phone trying to call the president of the United States. DH arrested him and in court he told the judge that he told the neighbors that there was going to be a shooting if the kids didn't stay off of his lawn. The judge ordered a psych eval. and that all of the guns be removed from the house. Why didn't DH shoot? Police Officers are trained to watch the hands. The guy never raised his weapon so DH never had to pull the trigger. There was however someone in the news that had been shot by police holding a cell phone that the PO mistook for a weapon. It's more than just the training, you have to have good instincts as well.
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Old 04-26-2012, 02:19 AM
 
Location: playing in the colorful Colorado dirt
4,486 posts, read 5,210,146 times
Reputation: 7012
Quote:
Originally Posted by nimchimpsky View Post
When I was totally deaf and blind, I got into a fight with my partner at the time and she slammed the door on my hand, breaking three fingers and causing my pinky to dangle by skin. We went to the E.R. and were made to wait three hours before I was given any pain medication, and before they reattached the finger. They told me I would probably lose the finger and need physical therapy for my hand to work. I used that hand to use sign language, receive sign language, and it’s my dominant braille-reading hand. Also as a jazz pianist, it is crucial in harmony. So the idea that I might not have full function of my hand, and that I might have only 9 fingers was the scariest thing I could possibly hear. It turns out that my finger was saved, though I lost some sensation in it. My hand dexterity is fine, though. When I use my hands a lot, and when it rains, I feel pain in the bones that had been broken. Since then I’ve gotten my hearing back (which was related to the same physically abusive situation that almost cost me my pinky).

I wasn’t scared while this happened, because I didn’t know any better, but my roommate relayed the whole story to me much later, since he didn’t think I could handle knowing what had happened at the time. My roommate and I were hanging out at a coffee shop. I was in a lot of pain that day so I wasn’t swinging my blind cane, but instead, had it folded up under my arm and was holding onto him for sighted-guide. I sat down for a moment, and while my roommate went to order us some coffee, a cop saw my cane and thought it was a gun. He told me to drop the weapon but I didn’t hear him cause I was deaf. Since he thought I was ignoring his command, he was just about to pull the trigger when my roommate turned around and yelled, “She’s deaf and blind! That’s a cane, not a gun!” He yanked the cane out from under my arm and extended it to its full length. I go to a deaf school now and it scares me that a deaf person could be walking down the street, an officer could issue a command, and because they wouldn’t hear it, they would be shot. Stories of deaf people being shot cause they didn’t hear an officer command have made the news before.
Some cops just don't pay attention.

Back when we still lived in town my neighbors had a deaf son. There had been a neighborhood fight and the police were called to break it up. My neighbor, her son and myself were being questioned by a cop and we were translating for her son so he could answer questions. The big old cop apparently felt threatened by two tiny women and a 10 year old boy using sign language. He ordered us to put our hands in our pockets yet he kept asking the child questions. He then got irate when he didn't get any answers and threatened to arrest all three of us.

Really, how many times do you have to explain that someone is deaf?
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Old 04-26-2012, 06:29 AM
 
10,449 posts, read 12,429,534 times
Reputation: 12596
Quote:
Originally Posted by animalcrazy View Post
DH had a situation where this crazy old man pulled a gun on some neighborhood kids and threatened to shoot them for going on his lawn. When he arrived the old man was still holding the gun. He told him to drop it but he wouldn't. He instead went into the house. DH saw him put the gun on a table so he carefully entered the house and grabbed the gun. The old man was on the phone trying to call the president of the United States. DH arrested him and in court he told the judge that he told the neighbors that there was going to be a shooting if the kids didn't stay off of his lawn. The judge ordered a psych eval. and that all of the guns be removed from the house. Why didn't DH shoot? Police Officers are trained to watch the hands. The guy never raised his weapon so DH never had to pull the trigger. There was however someone in the news that had been shot by police holding a cell phone that the PO mistook for a weapon. It's more than just the training, you have to have good instincts as well.
Thank God I didn't move it in any way that the cop deemed threatening. I don't even understand how he thought I could have operated "a gun" under my arm. It's not like I was holding it in a "finger on the trigger"-like way. It was tucked between my upper arm and torso. I am still amazed that a blind cane can be mistaken for a gun. I realize I'm blind and all, but do those two things look anything at all alike?
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Old 04-26-2012, 06:36 AM
 
10,449 posts, read 12,429,534 times
Reputation: 12596
Quote:
Originally Posted by pamelaBeurman View Post
Some cops just don't pay attention.

Back when we still lived in town my neighbors had a deaf son. There had been a neighborhood fight and the police were called to break it up. My neighbor, her son and myself were being questioned by a cop and we were translating for her son so he could answer questions. The big old cop apparently felt threatened by two tiny women and a 10 year old boy using sign language. He ordered us to put our hands in our pockets yet he kept asking the child questions. He then got irate when he didn't get any answers and threatened to arrest all three of us.

Really, how many times do you have to explain that someone is deaf?
Lol, if you think that's hard, try getting a cop to understand you're deaf and blind--and use tactile sign language.

In any situation involving cops and deaf people, the only thing out of my mouth is that the deaf person has a right to a certified interpreter who specializes in legal interpreting. Nothing less. I'm sure you are a great signer, but it takes a high level of training and expertise to interpret in legal situations. No offense intended, but I've gotten into too many sticky legal situations at the hands of friendly offers to interpret from non-certified interpreters. Once I almost got into big trouble with the government, but luckily the huge misunderstanding was cleared up just in time by using my braille display to communicate with them in written English.

I don't want to diss all cops, and a lot of the cops I know did finally get it. By the time I left the rural town I lived in for two years, most of the cops knew how to tactile finger spell or write block letters on my palm. I do think cops could benefit from training on how to work with people who have various kinds of disabilities.
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Old 04-26-2012, 09:13 AM
 
Location: Chicago area
18,748 posts, read 11,735,644 times
Reputation: 64084
Pamela, Did the PO check your pockets for weapons first? Pretty dumb if he didn't. DH always stressed the importance of monitoring where someone's hands were. He always told me to keep both hands on the steering wheel during a traffic stop. Not that I've ever been pulled over for speeding
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