Lots Of Excitement And A Long Day

[chelseajmunoz]

I've been forgetting to mention in my blog that this past weekend I heard on a local radio station that Los Lonely Boys (a group I'm a huge fan of) will be playing concerts in this particular state for the entire month of April. I really want to go see that particular concert but I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do so or not because I don't know who would go with me. I do know that I don't want to go to a big arena like I think the concert will be located at though, that's for sure. Shortly after I'd written my last blog entry yesterday I tried to sign into the Uber app that's on my phone. However the Uber app was being difficult. The Uber app kept telling me that I was entering in the wrong password for my login information. Since I hadn't even signed into the Uber app since I'd been at WSB in Arkansas I eventually tried another method to see if I could sign into the Uber app that way. What I tried was to sign into the Uber app through a social media or email account of mine. However I had no luck using that particular method either. So I then Googled "Uber, contact us." In Googling that particular phrase I learned that Uber doesn't make it easy for people to contact that particular company if said people aren't actually signed into the actual Uber app on his or her phone. In digging through the website links that came up when I'd Googled "Uber, contact us" I was directed to a website that allowed me to select the kind of problem I was having with Uber. Then said form allowed me to enter in my information so that Uber could contact me directly. Once I'd submitted the form and the webpage had been refreshed I was informed that I'd receive an email from Uber within the next day. After I'd read that particular information though I had to confirm my email address. Once I'd confirmed my email address then my inquiry was officially submitted to Uber. A little while after I'd submitted my help request to Uber I posted a status update on Facebook (FB) to ask any of my blind friends who use the iRobot 900 models what their experience is like with that particular line of vacuum cleaners. More specifically in the FB status update I asked my blind friends if that particular vacuum cleaner app was accessible with VoiceOver (VO) and iPhones. I also asked my blind friends who use said vacuum cleaner model whether that particular vacuum cleaner model was accessible with Alexa as well. I posted said FB status update figuring that no one would comment with anything helpful. A few hours after I'd posted said FB status update I received an email from Uber Support. In the email that that particular company had sent me I was asked to provide more details on what my issues with the Uber app were. That particular email that Uber Support had sent me as well as all of my correspondences with Uber Support from there forward said something at the top of the email like "Write your reply above this line. If your reply is written below this line your response will not be read." I'd never seen anything like that before in an email. I thought that was interesting. So I immediately replied to said message, making sure that my reply was at the top of the email. In my reply to Uber Support I explained to that particular company that I was unable to sign into my Uber account. In the same email I'd sent Uber Support I let that particular company know that when I clicked on the "I forgot my password" link I was never actually sent an email that would allow me to reset my password. In the same email that I'd sent Uber Support I provided the phone number that I'd thought was the number that would be on my Uber account. A little while after I'd sent that first reply to Uber Support I received another reply from that particular company. In the next reply that Uber Support had sent me I was told that the number I'd given that particular company was not the phone number that was on my account. It was then that I realized that I hadn't actually logged into Uber for a year. And when I changed my phone number a few months ago I'd always see the Uber app on my phone. However I'd always tell myself that I'd change the number on my Uber account later because I assumed that the Uber app was keeping me signed in all this time. LOL. So anyway I replied to said email letting Uber Support know that the number that was on my account was incorrect. I then gave them what the incorrect number was and told them what the actual number was that should be on my Uber account. Within a few minutes I'd reCeived another email from Uber Support. In that email from that particular company I was asked to take a screenshot of my phone number then send said screenshot to Uber Support. According to the email that Uber Support had sent me that particular company would be able to see that my current phone number was exactly what I'd said it was through me sending that particular company a screenshot of my phone number. In the same email that Uber Support had sent me though I was also informed that if I couldn't take a screenshot I could call my phone service provider and have that particular company text me a message that contained my current phone number. So since I didn't know how to take a screenshot as a blind person I called T-Mobile to give me further help. At first the lady I spoke with from T-Mobile seemed to have trouble understanding what I wanted her to do for me. I explained to her that i needed her to send me a text message that contained my phone number. I then explained to her that I needed her to do this for me because Uber Support was trying to help me change some account information but that that particular company wanted actual verification that my phone number was legitimate. The lady at T-Mobile said that there was no way for her to send me a text message that contained my phone number and right then a friend of mine told me that there's a way to take a screenshot on a person's iPhone as a blind person. Of course said friend happened to be mostly blind himself which is how he knew that helpful information. So once he'd told me that he'd show me how to take a screenshot I hung up the phone with the T-Mobile customer service representative. Then after I'd gotten off the phone with the lady from T-Mobile the friend I'd mentioned above showed me how to take a screenshot with my iPhone by holding the home button and the power button at the same time. When a person holds those two buttons at the same time then the person's iPhone will take a picture of whatever the item happens to be that the iPhone's cursor is currently positioned on. After the picture has been taken the person then goes into his or her iPhone's photos and finds the last photo that's been taken...which will be the screenshot. From that point the person double-taps the "share" icon. Once I'd double-tapped the "share" icon I copied the screenshot to my iPhone's clipboard then pasted said screenshot into the reply email that I then sent to Uber Support. A few minutes later I received a text message from a number that I didn't know. However I quickly realized that Uber Support had gotten my latest email and successfully changed the phone number that was on my account. After reading that particular email from Uber Support though I opened the Uber app. I entered my current phone number into the edit field then I was sent another text from Uber so that I could confirm my phone number. So I did just that: I confirmed my phone number but this time I was able to get the Uber app to cooperate with me and send me a link to reset my password. Once my password had been reset I reviewed all of my information to make sure that everything was correct. It turned out that I had to delete an old credit card and add a new one to my profile. Other than that and changing my password and phone number there was nothing else for me to edit on my Uber profile. Shortly after I'd taken care of that hassle with my Uber profile a friend of mine told me about shortcut keys that I could create on my iPhone that would make my life much easier when texting or emailing people short responses that I spend time typing out all the time (like "no worries" "no problem" "thank you" or my personal email address and phone number). I'm really glad that my friend showed me how to create shortcut keys on my iPhone because I'm definitely going to use them on a regular basis. After said friend had watched me enter several shortcut keys into my iPhone I then searched the app store for Google Maps because that same friend of mine uses Google Maps all the time. I've seen how accurate said app is and I wanted to have said app for myself because I figured that it too would really come in handy throughout my life. I stayed up late last night laughing and talking with a friend of mine. On one hand that was a bad decision because the next morning I'd have to wake up pretty early to start my day. Last night though I set an alarm for this morning at 8:15. Although I didn't want to get up that early because of the bad decision I'd made the previous night to stay up late I knew I'd been waiting for what seemed like forever to meet the Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor (VRC) who serves the area that I live in. So before it was even time for me to leave the apartment this morning I played around with Uber a bit to refresh my mind on how to use the app. Once I'd actually scheduled a ride on the Uber app I contacted the Uber driver to make sure he knew exactly where to come to. I ended up having to give him directions to where I stay but fortunately he found me quickly. Once the Uber driver had told me that we were near my destination I specifically told him that I was looking for the Department Of Rehabilitation (DOR). Since I'd requested the ride using Uber Pool though there was another passenger in the car with me. The reason I used Uber Pool is because it's cheaper than using the regular Uber. So anyway the other passenger that was in the car with me helped point the Uber driver to the building where DOR was located. It also helped though that I'd told the Uber driver what suite number to look for. Fortunately with the help of the other Uber passenger the Uber driver was able to drop me off exactly where I needed to be dropped off at. And I arrived at my destination a few minutes early. A little while before we'd arrived to my destination though the Uber driver, the other passenger and I had a short discussion with one another about technology. More specifically the Uber driver and the other passenger talked about how GPS as a whole is not something people should depend on. I then countered their perspective by saying that as someone who's blind I have no choice but to rely on GPS to navigate around places. The Uber driver as well as the other Uber passenger didn't have anything to say to that. When I got out of the Uber vehicle the Uber driver told me how to get to the front door of the building. I then pointed in the direction he'd told me to go and he corrected me because he realized that he'd been wrong. Since this was my first time going to that particular location I asked the Uber driver to watch me until I got inside of the building. So that's just what he did: the door of the building wasn't too far away from where the Uber vehicle was parked. Once I'd walked inside the building I told the receptionist who I was there to see and waited for the VRC's assistant to take me to the VRC's office. It turned out though that another worker brought me back to the VRC's office. During mine and the VRC's meeting with one another the two of us talked about what my plan was. I told my new VRC that there was only one state university here that has my exact major and that I'd already been given a timeline of when to start applying for said university. I told him that the first date that I can apply for the university is this August first through August 31st. As long as I have all of my ducks in a row at that point then there's no reason why I wouldn't be able to attend that particular university. I then let him know that I'd already gotten set up with OSD at the community college I'm going to be attending soon with the exception of the fact that I'm waiting on said college to receive my FAFSA applications. He seemed surprised to know that I'd done all that I possibly could do at this point to move forward. However I told him that I don't play around. I take myself and my goals for myself seriously because right now I have full health and I have my mind...so I want to move while I can do so, especially considering that my health could change for the worst at any time. On a similar note though when my new VRC asked what medication I was on I told him that I wasn't taking any medication. Because in the past when I'd given Texas Vocational Rehabilitation all of my health diagnosis that particular agency said that they didn't think I was fit to work. Yet I'd been healthy for a few years by that point. The Texas Vocational Rehabilitation agency helps people become and maintain employment. No one at that particular agency has a medical license or a medical degree. So there's no reason why people need to know about any condition that I have aside from Hydrocephalus (which just means excess water on the brain). And even then the only reason I tell people about the fact I have Hydrocephalus is because that's the main condition that could flare up at any time. So people on my team do need to know what he or she's getting into where my Hydrocephalus is concerned. If you can't tell already, dear readers I'm all about maintaining my privacy. If there isn't a legitimate reason for people to know something about me that's rather personal then people won't know said thing just because he or she asks me about whatever said thing happens to be. So anyway my meeting with my new VRC went well. After he and I'd talked with one another about the medication part of the paperwork that needed to be filled out he and I then talked about the kinds of technology that I already thought I'd need him to get for me. Although I don't want to talk in my blog just yet about the things that I know I'm going to receive. Once I receive items though I'll definitely blog about my experiences with said items. I just don't want anyone to feel like it's a competition to see who can get the best things from his or her local rehabilitation agency so I want to hold off on discussing what I'd get until I actually you know, get something or check something out. Because my new VRC did also say that he'd set me up with a local organization here that does Assistive Technology (AT) evaluations for people who receive services from DOR. The thing I'm not clear on regarding my upcoming AT evaluation though is whether my new VRC is going to set up said evaluation or whether someone else from the particular agency that my new VRC works for will set up my upcoming AT evaluation. Another thing that my new VRC and I talked about with one another during his and my meeting today was the fact that if for some reason I'm unable to receive all of the equipment that I need before school's summer session starts then I'll have to start attending community college in the fall. Given that it's going to take time for me to complete my AT evaluation as well as time to receive whatever equipment it's determined I need I told my new VRC that I'm adaptable. I'd like to start attending community college this summer session but I'm flexible in the sense that if I don't have what equipment I need to be successful in school then my plan will adapt accordingly. During my meeting with my new VRC he said that he's going to work on writing up my Individual Plan for Employment (IPE) which will include the technology that I'm going to need to ensure my success at college, the fact that my schooling should be paid for through FAFSA as well as any other things that my new VRC and I may discover that I'd need along the way. Once my new VRC finishes writing up my IPE then he's going to contact me because I'll have to go to his office to sign said paperwork. I'm really looking forward to working with him. After he and I'd finished our meeting with one another his assistant walked me to the front of the office where I requested for Uber to pick me up. Fortunately an Uber driver showed up at my destination within a few minutes' time of me using the app to request a ride. The Uber driver was not very helpful at first though. She didn't get out of her car to let me know where she was nor did she roll down her window to communicate with me in any way. Fortunately though someone else helped me get to the passenger's side of the Uber driver's vehicle. Once I was in the Uber driver's vehicle it didn't take long for me to get to where I currently stay. An hour or so after I'd gotten to where I currently stay I called the local paratransit company to find out whether I'd been approved to use said service or not. At first the lady I spoke with at the local paratransit company asked me if I'd even gone for the interview yet. That just about gave me a heart attack because I immediately thought that that particular company had lost all of my paperwork. However the lady then informed me that she'd continued looking at the notes and that I'd been approved to receive service from the local paratransit company. She then informed me that she'd read that the local paratransit company had written down that they'd mailed out my paratransit ID card within the last few days. So hopefully I'll receive my paratransit ID card sometime this week or next week.