Research - Rehabilitation - Re-Employment

Sgt. Shaft 10/10/2001

Dear Sgt. Shaft:
The Central Blind Rehabilitation Center (BRC) at Hines VA Hospital physical plant is 73 plus years old and no longer able to meet the demands of the program. When it became quite apparent to ask for a replacement facility to serve the Midwest blinded veterans, the Military Order of the Purple Heart, the BRC's alumni and you, Sgt. Shaft, became strong spokespersons for an independent and free standing facility. Until then, everything appeared very bleak and without much promise, as the Department of Veterans Affairs refused to deal with the issue.

It is very sad that this internationally acclaimed VA special program which globally influenced the establishment of improved blind services based on its revolutionary innovations is being ignored. The Hines Blind Center has globally impacted Blind Rehabilitation, not only for veterans but for civilians and children.

Although the demography of blinded veterans may have changed significantly, the demands for a replacement facility are just as critical. The older blinded Veterans are not as resilient as those who were younger, returning home from the war and have many compromising medical restrictions. Rehabilitating aging blinded veterans requires a highly specialized training program and facility. The current facility is highly inadequate to meet the needs of older veterans.

The salient reasons spelled out below justifies why an independent and free standing facility is mandatory.

(1) The BRC should have a free standing facility and not one that is simply an appendage to another service program. Because of its unique regimen requirements, it requires an optimally spacious environment solely dedicated to present and future blind rehabilitation programs. If rehabilitation is our primary concern, as it was in 1948, to avert "warehousing" the veterans, the rehabilitation facility must be specifically dedicated to the blind program.

(2) The facility must be self-contained, not only for conducting a comprehensive rehabilitation program but also to maintain a secure environment. There must be a physical separation between diverse service program needs to eliminate distractions. Because of differences in patient populations, the rehabilitation regimen would neither be the same for Spinal Cord Injured and for the BRC, nor would it satisfy the environmental concerns. It is critical that the landscape in the immediate surrounding area of the facility must be safely insulated for long cane travel.

(3) There should be no intermingling of services. The Hines BRC must have complete autonomy as to how the program is to operate and function. The program resources must be separated. The integrity of professional staff, services, materials such as equipment or physical space should not be compromised.

(4) The training milieu must be sufficiently insulated for those learning the rudimentary lessons in long cane foot travel. The travel technique is not learned instinctively but through many arduous hours of close professional supervision. Today the blind rehabilitation program is conducted in a lesser amount of time, making the success of the scheduled class hours more critical to both the veterans and the rehabilitation program.

The May 27, 2001 report submitted by the Commission of Accreditation for Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF), after inspecting the Hines BRC elucidated the architectural and physical barriers which have been flagrantly neglected for over ten years. If these problems are not addressed correctly, they could severely compromise the training program.

Any past efforts for combining disabled groups into a common facility have failed and has been discredited by professionals years ago. We are committed to ask the VA to honor the blinded veterans by doing the right thing.

The BRC's excellence in serving the blinded veterans for almost 53 plus successive years, justifies why a free standing replacement facility is needed to address its special mission to maintain its leadership position in the world.

Steve M.
Chicago, IL

Dear Steve:
I have personally shared your concerns with Anthony Principi, Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and the staff of the House and Senate Veterans Affairs Committees. For over 50 years, the Hines Blind Rehab Center has improved the lives of so many blinded veterans and must continue to do so. With the advent of new technology such as talking computers, training for our blinded veterans should be lengthened, not diminished. 

Dear Sgt. Shaft:
On behalf of everyone involved in the Military Tribute to Bob Hope, thank you for helping us spread the word. For more than 50 years, Bob Hope brought joy and laughter to our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines, and we want to thank him with a permanent honor.

The tribute not only honors Bob Hope, but the men and women he entertained. Bob's daughter Linda told us, "This isn't just about my dad, but about the kids he did it for, for we always remember."

We invite all veterans and their families to help. Visit our web site, www.hopetribute.org, for more information about the tribute and how to contribute to this wonderful endeavor.

As always, Shaft, you're on our side.

Jack Yusen, President
Military Tribute to Bob Hope and veteran, U.S. Navy, 1945

Dear Jack:
Over the years, Bob Hope has given us so many laughs and fond memories. You should be congratulated for your spearheading this special memory and tribute to this wonderful man.

Shaft Kudos
The Sarge is looking forward to speaking at the 56th Annual National Convention of the Gold Star Wives, to be held on the evening of Saturday, August 11, at the Doubletree Hotel, 300 Army Navy Drive, Crystal City, Virginia. This will be a very special occasion as the founder of the Gold Star Wives, Marie Jordan Speer, will attend. She founded Gold Star Wives in 1945 as a widow of World War II by encouraging other widows, through local newspapers, to get together for support. 

Send letters to Sgt. Shaft, c/o John Fales, P.O. Box 65900, Washington, D.C. 20035-5900; fax to 301-622-3330; call 202-462-4430 or email sgtshaft@bavf.org.

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