Category: Daily Living
I am faced yet again with more paperwork that needs filled out and isn't available electronically.
What are some of the ways you all get paperwork filled out if your sight isn't up to it? I am having a friend help me with this load but I get so tired of asking.
These are medical forms and the actual form has to be filled out.
Scanning the form and then adding the information electronically ruins the format so isn't a great option even if the scan comes out 100% which it doesn't usually come out that clear.
Sometimes the medical staff fills out the paperwork with me, but that isn't an option this time.
Honestly , and this doesn't always work - I use Kurzweil 300. it preserves the formatting of scanned documents, and it allows one to enter text notes which you can then write in, and then print out the filled out form. Unfortunately it's not really meant for people with absolutely no vision. Not sure if that's you or not. I'm honestly surprised format preservation isn't more of a thing in scanning programs these days. I hope someone else has a better solution I'm unaware of.
Some times people in unexpected places can help.
volunteer places
like kids at a school that has to do it for volunteer. Call the high school, middle school or coleges nearby and ask if they require community service for credit and see.
A local lions club.
church people
Hey ask a Jahova witness to come over for some time and help you out, they might be willing if your willing to listen for a half hour to some scriptures.
local library, maybe if you asked them to help I am sure they will.
Some times people like in the grocery store, post office, banks and other places will help out with extra stuff onacation.
Apartment office staff.
It is more than anything about your cunfirt levels and willingness to ask.
A lot of people would be willing to help if you just ask.
UPS places in my experience are great. they helped me fill out paper work before for work when applying for a job.
Kids. A lot of them are eager and don't even have to read really well if they can at least spell it out. don't laugh, I have done this before.
takes time but works.
You do get in to the whole confidentiality issue though.
Services for the blind sometimes will help and you might try to call them to see if they know.
Try to call the lions club like I said. Ask other people in your area if there are any other blind people. there are places who will help you fill out forms that aren't always known about.
Social workers for the blind can help too.
You just have to catch people when they aren't so busy.
I'll add social services departments. The case workers will help you do your papers for whatever you require.
Remy, I have Kurzweil 1000 but not any usuable vision. Every time I try to scan a form and keep the format, despite my efforts, the format goes to hell. I've learned how to make editable forms in Word and tried converting forms but again, the format goes to hell despite my best efforts so I agree it takes some sight or maybe just a bit more tech savvy than I have. The last Adaptive Tech Expo I attended, I spoke with the Kurzweil guys and they told me they couldn't forsee much improvement in converting forms, sadly.
Nicky, you get major points for creativity! I am seriously impressed! Confidentiality/privacy is usually a major consideration, so some of those options are out but I think I will look into some of your suggestions.
When UPS helped you fill out forms for jobs, was it for employment with them or other employers?
ForReel, it must depend on the size of the city you are in what services are available. There was only one agency who offered that kind of service but they don't anymore as funding was lost and jobs were cut.
It is not so much that I mind asking, it is finding people who are competent and trustworthy that is more the issue. I've been contemplating hiring someone as a sort of part time assistant to help with this kind of thing, but I'm a fairly private person and most people I know have pretty big mouths and not a great respect for confidentiality.
That is understandable.
I guess you can think of it as after you turn that paper work in, several people see it.
They really need to start making these things emailable.
I was applying for a different job and I had to fill out some forms. I tried to do it myself but did not have it filled out right. one of the employees noticed while they were helping me print and mail my stuff out and went back over all my stuff to check it. they are great there.
I live in Raleigh NC and have a good relationship with the UPS and USPS people.
I have gotten to know them threw various reasons over the years.
One girl at a location I do not go to often was an old room mate.
One guy at the location I do go to has some visual empairmet.
and so I have gotten to know what seems like most of the employees. I also send out a lot of packages threw them.
I do not have family around me and so I have to be creative in getting anything done.
I am a chatty person and tend to make friends all over the place. I am sure if I asked this person and that person here and there to help with little stuff they would do it.
VH, it's true, K1000 is completely useless when it comes to formatting and form signing. Most scanners, Including everyone's favorite darling the KNFB reader take scanned material and put it into a raw print stream. Heck, KNFB reader doesn't even do line breaks that I've seen. K3000 is bettter in that its scanning preserves the original format. It takes a physical snapshot of the image zooms in a tiny bit, but preserves the formatting. Sometimes it reads things out of order, but zone editer cfan help you determine which sections should be read first if that happens. But without usable vision, it's very hard to recommend it. Wierdly enough, JAWS's built in OCR can sometimes be alright, though when it's not, it's "really" not. And of course you still have to figure out how to actually write on what you're reading.
Sometimes I get friends and family to help with this kind of thing. When that's either not an option at all, or not a desirable one because I don't want them knowing my business, I've hired readers. In the case of medical paperwork, staff can usually help fill out such forms if you let them know such assistance is needed. If the actual doctor's office can't help, most hospitals have social workers who can help with medical paperwork, or help you find resources that can.
Hmm, now I feel a little stupid-I never thought of a social worker from the hospital since this is hospital related.
Nope. You're smart. You asked the question, and you got answers.
Smile.
No,don't feel stupid. I wouldn't have thought of hospital social workers either, before last year. I'd never utilized them, and didn't really know they existed outside of a hospital's mental health services. As it turns out, nearly every area of a hospital has a social worker assigned to it. When my fiancé Mark battled cancer last year, we dealt with plenty of hospital social workers. Sometimes they were useful, sometimes they weren't, but one thing they did help with was paperwork, and finding local resources for various kinds of assistance.
Hospital social worker is good to know about. I did not know about them either.
I had a few horrible situations where I would let the staff know I needed help filling out the paper work prior to showing up to the appointment and they said no problems. So when I arrived, they thought that helping ment to sit in the waiting room and ask out loud all the questions and have me answer so every one could hear.
Questions about my sex life, medical history, any illnesses I might or might not have and so on.
I once said quite loudly to one staff that "I really would love for everyone in this room to know about my business!"
I don't get people sometimes, and you know they are traned all about HIPA too.
But when your blind or need extra help, some people forget you have rights too.
I googled and found this.
It's interesting.
I have never been offered alternative paper work. I have even asked for it to be emailed to me.
A lot of offices have it possible so you can go online and log on to your account with them and read stuff but they always gave me the information hand written on paper and I forget to have someone else read it to me or bring something to write with. I am usually rushing out the door and forget to.
http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/blind-low-vision-persons-right-health-care-information-alternative-formats.html
Federal laws, including the Americans with Disabilities Act, prohibit health care providers from discriminating against people on the basis of disability. If you are blind or have low vision, this means that, among other things, you have a right to receive health care information in “alternative formats” that you can read. The most common alternative formats are Braille, large print, audio recording, e-mail, and electronic or digital documents (which are accessible using a personal computer equipped with “screen reading” software).
Why Alternative Formats Are Important
Blind and low vision people often receive many types of important health care-related information in standard print, which they can’t read. This includes:
•medical exam, test, and lab results
•information explaining diagnoses or treatment of an illness or disease
•prescription medication instructions, dosage information, and food or drug interaction warnings
•explanations of informed consent or end-of-life policies and procedures
•physical therapy instructions and instructions for the management of chronic conditions, such as diabetes or hypertension
•childbirth preparation resources, prenatal care materials, and birth plans for pregnant women and new moms with visual disabilities
•educational materials for health care classes
•appointment reminders, and
•information about benefits eligibility (including cancellation notices), security and privacy rights, and billing and other medical records.
Access to this information is essential to everyone's health and well being, including people with visual disabilities. Without access to this information, people with visual disabilities face significant difficulty obtaining health care, don’t receive the same level of care as sighted individuals and, under certain circumstances, are denied health care services all together.
What the Law Requires
Fortunately, federal law requires that health care facilities give people with vision disabilities access to the same information everyone else gets, so that blind and low vision people should receive care as effective as that provided to others. This applies to nearly all health care providers, including hospitals, private doctors' offices, health clinics, diagnostic centers, physical therapy centers, psychological and psychiatric service providers, and nursing homes. It applies whether the health care facility is privately owned and operated or administered by a state or local government.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law by President George H.W. Bush in 1990. The ADA requires health care facilities to ensure that no one with a visual disability is excluded, denied services, segregated, or otherwise treated differently than other individuals because of the absence of “auxiliary aids and services.” Offering reading material in alternative formats are one kind of legally required auxiliary aid or service.
Under the ADA, health care providers must offer such aids and services to patients, their companions, and visitors with visual disabilities and ensure effective communication between provider staff and patients. In order to be effective, the health care provider must furnish the alternative accessible formats in a timely manner, and in such a way as to protect the privacy and independence of the individual with a disability. The provider gets to make the ultimate decision about what format to offer, but only if it actually results in effective communication. A provider should consult with the blind or low vision individual whenever possible to determine what type of alternative format is needed to ensure effective communication.
Health care providers that don’t provide information in an alternative format that blind or low vision people can read are violating federal laws that prohibit discrimination against people with disabilities. A health care provider cannot require a blind person to bring someone with them to interpret or facilitate communication, and cannot rely on a blind person’s companion to interpret or facilitate communication.
Noncompliance With the Law
Unfortunately, in spite of the law, the reality on the ground is that people with visual disabilities still face significant barriers in accessing even the most basic—and, for people without disabilities, routine—health care services and information.
For example, people with visual disabilities frequently report that prescription information is rarely accessible. This makes it difficult, if not impossible, for many blind or low vision people to distinguish one medication from another, or to identify the expiration date and recommended dosage. This, in turn, can result in erroneous dosing or dangerous drug combinations. One woman with low vision reported that she learned only after years of taking her thyroid medication at dinnertime that taking the medication with food weakened the drug’s effects, which may have compromised her treatment.
In spite of the obvious need for access to prescription information, according to a 2011 report by the Equal Rights Center, only 1% of pharmacies and retailers offer prescription info in alternative accessible formats. In addition, health care providers almost never have accessible versions of intake forms, health questionnaires, or other paperwork. When a blind or low vision individual is forced to ask for help filling out such paperwork, staff often refuse, or ask “Why didn’t you bring someone with you?” Even when help is provided, it’s commonly provided in the lobby, waiting room, or some other public space. Many blind individuals report feeling frustrated and embarrassed after being forced to reveal their confidential financial information or details about highly personal and private physical and mental health concerns out loud in public in front of strangers.
Examples like these illustrate the kind of stark disparities that blind and low vision individuals commonly face in the health care setting. Fortunately, disability rights advocates, government agencies, and community groups are increasingly working to ensure equal access to health care for blind and low vision individuals. Nevertheless, there remains a dramatic need to improve delivery of care to people with visual disabilities nationwide.
Interesting. I didn't know about this either.
I've never had all my private life talked about in the waiting room, that was not nice at all.
Maybe the room was empty accept for employees?
I can't see why someone would do that to a blind person.
Even if you are just doing general visit, you still give information I'd not wish the person sitting a few seats over to have if they decide to listen.
When I've had to have the staff do it, I was always taken to an office, or the examining room.
Great information. If I need paper work done, I'll say email it.
I've had medical personnel want to fill out paperwork in the waiting room or across the counter, but I don't allow this. Like you said, HIPPA is your way out of this. Please know you have the right to not just ask, but insist, that paperwork be filled out privately in a separate room, with just you and the person assisting you. You absolutely do not need to fill it out in the middle of the waiting room or across a front desk, and don't let any staff make you think you do.
Fortunately, nurses at my doctors offices have been really nice and discrete about assisting me with getting stuff filled out. they've come in the room where I wait to see the doctor and ask me the questions there. verbal agreements as a substitute for one's signature are also acceptable, at least where I go for my medical care. Not sure if they'd take those signature stamps if someone couldn't sign their name, ((because there may be instances where you absolutely do need to sign, no exceptions), but that's good they accept verbal consent.
Ah, Nicky, you are too funny!
Years ago, shortly after my vision tanked, I was at the dentist office waiting for my appointment. I was an established patient and the only paperwork they needed was short thing they asked once I was back in the exam chair. However, there was a young woman there in the waiting room with me, she was probably barely 18 and she couldn't read so needed help with paperwork and she was a new patient. A staff member helped her fill it out right there in the waiting room (I was the only other person there) and the list of questions included the sexual history and whether or not she was HIV positive. I felt so angry for her-I knew her name, that she couldn't read, how many people she had sex with and that she was indeed HIV positive. I was actually thankful I couldn't see her, she deserved at least that much privacy.
Reyami, yes, medical places do accept signing by signature stamp. I've used one for years, and never had anyplace tell me I couldn't use it to sign something. However, most of the time now, you're not signing an actual piece of paper, but rather on an electronic pad, where obviously a stamp isn't going to work. thankfully I can also write my name, so I'm able to do that. But even if one can't, signatures are so variable that as long as you sign in front of someone, even if you just put an X, they'd accept it.
VH, on one hand, I feel sorry for that woman in the lobby of your dentist office. on the other hand, her embarrassment was on her own shoulders. You're absolutely correct, she did deserve privacy, but she chose not to take it. Like any of us who need a reader, she would have had the right to insist that her paperwork get filled out privately. Since she didn't choose to exercise that right, she gave her history in the middle of the lobby when she didn't have to.
You'd think medical staff of all workers were or should be trained in privacy issues, but I guess from these examples they aren't.
yes, I've had to use my finger to trace my signature on a touch screen since my talk therapists facility has gone paperless, at least on the counselor's side of things. I still get written reminders via snail mail for scheduling appointments and such. thank god for programs like DocuScan Plus that allow us to read such notices in the privacy of our own home.
Speaking of scanners, this is a bit off-topic, but it does relate to having things read electronically. Does anyone have suggestions for a portable scanner or document camera I can bring with me to school for converting print handouts to a format readable by VoiceOver or Braille display? I need something less cumbersom than the flatbed scanner I have here. KNFB reader is too frustrating to bother with in class, and even when it does work, because my aim when I take the picture isn't always the best, I only manage to get part of the text read aloud. I have also used the camera on my computer as an input device in docuScan plus, but that also takes far too much time just to process the document. Suggestions are welcome. thank you.
What a good discussion that has been going on here and a good question you have asked too and i'm sure we have all learnt some thing new from what we have read as myself have never had medical documents or information in a accessible format as it has always been given to me in print though i must say i have had the important stuff read out to me some where private and like in hospital before going to surgery i had the forms read out to me so i could understand what was going to happen and when i visit my doctor when receiving a new medication he verbally discusses the dosage to me and if he needs to change the dose of a medication i take regularly he discusses that verbally with me too which is done in a private room away from the other patients but i must agree that even so the dosage of your medications that are prescribed should be given in an accessible format so then if you perhaps forget or not understand what has been discussed you can check it as like i have to do some times but aren't able to as of not being able to read what is been written which i agree could be dangerous because you could accidently overdose on a medication by taking more than you should.
Now when having to deal with people at the social services they discuss things with you which are spoken out loud and their are lots of other people around so every thing that is being discussed can be heard out loud by others like for instance one time when i was there i could hear this case manager was actually telling this lady off and declining her assistance which i heard which was nothing to do with me and this one time i had not been able to successfully fill out the forms so i took them with me to my appointment and had asked the lady if she could fill them out for me but she declined so then i asked if there was another way to be able to access the forms online and do it that way but that is not possible so in the end she did do them after discussing out loud with the manager my situation whom then came over to me and was asking me if i had a braille machine which i did not but i explained to her that i did have a computer with a screen reader but as of yet they do not have the forms online but i was told that they were planning to do so and then told the lady she could fill them out for me which she did do so then they could be processed for me which i was thankful of, smiles.
I am astounded that practically everyone on this topic has advocated for someone else filling out your private and confidential information--you never, ever, ever, ever have to settle for that! Sometimes you have to choose your battles, and I'd think that having your right to privacy, like every other person in the world does, would be of utmost importance to people. Everyone uses email nowadays, so you can ask for, then insist you be given an accommodation because of your disability under the ADA, that allows any and all communications (appointment reminders, your personal medical information, and any other paperwork that is important enough to be filled out/reviewed) be emailed to you in the body of an email. That way, you can read it in a timely manner, because the reality is that, when you're sent print notices in the mail that you can't read, you most likely can't get them filled out in a timely manner either...especially because you don't have sighted people around. But mainly, why would you want other people to have access to your information in the first place?
Another thing: signature stamps are dangerous--anyone could take your stamp, stamp your name on something in print, and you won't even know that you'll be held accountable for something you didn't agree to or know what it was.
That's another point: you can also, under the ADA, insist that businesses that require you sign things, accept an electronic signature via email. You'll likely have to fight that too, but if that's how you sign things because you live alone and don't have any other options (in my case, I never learned how to write print) then that's what you need to do.
I'm an extremely private person in offline life with regards to my personal information, especially since I've learned about what we as blind people are entitled to under the law. So, now that I've learned handy stuff, I wanted to pass that along here, in the hopes it might help someone, or at the very least, show them that they do absolutely have a right to their privacy, as the rest of the world does.
I forgot to add: in asking for these things, you are not being unreasonable--you are asking for a reasonable accommodation under the ADA (and that is the exact wording you use) so that you can have equal access to important information. Because, the thing is, if it's important enough for the staff to think they can help you sign it, or know your information, it's important enough for *you* to be able to put whatever information you want, or don't want, on the paperwork. Because the reality is that you never know what your sighted "helper" is writing down. I hate to be suspicious of people, but you really have to be, especially with this sort of thing, not to mention, it's just loads better when you're able to fill things out yourself because you have no doubt what you wrote.
Sorry for the long posts, but I truly wanna help people learn and grow, if possible, because I know what it's like to be where most of you are. However, I assure you, it's far more freeing to have control of these things yourself, because as I said, that way, you'll have it to refer to as needed. So, when someone from your local voc rehab agency, doctor's office, insurance company, ETC, says "Remember when you signed this document that said you were agreeing to give me $10,000?" if it's in print, even if you signed it, it's considered invalid because you cannot read it.
Well nicely put and yes we all have the right to privacy i agree with that but with certain things they can't be emailed like for instance the forms i have to fill out every 13 weeks as they have to be approved or denied as they are re-application forms and have to be in by a certain time because if they aren't then the assistance with money will not be given but other than that it sounds like a good idea what you put about forms being emailed to you so you can fill them out in your own time and yes it is always a good thing if you can do it yourself as like you stated then you know what you have put and know what your agreeing to, smiles.
When it's papers, I do as I did before I had the Internet, and that is pay someone. Or at least when I'm by myself. If you pay someone to do it, they're not invested in the situation and so not a potential threat with the information.
You ask a great question that some of us who were blind long before the Internet forget how hard it must be for people who lose their sight. One of the hardest things is having to get help for what most people do fine, but you just can't see to read it or fill in the answers. It is really tough sometimes, especially depending on the information.
I knew this blind chick when I was younger who had to have someone tell her the results off a pregnancy test. That's rough, because it's hard to escape people's value judgments and be anonymous.
I'm just saying, I completely get your situation, and some of us might be more used to it because we were that way for so long before the Internet or accessibility anything.
i totally agree and yes that is tough as those things are not easy to read and i once asked a doctor if their was a way round that to make it easy for a blind or visually impaired person to find out the results but unfortunately there is not which was rather frustrating.
Guess you could just wait until you feel it.
Laughing.
Okay, that wasn't fair, but that was how even seeing women had to do it once apon a time.
Now that brings me to this.
News flash, but most blind people can't use technology.
This means computers, phones, and you name it.
So, this topic giving different ways to get your papers done isn't about your rights, but methods to get it done so you can get on with life.
Wayne makes a good point. Not all blind people are tech savvy, and so some of the electronic methods wouldn't work. And while I hadn't thought about it, Leo brings up an interesting point with his mention of doing things the way he did before there was the Internet. I honestly forget that I can ask for certain kinds of paperwork to be sent to me electronically and fill it out that way, or signing electronically, etc. I'm one of many who are in that generation where we spent part of our lives without the Internet, and part with it. I frequently just default to doing things the way I would have before so much medical stuff was electronic. I know I could ask for these accommodations before an appointment ,and believe me, I don't feel like I'm being unreasonable for asking, as I know some blind people do. I just forget, and default to doing things the old way, in person. So, thanks for giving me something to think about, Chelsea. Though I will add this. Whether someone fills the info out for you or not, if they work in a medical office, they will likely have access to your info anyway. Someone has to take all the info filled out on those forms and put it into whatever proprietary software system the medical place uses. So whether you tell them, or they get it through some other means, they'll still see it.
yes that is true about your medical information being on the medical clinic's computer though the only thing is if you are new to the place then they won't have it but if you do go regularly they will sure to have it, smiles.
Good point about not all blind people know how to use certain technology but now a days as things are going towards the electronic way we are able to be taught how to use these different devices we are having to use.
It isn't that the education isn't available, it is that the people don't receive it, or can't learn it even when it is offered, or they don't seek it.
Some people, even when they know don't have the equipment for verying reasons, nor internet access at home for varying reasons.
Even when all that is in place, do they understand the forms?
You've just got to many factors to say, we have computers, so everything can be sent to us.
Some do, but I'd be willing to bet most don't.
I personally know a few in this situation.
I stand by what I said. If people have no problem with their privacy being violated, as some of you expressed here, by how you "do things the way you did before the internet" existed, more power to you. However, I think it's of the utmost importance that we do away with that way of thinking, insist that we receive the accommodations that would make everyone's lives easier (including ours) and change with the times. I realize most blind people don't want to do this, and would rather take the easy way out, and that's their prerogative. I just thought that since I knew a better way exists, why not bring it up.
Lovesanimals, the forms you need can be emailed to you, no matter what you're told. As I said though, you seem like one of the people who doesn't wanna hastle with that, and that's your choice. Personally, I'd much rather wait an unspecified amount of time, in order to receive the documents, whatever they happen to be, in accessible format. Of course people will still see what's written; that is not the issue though, so whoever thought that's what I was talking about, is mistaken.
I agree with the method you have posted, I just relize it should be a method, not a must or the best way method.
It is like saying everyone should drive, because that is the best way to get around.
We need to ditch walking,buses, trains, and any other method of transportation that isn't private, because well, people will see where you're going. we have cars now.
Smile.
I think this is a major issue. I guess in a perfect world I would say that organizations like
the NFB should simply stand up and say it should be a visually impaired person's right to
have access to any and all forms or documents that he or she is expected to sign or fill
out. There should be no reason in today's age of technology where at any point in the life
of a blind adult where they are instructed to fill out or sign something that they cannot
personally read. I really think it's an infringement upon the rights of the visually impaired.
Because if the shoe were on the other foot and the majority of the world was blind then
people would be upset about receiving their mail and print and to put it even further in
perspective, seeing as how the majority of the world can see most of them would not be
able to do anything with a letter written to them in braille. Of course that's not even fair
because you can teach sighted people to read braille where you can't teach blind people to
reprint. So in conclusion, I think that organizations like the nfb should be pushing the
government hard for some kind of concession. Maybe as simple as requiring all businesses
and medical institutions to provide all documentation in an electronic format for example,
I would believe that I would be correct in saying that most people on this website reading
this blog should have no problem looking at or filling out the form written in Microsoft
Word. Therefore, because we are Americans were there we are in the majority or not, we
should be given the same rights and the same freedoms as other Americans and that
means that we should be given the right to complete and total privacy in our mail if we so
choose. Of course this is not the perfect world and so organizations will continue to sell
large and expensive devices which causes money to be generated because doing it the
practical way would not generate money. Anyway have a good day
I believe it is law, we just have to push who ever the company is to do it.