Trains

February 21, 2005

.....Anyone else have things they leave running?

, The d..n garbage disposal; if I remember to turn the water

off and leave the disposal on it overheats and kicks off; then I

have to crawl down under the sink and find the reset. Water is my

favorite; I start filling the sink and walk away and something else

catches my attention....hmmmm...maybe thats old age not deafness.

Andi

February 21, 2005

brought up a good point about vibration. After I lost my hearing, I

was taught to use vibration for a variety of daily living activities around

my home. For example, before I owned a Braille timer, I was taught to place

my hand on the side of the microwave to know when it was running. (When the

vibration stops, I knew my food is done.) I used the same technique for the

washer, dryer -- and even the radio in my kitchen.

Heat and air are other clues that can be used to tell when an appliance is

on or off. I can tell my computer is on by feeling the vibration of the disk

drive spinning. If I forget whether or not I've turned off my computer (I

usually leave it on all day), I have several ways of determining this --

checking my Braille display, opening the tray of the CD player and/or

placing my hand on the computer fan.

As far as trains are concerned, even though I couldn't see them, I could

tell that a train was approaching by the vibration I felt in the ground well

before the time I could hear the train. When I was in 4th grade, a friend of

mine was killed by a train (he had normal sight and hearing but tried to

outrun a train while riding his bike). That incident made me even more

mindful about my safety in general -- not just at train tracks.

There are many ways a person can compensate for blindness, deafness and

deafblindness. Sometimes it takes a little work to discover these

techniques, but once they are learned, they really come in handy and can

still be used when you're not wearing your speech processor.

Implanted: 12/22/04 Activated: 1/18/05

Deafblind/Postlingual

BTE hearing aid user 20 years

Severe-profound hearing loss 10 years

February 21, 2005

,

I think you should put these techniques of getting around onto a separate

document or pdf file and post it permanently in the website. Your

description of various techniques for communcations were also sent to Aleksander

(remember!!). I suggest that you should compile all those and put it across as a

document or pdf. If you need any help let me know. Just compile and send it over

to me for formatting either as a pdf or doc. Today we may have sight, but as age

catches us, we could also be in your shoes. Hence it would do us good to know

that there is a way to communicate.

It would be great idea if you could do this.

Ravi

February 21, 2005

To add to what just said, " ...and can

still be used when you're not wearing your speech processor. "

Safety everywhere is critical. Dont lose the common sense habits now

just because you got a CI. And plan for the unforseen. Be prepared. A

normal runb into town that takes a half hour could very well turn into a day

or week due to whatever, Mother Nature, accidents, etc. Of course, we

cannot always be prepared, but we should try. And dont play chicken with a

train!

*---* *---* *---* *---* *---*

Do I look like a people person?

& Gimlet (Guide Dawggie)

Portland, Oregon

N24C 3G 8/2000 Hookup

rlclark77@...

http://home.comcast.net/~rlclark77/

February 21, 2005

Andi,

Old age? LOL No, its just habits. Dont leave the sink when water is

running. I did this in the last 3 apartments I lived in. I finally learned

when I moved into this place because its upstairs. LOL Dont walk away from

the garbage disposal. It only takes a moment to do its thing. Turn the

water on first and last. I actually stand there with my hand hovering over

the switch.

(old age? wassat? , do you know?)

*---* *---* *---* *---* *---*

Fiction is the truth inside the lie.

- King

& Gimlet (Guide Dawggie)

Portland, Oregon

N24C 3G 8/2000 Hookup

rlclark77@...

http://home.comcast.net/~rlclark77/

February 21, 2005

,

Good advice! I know I've been guilty of not considering what would happen if

I lost battery power with my CI and couldn't hear. Having extra batteries

and/or your CI equipment packed together in one place makes it easy for you

to find it, especially in the event of an emergency when we aren't thinking

clearly. I keep all of my equipment on the kitchen table right by the door.

I also have a container with emergency supplies sitting on a bookshelf

adjacent to it. Should there be an emergency, both are within easy reach for

me to grab and go.

Your advice about consideration for extra travel time is also excellent. I

know there have been times when I've missed a bus because of inclimate

weather and was delayed for an hour because of it. After wearing hearing

aids for a long time, I've always been in the habit of carrying extra

batteries with me so I'm never without power. I tend to go overboard though.

LOL! I carry 4 packs of batteries with me instead of two -- just in case one

or two battery packs are " dead. "

Implanted: 12/22/04 Activated: 1/18/05

Deafblind/Postlingual

BTE hearing aid user 20 years

Severe-profound hearing loss 10 years

February 21, 2005

Ravi,

What a great idea! Since I don't know anything about PDF documents, I would

appreciate any help you can give me. I'll contact you privately with a list

of techniques I've learned.

Thanks again!

Implanted: 12/22/04 Activated: 1/18/05

Deafblind/Postlingual

BTE hearing aid user 20 years

Severe-profound hearing loss 10 years

February 21, 2005

,

After I have moved, I want to talk wiht you about this too. I have been

meaning to create an emergency get away kit. I have na extra backpack that

would be perfect for this.

Dont go overboard....unless you also carry a rubber duckie with you.

LOL Dpnt mind me, I just ate some dark chocolate. LOL

*---* *---* *---* *---* *---*

I'm not a complete idiot, some parts are missing.

& Gimlet (Guide Dawggie)

Portland, Oregon

N24C 3G 8/2000 Hookup

rlclark77@...

http://home.comcast.net/~rlclark77/

February 21, 2005

,

I plan to compile that list tomorrow and will send it to you privately -- as

well as to post it on . I think it will be a good source of

information, especially in emergency situations when we aren't thinking

clearly.

Care to share some of that dark chocolate with me -- or is it all gone? LOL!

, who is still working on her Hershey's kiss

Implanted: 12/22/04 Activated: 1/18/05

Deafblind/Postlingual

BTE hearing aid user 20 years

Severe-profound hearing loss 10 years

February 21, 2005

,

Super. Be interesting to see what you have there.

Got lotsas dark chocolate. Will even share some when you come visit.

Still working on that Kiss? Wow! Come up for air already!

(is in a good mood, moving in one week! forgive my brashness, ?) LOL

*---* *---* *---* *---* *---*

I'm diagonally parked in a parallel universe.

& Gimlet (Guide Dawggie)

Portland, Oregon

N24C 3G 8/2000 Hookup

rlclark77@...

http://home.comcast.net/~rlclark77/

March 16, 2006

I'm just quoting what I've read, I don't know a whole lot about this. But

the news articles said that the woman in Texas wasn't walking on, or

crossing the tracks she was walking beside them, and got clipped by a

snowplow thing attached to the front of the train, that stuck out on the

sides of the train.

I do wonder about the vibration. I also read, regarding this particular

happening, that you can't always feel train vibrations, depends on the kind

of train it is. I've never been close enough to know.

When I first started losing my hearing, and learning about safety, I had two

incidents happen. The first one was in a grocery store parking lot. I was

walking blithly along and there was a car behind me. I didn't hear it. I

didn't hear the horn, or the car motor. The guy hit me, because he thought

I was being a smart ass and just refusing to move. He didn't hit me hard,

he tapped me hard enough to knock me down. Another time I was walking from

lunch, downtown San Diego and without looking walked into the path of an

oncoming trolley. The person I was with yanked me back. I think I've

learned from those experiences. I'd been used to hearing that kind of

stuff, and it took actual experiences to get it through my head that I had

to depend on other senses now.

Binns

----Original Message Follows----

From: M Jansen <nucleus24@...>

Reply-

Subject: trains

Date: Thu, 16 Mar 2006 00:21:55 -0500

People, ALL people, hearing or deaf need to remember SAFETY around

trains. When I was growing up we were taught to STOP, LOOK< and LISTEN.

Now if you're deaf, the STOP and LOOK will be sufficient. You don't

cross a street without looking both ways if you have any sense about you

at all. Why would you cross a train track without this.

What I fail to understand is why anyone doesnt FEEL the vibration of an

oncoming train. I can feel the vibration of my lawnmower, my vaccuum

cleaner, and my dishwasher. And I don't have my processor turne don when

I mow the lawn or vac the rug. Dishwasher is pretty quiet.

People are just not PAYING ATTENTION to what they are doing, and some of

them die because of it.

The Original

Speaking for myself, there are days that I really need the silence, so I

don't use my processor. Trying to keep up with everything is sometimes so

stressful, I'll tell my husband it is a 'no hearing apparatus' day for

me.

I really do love my CI 95% of the time. On 5% of my days, Silence is

Golden. Ignorance is bliss.

I was also very saddened to learn of Miss Deaf Texas being hit by a

train.

March 16, 2006

,

My understanding is that she was walking alongside the track and busy with

text messaging on SideKick.

March 16, 2006

While it doesnt make sense why this young lady did not know a train was

coming at her from behind, remember, she was 18. And, according to news

reports, she was text messaging. So apparently she was very preoccupied

with this. Its enough to make one oblivious to the world around you. Sad

but true.

*---* *---* *---* *---* *---*

Few women admit their age. Few men act theirs.

& Dreamer Doll (Guide Dawggie)

Newport, Oregon

N24C 3G 8/2000 Hookup

rclark0276@...

http://webpages.charter.net/dog_guide/ NEW Home Page!

November 7, 2009

I need to share. Every weekend we spend countless hours working at catching up

with my sons gen ed classroom. Tons of home work but when I spend the time he

get B's and C's good stuff! Today he was tired of the drill and suggested we go

for a train ride. I live in south FL and the local commuter trains are called

Tri Rail covering the Tri County area. For a couple of bucks you can get on all

day ride. I packed up Connor's Science and Math homework and headed off to the

station. He loved it. A perfect combo of sensory input, social interaction and

academics. A group of teens with skate boards came aboard and he changed seats

to sit in their vicinity. One kid introduced himself and asked about Connor and

I explained he was on the spectrum and sat with him and talked about

skating for several stops with his friends. Connor got three hours of quality

positive time in on HW and loved every minute. He has his skate board out for

the first time and is

working on learning the basics.

It worked for us. great day, cheap too!

Bill

November 7, 2009

That is absolutely wonderful! What a creative way to combine tedious work with

something fun and positive. Great thinking and how fun. Way to go!