Disability Dialogue with Bill

Mental Health: Lack of Accessibility, Inclusion and External Challenges May Create or Compound Mental Health

Since October 10 was World Mental Health Day I hope this blog post can bring some awareness to the seriousness of those who are affected with any mental health condition.

Although I am no expert in mental health I feel people with mental health issues experience unique challenges. I have some thoughts that in my opinion may negatively impact mental health below that in some cases can be reduced or removed to help promote a healthier life.

I believe that experiencing digital technology usability/accessibility issues and inclusion barriers  in general can contribute to mental health issues. The usability/accessibility issues regarding accessing digital technology could be if a person has a disability and they use a form of assistive technology such as a screen reader and the application they are attempting to use does not conform to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1. Therefore, the application may have accessibility issues preventing people with disabilities or other unique challenges from using the application at all, effectively or efficiently causing stress and exclusions. If this happens frequently in my opinion it would lead to mental health issues. If these inclusion barriers occur over an extended period such as years, the negative impact on mental health I feel would be even greater. This would not only impact the person who is directly being excluded due to usability and accessibility issues it would also affect the family who lives with the person. This is because the added stress would be carried over to family life thus expanding the scope of the mental health issues to family members.  

Since we are in a unique time in the world today where we are coping/fighting a global pandemic (Covid - 19) which could also cause additional stress perpetuating mental health issues that would compound these issues caused by lack of usability/accessibility and inclusion in the world.

In addition to those two challenges that could lead to mental health issues just by themselves if someone already has a mental health issue caused by a medical condition their mental health issue would be even worse.

Besides those three stressful situations if someone added an additional stressful situation such  as a family member experiencing a long-term medical condition it can compound the stress level and could lead to a mental health issue.

On top of these challenges if someone has a disability and during normal times they are able to function without limitations although with the four other challenges I mentioned I feel most people may  be overwhelmed with added stress. They may even feel the loss of control of the situation especially if they are alone trying to navigate through the maze of challenges which can lead to mental health issues .

Although others have more challenging experiences of mental health issues to get us thinking and raise awareness I have noted some challenges my wife and I have experienced over the past year or so that could possibly lead to mental health issues.

• My wife has not been feeling well since March/April 2020 and her issues are growing in numbers and getting worse although fortunately none seem to be life-threatening .
• Observing my wife being sent to many urgent care visits , having many tests, given many types of medication for over a year without providing any relief to her uncomfortable issues all of it made for a stressful situation.
• In August 2021 fortunately we were able to see a primary care doctor in person then my wife was sent to many other doctors, had many other tests and was even sent to the emergency room without any relief. There were long delays in-between doctor appointments for which she experienced little improvement.
• Since the pandemic hit and attempting to be safe ordering everything online including food to be delivered added to the stress of wondering how we would eat.
• Although things are just starting to get better in regards to the pandemic due to a relapse in her health issues  she had to revert to ordering everything online again for she is not able to drive even to the doctors.
• My being completely blind and relying on assistive technology to access digital technology and at times experiencing usability/accessibility issues which prevents me from having an equitable experience and causes sadness. Although not a happy comment I sometimes jokingly tell others that it happens so frequently it’s like I might have post-traumatic stress syndrome/disorder due to these exclusions.
• At times have others think I am making a mistake in using an application or providing technical explanations simply because I am blind thus causes me to be frustrated.
• My wife and I living by ourselves and having to track down help when we are not able to do something with just the two of us causes stress.

Some questions to consider and think about when it comes to your own experience and others:

Do you have a mental health issue brought on by a medical condition or brought on by external sources like I mentioned above? How do you help your mental health issue either get better, be stable or not get worse? Have any ideas/suggestions on how to avoid causing mental health issues for others?

Although as I mentioned I am no expert one goal for family and friends affected  with mental health issues I feel should be feeling included, happiness, love , well-being and practicing resilience.

Bill Tipton

Contributing Author,

Global Dialogue Center

http://www.globaldialoguecenter.com/

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/wdtipton

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bill.tipton.39

Twitter: http://intercoms/wdtipton

Prosper in the New Year: Keep Focused on Goals Despite Distractions and Confusion

 As the world we live in changes sometimes the pressures to accomplish more with less resources provides opportunities to practice leadership. Sometimes time constraints also create opportunities to practice leadership. On top of these time challenges if additional requests for our time are unclear this also adds to unneeded stress and confusion. Similarly, if a person has rare and unique skills and perspectives that are needed for success they may be asked to help with a project or special request. When a person has a disability or other challenges in which skills acquired by these experience’s are critical to projects or personal requests this person might also receive requests to help.

In the event a person receives a request to assist in delivering projects in which there are multiple leaders asking for assistance with different ideas on deliverables this can lead to confusion and wasted time and effort.

These additional requests could compound the person’s workload leaving little time for family or friends. Also, by possibly over committing themselves a person may make mistakes, have poor performance accomplishing projects or give improper guidance.

I for one, as others, enjoy my profession and am passionate about the quality of my work and my plans for success. Continuous education to increase my skills and values is a lifelong goal for me, as it is for other people. Along with getting additional education and adding more skills to their portfolio it is possible for a person to receive additional requests to do more projects because of your newly acquired skills. With projects or special requests coming from a variety of people it is possible for a person to attempt to accomplish everything asked of them with their lifelong goal of providing excellent deliverables as they have always done.

During extremely busy times and projects coming from all directions it is even more critical that a person step back, take a leadership role and refocus, and realign their goals since it is impossible to accomplish everything everybody would like or need without proper resources and active sponsorship. Also keep in mind if you over work yourself it could lead to medical conditions, poor family life and in the long run will prevent you from accomplishing your long-term professional and personal goals.

If requests are too much and one may not have proper support, keep focused on the overall goals despite distractions and confusion and do not forget how important family, friends and community are as you are striving to accomplish all of your life-long goals Do not forget to complete them as if you are nourishing the act of completion. Be sure to take time to complete them with happiness and a caring attitude. If one finds oneself overwhelmed by the quantity or lack of clarity of request this provides an excellent opportunity to demonstrate leadership to prioritize what requests are critical and what ones have enough information to take accurate action.

If one does not allow oneself to have a healthy work life balance it is possible this lifestyle may lead to medical conditions which may result in one not being able to provide quality skills to your employer and be a loving family member. Even worse it is possible too much stress can cause hidden serious medical conditions which could lead to one leaving this world prematurely.

As we move into this wonderful new year, I hope we can keep our goals and priorities in perspective in our daily lives.

Does anybody have any thoughts or comments about achieving any of the topics I discussed above? Do you have tips to help us to not leave our family, friends and community behind as we pursue our goals? Do you have any examples of any of the topics I discussed with suggestions on how to make any course corrections if possible? Lastly do you have any tips on how to educate others regarding these valuable topics to help with time constraint sometimes caused by poor planning, distractions and confusion?

We all look forward to hearing your valuable thoughts and comments.

I also want to wish you and your family a happy, healthy, prosperous, contented and blessed new year as you allow your dreams to blossom into reality like when a bulb grows into a plant and eventually into a lovely beautiful flower if properly cared for.

Bill Tipton

Contributing Author,

Global Dialogue Center

http://www.globaldialoguecenter.com/

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/wdtipton

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bill.tipton.39

Twitter: http://twitter.com/wdtipton

       

Slow Down and Enjoy the Fall Season

Do you enjoy the fall season like I do? Since I am very busy most days like others I do understand if we do not slow down and prioritize our values this joyful season can pass us by like the leaves fluttering by us on a windy day. Life passes by so quickly therefore I believe we should not waste any time being preoccupied by non-critical tasks and take the time to enjoy very precious moments. Also this time of year I feel we should be spending more time with family or friends if we are fortunate enough to have them in our lives.

Below I have listed a few of the many reasons why I enjoy fall. Some of them you may be able to relate to.

• Listening to the laughter and joy of children as they walk by our home as they return to their schedule of going to and from school.
• Experiencing the pleasant sensations of the air temperature as it transitions from hot to cooler.
• When outdoors listening to the relaxing sounds of leaves fluttering by while hearing the honking geese as they fly by.
• Anticipating the upcoming holidays, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s among many others in which we have the opportunity to share ourselves with others unselfishly.
• The joy of picking out pumpkins and apples with family and friends, creating lasting memories and enjoying the delightful fall weather outdoors.
• Happily experiencing my loving wife decorating our home to create holiday wonderlands.  Also being with others, if possible, to share the enjoyment decorations can create.
• Appreciating the cooler days that can aid in alertness, cooler evenings which makes sleeping easier and experiencing the days as they get shorter and nights get longer.

Do you have any fall traditions you would like to share? Perhaps you have suggestions to help us slow down and prioritize our values to enable us to enjoy fall before it passes by. How can we help others who are less fortunate than us and may not be able to get out to enjoy fall?  Does anyone have tips to encourage the joy of unselfish behavior?

We look forward to hearing your valuable thoughts and comments to help us enjoy the fall season so it does not pass us by like leaves fluttering by on a windy day.

Bill Tipton

Contributing Author,

Global Dialogue Center

http://www.globaldialoguecenter.com/

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/wdtipton

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bill.tipton.39

Twitter: http://twitter.com/wdtipton

 

      

Why People Who are Blind May Make Better Project Managers

As a person who has been completely blind since May of 1999 I believe my senses have been enhanced in a variety of beneficial ways.  I have found that my newly acquired skills and senses have helped me to be a better Program and Project Manager which I have been doing for nearly two decades.

After becoming blind my organizational, planning and interpersonal relationship skills have also been heightened. I found I now have enhanced abilities to sense a person’s feelings and trustworthiness which can assist in my leading projects. These enhanced abilities benefit in other professions as well.

Below are a few examples of the enhanced skills I gained after becoming blind that could assist in being an effective Program or Project Manager that other blind or visually impaired people may also have.

• I have the ability to adapt and learn quickly with tenacity and resilience. After suddenly going blind I was in a coma for three months. After being in the hospital for seven months I was finally able to be released. I then had the opportunity to learn the required blindness related skills I needed to accomplish tasks as a newly blind person. Besides learning on my own I also reached out to others and organizations to help educate myself to enable me to return back to work quickly. These tenacity and resilience skills can be helpful in any project a person is managing.
• I have the ability to laugh at myself which can help reduce stress in projects I manage. One of many examples is when I was writing my Lemonade on the Road to Recovery story that was published in the Blind Californian. In it I talk about some rehabilitation after I had not taken a drink of cool liquid in approximately five months, I laughed a few times when writing the story, although some might think the story was tragic or sad.
• I have the ability to quickly make course corrections for successful results. An example is, I may drop something and listen to the sounds as the object bounces and slides across the floor. The ability to locate the object being completely blind is an enhanced skill that can make course corrections in projects relatively easy compared to locating something in complete darkness.
• I have learned to be patient and flexible. Another example is when I was pushed into a waiting area in the hospital during my seven month stay I waited for hours and hours by myself for a procedure while sitting in a wheelchair. Not being able to see anything around me and not knowing when anyone would show up forced me to learn the value of patience which is a valuable trait when managing projects and teams.  
• I have the ability to increase my network opportunities by communicating with organizations I interact with which enables me to be around other people who are blind, in addition to people with many other types of disabilities. This first - hand education enables me to have a diverse perspective when managing programs and projects with people with a valuable diverse skillset. This also enables me to equally value the diverse perspectives of others to deliver unique and inclusive projects.
• I have a can-do attitude. An example is I always find a way to accomplish a task. Many people who are disabled run into accessibility/usability barriers and find unique methods to overcome these barriers. This provides excellent education for overcoming obstacles or perceived barriers within project teams.
• I have the ability to overcome the incorrect attitudes about abilities of the disabled. One example, is when somebody assumes a person who is completely blind makes mistakes when dialing a phone number or following text directions in an email message. When these inaccurate assumptions are presented it gives me the opportunity to educate everyone in the project team while respecting with kindness the people who are unaware of the successes and abilities of blind people. With proper assistive technology and accessible tools blind people can accomplish most anything a non-disabled person can do which will assist their team in succeeding. These misunderstandings also give me opportunities to learn when it's best to let things go or attempt to educate those who are not aware.
• I have the ability to work virtually as if I am in person. Since I do not see anything, it does not matter if I am sitting across the table with the person or group I am working with or they are half way around the world. I can sense if the person or group I am talking with understands me from listening to their voices, including speech tones, pitches, volumes, and sensing emotions.  By using these abilities I am able to sense others reactions to my conversation which enables me to make any course correction in my communication style for maximum effectiveness.  This skill assists to deliver successful projects.
• I have a better understanding of demonstrating the value of partnerships and leadership. Because of strategizing and tactical skills I possess I may have authority and solid facts to back up my actions. Although sometimes it's best not to take all actions that I am able to take because this brute force method might actually inhibit relationships that may impact the project and long-term credibility for ethical and compassionate behavior.
• I have enhanced leadership skills which are demonstrated when working with a diverse team of employees, contractors and others who I am not directly responsible for. It is beneficial for me to leverage my enhanced senses to act as an ethical leader to assist in getting the project completed even though I do not have authority.
• I have a more accurate sense of timing based on how difficult each component of the project is and the ability to gauge the skills of each team member and their perceived commitment to success. This skill helps me better understand when to launch each component of the project to improve the chance for a successful outcome for all components to be delivered on time and within budget.
• I have learned to be grateful, value family, co-workers and relationships every day. Without going through extreme struggles at times that my wife and I endure by ourselves without any help I would not be able to help out others by leading and participating in valuable projects and programs.

Although I explained some skills that I have these are not unique to me alone. I believe all people with disabilities harness similar skills who have a variety of disabilities that can be leveraged to help companies progress in their goals to assist their customers.

Does anyone want to share other examples of skills people who are disabled have that can aid in project or program management roles? Can you share other unique and valuable skills people with disabilities have, other than blindness or low vision, that can assist them in all professions?

We all look forward to hearing your valuable thoughts and comments.

Bill Tipton

Contributing Author,

Global Dialogue Center

http://www.globaldialoguecenter.com/

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/wdtipton

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bill.tipton.39

Twitter: http://twitter.com/wdtipton

 

Holidays; Sharing Your Time Can Be a Valuable Gift

During the holidays I enjoy participating in get togethers with family and friends. I am aware not everyone has family or friends nearby. Also, some people believe they are too busy to share time with others and prefer to be alone. I feel one should participate unselfishly with others if given the opportunity. Over the past few years I have lost many loved ones and am grateful I was able to be with them sharing memories when I had a chance to.

During this time of the year we have many opportunities to share our self with others. For example, for the people in the US we recently had Thanksgiving. We also have Christmas, Hanukkah and New Years among many other holidays.

If your special holiday traditions involve the purchase of gifts, I understand some wish to participate in such However I believe a gift of sharing yourself can be more valuable than any store purchased gift.

I am aware of the value of assistance and sharing because of the many challenges my wife, Kathy, and I attempt to overcome daily. I use to do all the driving when I had eyesight. Now that I am blind and can no longer drive and my wife does not feel comfortable driving on freeways traveling is difficult. Not having the option to drive introduces unique challenges when Kathy is sick and I need to bring her to the doctors, get medicine for us or do grocery shopping. Repairing/maintaining minor things around the house is challenging and extremely time consuming. Reading my postal mail and responding to correspondence is also difficult for me.

Why We Have New Obstacles We Are Grateful To Overcome:

On May 26, 1999 I had become critically ill and went into the hospital. I spent seven months in the hospital, in which three of the months I was in a coma.  I returned home from the hospital on December 28, 1999. We received medical bills totaling over one million dollars which caused Kathy and I to address several challenges. When we received the medical bills at this stage in my recovery I was in bed and could not get out without assistance. Unfortunately at the same time the landlord raised our rent.  Also we no longer had medical coverage due to exceeding the limits of the insurance policy.  Therefor we were on our own to pay any remaining costs out of pocket.

Despite these difficulties, the alternative of my dying during my hospitalization would have been far worse.   

I am grateful to be able to say I survived so I can share my time with others and enjoy life and all the difficulties it presents at times. Even though my life has changed forever when I hear the song by Barbra Streisand,  “The Way We Were”, it reminds me of the way it used to be.

I am happy my wife Kathy and I were able to uphold our wedding vows we committed to each other on June 14, 1987 which are noted below and to continue to give each other the best gift of all.

I (name), take you (name), for my lawful wedded wife/husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part. 

I am grateful I have the opportunity to work in my profession long hours at times with little downtime even through some weekends. Despite the challenges my wife Kathy and I continually face and somehow overcome I still try to find time to provide my gift of helping others.  Examples are being a mentor, helping to increase accessibility/usability in my workplace, helping drive inclusion and helping others in my community.

Below are some suggestions on how an individual can share time with others as well as demonstrate gratefulness. 

Examples of Valuable Gifts from My Wife Kathy, Family and Others:

• I am grateful Kathy did not take the advice of others and leave me when I was in the hospital during my seven month stay. This gift enabled us to continue on our life journey sharing life’s experiences together.
• I am grateful Kathy did not accept the advice of the hospital personnel of sending me to a rehabilitation facility far away from family and friends when I ran out of insurance after being in the hospital for seven months. She gave me the loving gift by taking me home to provide  some rehabilitation herself which also enabled me to connect with local organizations to further assist me instead of my being isolated in some far-off location.
• I am grateful my dad provided the gift of building me a standing frame from plans he got from one of our local hospitals. This enabled my wife Kathy to work with me daily at home using this device along with the other required therapy.  Although most doctors thought I would never walk again, using this standing frame with other therapy eventually enabled me to walk again with the assistance of two canes, one support cane and one long white cane for navigation.  
• I am grateful after I got home from the hospital in December of 1999 for some family members, a co- worker and others who came over to provide the gift of assistance.
• I am grateful after having a total hip replacement in 2013 Kathy provided the gift of bringing me home to help me perform  the required rehabilitation which enabled me to recover and heal at home instead of sending me to a rehabilitation center.
• I am grateful I have Kathy to provide gifts all year long such as maintaining our home, our yard, our car as well as doing the finances, cooking delicious meals and all of the other things she does daily from sunrise to well past sunset, occasionally taking some time off for herself.
• I am grateful that Kathy decorates our home for the holidays sharing the gift of enjoyment and holiday traditions for all who are able to experience the holiday wonderland.  This environment spreads the happiness and cheer that goes with creating a festive and loving environment.
• I am grateful to have received the gift of positivity and prayers from many people all around the world to assist me in coming out of my coma and surviving my critical medical condition.

Other Examples of Valuable Gifts:

• I am grateful for the gift of assistive technology. When I went blind this technology enabled me to retain my job after a lot of training and commitment to re-skilling myself.
• Give the gift of your personal companionship by spending time with others to help decrease loneliness and promote happiness.
• Offer your gift of experience, time and expertise to help people in your workplace, non-profit organizations, neighborhood, your community and other places around the world who can benefit from your skills and knowledge.
• Provide the gift of assisting the less fortunate, the disabled, the elderly or those who are in need so as to help increase optimism and self-esteem as well as helping them with tasks they cannot do themselves.
• Provide the gift of knowledge by teaching, mentoring and give guidance to people in your personal and professional life to help in order to share educational opportunities.
• If in your professional life you are in direct contact with customers you should provide the gift of treating them with respect and caring like you should do for everyone.
• If you work in an organization or business and are able to develop programs to assist employees or customers with challenges or disabilities in the work-place or customer facing products or services you can provide a unique gift by launching programs to assist these employees and customers to be more self-sufficient.
• One can provide the gift of inclusion and equal access by developing and promoting accessible and usable web pages, applications and devices.  This practice can help increase inclusion and reduce exclusion.

These gifts I have listed are equally reciprocal as gifts to yourself. When you give the gift of yourself there are others that receive your gifts through the people you touch.  One other side benefit of providing such gifts is that you will never know who you may have helped from your generosity and caring.

Do you have any suggestions on how to share unselfishly and celebrate holidays while helping others? Can you provide ideas as to how to have time to help the less fortunate, the elderly or the disabled? Do you have any stories to share to help us all learn the benefits of providing the gift of assisting others in need while increasing happiness?

We all look forward to hearing your valuable thoughts and comments.

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season and a Happy New Year and can find some time to create happiness for others!!

Bill Tipton

Contributing Author,

Global Dialogue Center

http://www.globaldialoguecenter.com/

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/wdtipton

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bill.tipton.39

Twitter: http://twitter.com/wdtipton

Nurture and Value Partnerships

In today’s world it seems some people may be focused on themselves acting alone or attempting to impatiently drive quick fixes through brute force to overcome complex issues.

I believe to successfully enjoy the benefits of sustainable relationships or deliver successful programs or projects one needs to work as a team and nurture partnerships. The ability to nurture partnerships could be practiced in your family, among friends, in your own business or the company you work for.

Quick accomplishments could provide a sense of satisfaction however if achieved by bullying people into submission the damages may not be worth the perceived short-term gains. Acting unethically, excluding some individuals based on their differences, attempting to make progress without adequate knowledge of the subject, or considering the impact on relationships the long-term damages caused by these negative behaviours may also prove negative. Some of the collateral damages could take a long time to overcome if they can be resolved at all. 

Skilled ethical leaders, compassionate friends or family members can move quickly to accomplish shared goals all while nurturing and valuing partnerships.  When common goals are achieved by nurturing and valuing partnerships it is far more likely to produce positive lasting results with a win – win outcome. 

• Does anyone have any examples of when nurturing and valuing partnerships did not work?
• Do you have examples of when nurturing and valuing partnerships did provide the outcome you had hoped for? 
• Any tips to educate us on how we can better leverage the benefits of nurturing and valuing partnerships? 
• How can we leverage and value the differences in people to enhance the benefits of valuing partnerships? 
• Lastly does anyone have any suggestions to persuade others who believe the brute force non-partnering option works best? 

We all look forward to hearing your valuable thoughts and comments. 

Bill Tipton

Contributing Author,

Global Dialogue Center

http://www.globaldialoguecenter.com/

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/wdtipton

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bill.tipton.39

Twitter: http://twitter.com/wdtipton

Addicted to Stress

When I am on vacation or if my work load is down to a manageable level I sense I may be addicted to stress. I believe this sensation is because I have been fortunate to work in my profession in the high-tech industry for over 30 years and have become very effective at working in a fast paced and continually changing environment, which I enjoy. On top of this fast paced environment there are very long hours at times with little downtime even through some weekends resulting in working many days/weeks in a row. Luckily I enjoy what I do in my profession and have a passion for excellence in my work. When it is time for me to take an extended break from my profession it takes me sometime to switch into the mind- set of relaxation. Until this transformation from stress turns into relaxation I actually miss the excitement of my high stress fast paced work.

This regimen I feel can be compared to how an athlete trains such as Formula One race car drivers, marathon runners , bicycle racers like the ones who compete in the Tour de France, drivers in 24 Hours of Le Mans, drivers in the Dakar Rally, hockey players or how a thoroughbred race horse is prepared for race action. In all of these examples the athletes or horses are not feeling calm while at rest. They only sense the feeling of normalcy when they are at full throttle and intensity.

Having such a fast paced, stress filled life style for long periods of time can also cause health issues. Therefore, when a person does have the opportunity and luxury for some downtime they should take advantage of it. Although I do enjoy a fast paced stress filled workload, after a break from it I do feel more focused and productive.  Also, a person should also not neglect their family and friends. It is important to prioritize some time into our busy lifestyle and schedule to share our time with our family and friends. It is essential to take the opportunity to enjoy their company when we have the chance since nobody is around forever and we might miss our last opportunity to be with someone we care about.

I believe this training has helped me to become a person who can handle doing multiple tasks at the same time, juggling and prioritizing tasks quickly, all while enjoying life.  When I am actually able to take time off it helps me relax and feel more revitalized so I can better manage my addiction to stress much easier when I return to work at full throttle and intensity.

 • Do you have any suggestions on how to help others manage their addiction to stress?

 • Any ideas to assist in achieving a healthier work-life balance?

 • Does anyone have tips to help us take needed breaks and not feel guilty about it?

 • Maybe others have stories to share with examples of the benefits of overcoming their addiction to stress?

We all look forward to hearing your valuable thoughts and comments.

 

Bill Tipton

Contributing Author,

Global Dialogue Center

http://www.globaldialoguecenter.com/

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/wdtipton

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bill.tipton.39

Twitter: http://twitter.com/wdtipton

Attending the American Foundation for the Blind Leadership Conference and Helen Keller Achievement Awards Ceremony

My wife Kathy and I had an enjoyable time attending the American Foundation for the Blind Leadership Conference and Helen Keller Achievement Award ceremony and Gala in Oakland California this April.

 

You can read about the last time we attended the Helen Keller Achievement Awards ceremony in New York City in my blog post I did “Helen Keller Achievement Awards & Exploring NYC without Eyesight”.

I enjoyed attending the sessions and due to my accessibility experience having the opportunity to talk with others in person I otherwise know virtually and seldom get to meet in person. One example is having the opportunity to talk in person with Jennison Asuncion, Engineering Manager, Accessibility at LinkedIn. Attending this event also gave me the opportunity to meet people I have never met before who are as passionate as I am about accessibility for products and services. These people also share the same enthusiasm as I for increasing accessibility in the work place. These shared goals include sponsoring inclusion for people with disabilities also with hiring, retaining and promotional opportunities. It was refreshing to be around people who understand the technical and business reasons for insuring people with disabilities are included in the work place to enhance the diverse conversations that lead to better project outcomes.

I especially enjoyed the General Sessions” How Leading Tech Companies Are Raising the Bar for Blind and Visually Impaired Users” on Thursday and “Empowering a Future of No Limits: Employment panel” on Friday. In Fridays’ general session some speakers discussed why leading companies value the unique skillsets people with disabilities have to offer. I also definitely enjoyed listening to some of the speakers explain how their companies have established partnerships between product accessibility, HR, Diversity & Inclusion to promote internal accessibility goals to assist current employees with disabilities along with the goals of attracting new talented employees.

After the Helen Keller Achievement Award ceremony I was very excited and fortunate to meet a longtime, mostly virtual friend Jenny Lay-Flurrie , Chief Accessibility Officer from Microsoft. She was honored and awarded one of the three Helen Keller Achievement Awards for Microsoft’s significant strides in developing inclusive technologies to empower people with disabilities.

Read about this prestigious award and the other 2018 Helen Keller Achievement Award Winners that include Facebook and Haben Girma who I was also fortunate enough to meet and congratulate virtually after the event.

You can read some of the highlights from The 2018 American Foundation for the Blind Leadership Conference in the April 2018 AccessWorld®. Also you can find some of the pictures of this event at American Foundation for the Blind Leadership Conference and Helen Keller Achievement Awards (Facebook) Photos.

Has anyone else attended events where you learned the value of accessibility and the benefits of demonstrating inclusion of all people equally?  If yes, what did you learn? Do you plan to incorporate anything you learned?  If yes, what do you think might be your largest obstacle you may have to overcome in order to promote any change if needed?

We all look forward to hearing your valuable comments.

Bill Tipton

Contributing Author,

Global Dialogue Center

http://www.globaldialoguecenter.com/

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/wdtipton

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bill.tipton.39

Twitter: http://twitter.com/wdtipton 

 

Celebrating 30th Wedding Anniversary with Gratitude

When I wrote my blog post, Anniversaries - What They Mean to You I was celebrating my 20^th wedding anniversary.  Now I am happy and grateful to be celebrating my 30^th anniversary this month on June 14, 2017.

If you have not had the opportunity to read any of my other blog posts to get to know me here is a short background describing what happened to me. I went completely blind in 1999 during a seven month hospitalization three of which I was in a coma. Now I also require two canes to walk, one support cane and one long white cane for navigation.  

As I wrote about in “Anniversaries - What They Mean to You” I will always remember my 11th wedding anniversary among all others except for my 12^th which I describe in my blog post above. I will never forget my 11th wedding anniversary because it was the last anniversary I could hold my wife and look into her bright caring eyes and see her loving expression on her beautiful face looking back at me. Thinking about the length of time that passed since that wonderful occasion brings up the thought of Kathy and me reaching another milestone. Our new milestone is over half of our married life I have not been able to see my loving wife Kathy or assist her the way I could or want to if I was not blind and did not require two canes to walk. Although I am working many hours a week in my profession, most other activities around the home are left up to Kathy to complete by herself which is very stressful and difficult.

Below are additional reasons I am celebrating and am grateful for to add to the ones I noted in Anniversaries - What They Mean to You.

• I am grateful Kathy did not accept the advice of the hospital personnel to send me off to a rehabilitation facility far away from family and friends. She instead decided to take me home to perform some rehabilitation herself which also enabled me to connect with local organizations to assist me locally instead of my being isolated in some far off location.
• I am grateful to have my dad build me a standing frame from plans he got from one of our local hospitals. This enabled my wife Kathy to work with me daily using it along with the other required therapy. This therapy eventually enabled me to walk again which I describe in Learning to Walk Again.
• I am grateful after having a total hip replacement that Kathy again took me home to help with the required rehabilitation which enabled me to recover and heal at home. I wrote about this in Accepting the Inevitable Total Hip Replacement , instead of sending me to a rehabilitation center.
• I am grateful Kathy did not take the advice of others and leave me when I was in the hospital. This enabled us to continue on our journey through life together, although now with additional obstacles and bumps in this road of life.
• I am grateful I have Kathy to maintain our home, our yard, our car and finances among all of the other things she does daily from sunrise to well past sunset, occasionally taking some time off for herself. 
• I am grateful Kathy brings light into my darkened eyes as we continue on our life’s’ journey to reach another wonderful milestone together, and dream and plan for many more in the future.

Since my 20^th wedding anniversary blog post, like some other people, we have endured financial difficulties, challenging living situations and experienced many other obstacles in our life which tests our health, marriage and friendship.  We understand we are not unique and these circumstances are all part of life that we accept and will continue to do the best we can together as partners in life.

Does anyone want to share any reasons why they feel anniversaries are special? Are you celebrating an anniversary of any type in which you would like to include all of us in your celebration? Do you have any additional thoughts to help us all not lose track of what is important in life? Lastly, any comments on how we can maintain gratitude and love through challenges?  

We all look forward to hearing from you.

Bill Tipton

Contributing Author,

Global Dialogue Center

http://www.globaldialoguecenter.com/

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/wdtipton

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bill.tipton.39

Twitter: http://twitter.com/wdtipton 

Home Maintenance: Disassembling Wooden Frames Without Eyesight

Have you ever wondered how a completely blind person is able to accomplish home maintenance projects; for example disassembling somewhat large wooden frames around raised vegetable garden beds by touch and sound only?  I would not think most of you have thought about such things therefore I will explain for those interested in learning one person’s technique and strategy.

Why: Over 25 years ago before I went completely blind I built three redwood raised vegetable garden beds in the house we rented.  Over each of the beds I built large redwood frames where I placed weather resistant sun filtering cloth that allows air through but blocked out direct sunlight. I could then manually roll out  the sun filtering  cloth over the frame as needed to protect the plants from the intense direct sun. Since I lost my eyesight in May of 1999 the two remaining garden beds and the frames covering them had developed a desperate need of repair. To start the needed transformation   and the required repair of my vegetable garden area I planned to remove the two frames around each bed that were  left to allow the vegetables to  grow in natural unfiltered sun.  My plan is to recycle and reuse the wood from the frames for plant stakes as well as other uses for the wood around our yard thus preventing the waste of valuable wood and trees.

Strategy: I figured out all the tools I would need ahead of time to complete this project. Since I walk with two canes, one support cane and one long white cane for navigation, I have no extra hands to carry anything when I walk which makes planning crucial. After I located  one philips screwdriver, one flat blade  screwdriver, needle nose plyers, regular plyers, hammer, a plastic bottle of water  and my trusty  Huntsman version of a Swiss Army knife (my go to knife when I used to backpack) I was prepared. My loving wife Kathy set up a chair where I could sit as I worked on my project. Kathy also brought me all the tools I listed including an empty coffee can. This can was used so I could place any hardware in it during the disassembly process. I carefully placed my tools and coffee can near the right side of my chair so I could find everything more easily. Once Kathy had dragged each frame with some difficulty over to me one at a time I was ready to begin my fun.

Fun: As I sat in the chair with  the frame resting  across my legs with it’s four legs pointing in unknown directions I explored all sides of the frame with my fingers and hands to determine the layout  in my minds-eye and as to how I assembled it many years ago. After I had the image of how the frame looked I then determined the best approach to disassemble it. Then I felt around at each joint to determine if I used screws or nails as fasteners.    From feeling small indentations at the center of each fastener with my finger tip I determined they must be screws that held down each metal bracket.  These L-brackets attached each leg to the top square frame I had assembled with the same style brackets. I then selected my Swiss Army knife’s small screw driver and started to remove each screw. Some screws were extremely tight which required me to position myself in my chair in a way to maximize leverage.  This tactic allowed me to keep the required pressure on the screw as I removed each one. After removing a leg of the frame I found a short piece of wood that was connected to it. By feeling no indentation in the top of the fastener on this short piece of wood I determined I had put in nails which held the short piece of wood to the leg.  These short pieces of wood connected each leg on two sides to the top of the frame at 45 degree angles reinforcing each leg. After removing the short pieces of wood by pulling them off by hand or prying them off with the claw end of the hammer I used my plyers or hammer to pull out each nail. To keep my work space organized as I disassembled each section I stacked the shorter pieces of wood to the left of my chair, the longer leg pieces to my right in the corner resting up against the fence and placed all screws, nails and brackets in the coffee can.

When I was working on the second frame I noticed for some reason the screws did not turn, therefore did not loosen. This difficulty made me wonder if these were nails preventing my Swiss Army knife screwdriver from biting in the head of the screw as I attempted to twist it out. I then cheated and asked my wife Kathy if the screws were philips or straight blade types since I could not determent what they were by touching them with my fingertips. After Kathy looked she found some were phillips and others were corroded therefor I switched to my longer handled screw drivers to get more leverage. When I made this minor adjustment I was again well on my way to completion of this project. After removing many screws, nails, and all brackets I was pleasantly surprised when I reached down towards my feet and in front of me where I would keep the frame pieces that still needed work and found nothing but air as I grasped around with outreached hands. I also double checked by kicking out my feet keeping them low to the ground searching by touch and sound for them to connect with something solid  just in case a piece of frame landed out of hands reach during   the disassembly process. I was happy to discover that this test failed to locate any stray pieces, therefore I called Kathy over (she was working in some other area of the yard) to confirm I did not miss any. After verifying with Kathy that the first frame was completely disassembled she dragged the second one over for me to disassemble. When I had completed the second frame and had Kathy confirm that I had, she told me I did not miss disassembling a single piece of wood, removing a screw or any nail. This made me smile with joy.   When I had completed this project I then organized my longer pieces of wood that I placed to my right against the fence to later saw off the damaged parts to prepare each piece for a new life.

What I learned from this simple project:

• Overcoming the thought of completing a project like I describe and doing something that requires more exertion than one is accustomed to or have ever attempted before may be the most difficult part. Because of these challenges it is best to just plan and get started.
• Despite any challenge or disability if one plans thoroughly it is possible to participate in or complete many projects on your own.
• Although disassembling a large wooden frame like I described may be difficult or awkward with challenges such as being blind which is the equivalent of wearing a blindfold or walking around using canes, the satisfaction of completing a project is worth the challenges.
• If assistance is not available and you are forced to improvise and utilize work-arounds, it is still possible to complete projects.
• Being prepared with everything you may need before you start will help reduce the stress of having to stop in the middle of your project to locate something you may need or even worse find out you may be missing something required to complete the project.
• Keep a positive attitude and if you are outside, take advantage of relaxing in the sun, listening to the birds, the wind rustling through tree leaves, breathing fresh air and the joyful sounds of neighbors experiencing life. Pace yourself and enjoy the option to be outdoors.

Does anyone have any stories to share that explain projects you have attempted or completed where you overcame any challenge you may have? Do you have any tips for me and others to help us overcome what some people perceive as challenges to fully participate in projects and life? Any ideas to increase the probability of completing projects when help is limited or not readily available?  Any other experiences you want to share to help us take the required steps to experience all aspects of life, including the uncomfortable, unfamiliar or challenging aspects of enjoying life?

We all look forward to hearing from you.

Bill Tipton

Contributing Author,

Global Dialogue Center

http://www.globaldialoguecenter.com/

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/wdtipton

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bill.tipton.39

Twitter: http://twitter.com/wdtipton