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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body bgcolor=white lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Prayer is indeed the key, Bill, no matter the type or circumstances of the journey. I confess that my choice of accompanied travel is often a matter of wanting to spend time with sighted friends. Since I live alone, I sometimes crave that kind of companionship. And yes, there are always risk; and yes, I always carry my cane along in case of unexpected need.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:2.0in;text-indent:.5in'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Karen<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:2.0in;text-indent:.5in'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'> menvi-discuss-bounces@menvi.org [mailto:menvi-discuss-bounces@menvi.org] <b>On Behalf Of </b>Bill<br><b>Sent:</b> Tuesday, August 09, 2011 3:49 PM<br><b>To:</b> 'This is for discussing music and braille literacy'<br><b>Subject:</b> Re: [Menvi-discuss] Blind Drivers<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>OK, I know I was the one who proposed the creation of DENVI, but I cannot resist the temptation to jump in on this off-topic topic. (grin)<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>My parents supported my mobility training when I finally actually got some training starting at age 14. This despite me coming home on a couple occasions with some serious bruises and lumps on the forehead. The skill of having learned to travel independently with my white cane has been a life-long gift to me. I have used it to commute to school and work by myself using public transportation, to walk by myself not only in center-city Philadelphia (the big town near me) but also in New York, Boston, Los Angeles, Denver, London, Paris, Leipzig and other cities I have probably forgotten about. Traveling independently does not always mean never soliciting aid from others. It means being in charge of getting from point A to point B as independently and as safely as possible.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>We all have our own comfort levels for tolerating risks. And we all have our own set of skills when it comes to mobility. I certainly respect Karen’s decision to travel as she chooses. But we have to be careful when it comes to worrying about those mean people. Yes, they are out there. But we cannot allow them to paralyze us into fearful inaction. When it comes right down to it, life itself is a risky business. Whether sighted or blind, getting out of bed in the morning may be hazardous to our health. Before starting any journey, I try to remember to pray for God’s protection. I try not to take my mobility skills for granted either. I am eternally grateful to my mobility instructors for the skill they taught me and to my parents who never tried to keep me from walking to school by myself or from starting any other journey I can think of.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>OK, this is your DENVI president and charter member signing off. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1F497D'>Regards,<br>Bill<br><br>Bill McCann<br>Founder and President of Dancing Dots since 1992<br><a href="http://www.DancingDots.com">www.DancingDots.com</a><br>Tel: [001] 610-783-6692</span><span style='color:#1F497D'> </span><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p></o:p></span></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'> menvi-discuss-bounces@menvi.org [mailto:menvi-discuss-bounces@menvi.org] <b>On Behalf Of </b>Leena and Charity<br><b>Sent:</b> Tuesday, August 09, 2011 3:24 PM<br><b>To:</b> This is for discussing music and braille literacy<br><b>Subject:</b> Re: [Menvi-discuss] Blind Drivers<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>I like both. It's fun to go with people, but at the same time, if I needed to go with someone, I'd have to rely on when they could do something as opposed to when I need to do something. I have an audition Thursday and I'm going by myself because I don't have a free sighted person to go with me and it's fine. If I had to rely on them, the danger would be that I couldn't go for my audition and therefore wouldn't get that music scholarship. Just an example.</span><o:p></o:p></p></div><blockquote style='border:none;border-left:solid black 1.5pt;padding:0in 0in 0in 4.0pt;margin-left:3.75pt;margin-top:5.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>----- Original Message ----- <o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='background:#E4E4E4'><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'> <a href="mailto:karen118@cox.net" title="karen118@cox.net">Karen Gearreald</a> <o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>To:</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'> <a href="mailto:menvi-discuss@menvi.org" title="menvi-discuss@menvi.org">'This is for discussing music and braille literacy'</a> <o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Sent:</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'> Tuesday, August 09, 2011 12:20 PM<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Subject:</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'> Re: [Menvi-discuss] Blind Drivers<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Good point, Syl! I always feel safer when accompanied by a sighted person. Besides, the companionship of sighted friends is a great treat. Here at home by myself, I can be alone without fear; but who knows what is out there in the big world?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'> Karen Gearreald<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'> menvi-discuss-bounces@menvi.org [mailto:menvi-discuss-bounces@menvi.org] <b>On Behalf Of </b>SClark6144@aol.com<br><b>Sent:</b> Tuesday, August 09, 2011 2:41 PM<br><b>To:</b> menvi-discuss@menvi.org<br><b>Subject:</b> Re: [Menvi-discuss] Blind Drivers<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>I figured someone would spoil the fun. I was just getting ready to ask how you blind folks feel about silent cars. I guess I'm wondering if you're really out there by yourself. It is SO dangerous, and I don't mean cars, I mean really mean people. If I had a blind person in the family, they would go NOWHERE unaccompanied.</span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>Syl</span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'> <o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'> <o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><hr size=2 width="100%" align=center></div><p class=MsoNormal>Thank you for subscribing to MENVI. Should you wish to unsubscribe, change your delivery, or set any other options available to you, please view the list information page below. Should you have any questions, please contact the owner of the list.<br>_______________________________________________<br>Menvi-discuss mailing list<br><a href="mailto:Menvi-discuss@menvi.org">Menvi-discuss@menvi.org</a><br><a href="http://menvi.org/mailman/listinfo/menvi-discuss_menvi.org">http://menvi.org/mailman/listinfo/menvi-discuss_menvi.org</a><o:p></o:p></p></blockquote></div></body></html>