Vaping And The Visually Impaired

[Phaseman66]

Hi VaporTalk,

A while back, e-cigs came into my life and changed it forever. Along the way, I've been passing what I know and my story onto my friends, acquaintances and anyone who asks.

Recently, my wife met someone who has been a smoker for many, many years. This person just got some health news from her Doctor and has been told to stop smoking immediately.

This wonderful lady is a senior citizen and she lost her eyesight several years ago.

She's asked that my wife and I come visit her so I can show her my pv (Joye 510) but I'm planning on purchasing a starter kit of some kind, to present to her when I meet her.

This community has a LOT of people in it, I'm hoping that SOMEONE who has trouble seeing or knows a visually impaired vaper or anyone in our community might give me some ideas on pv's that they have used and which ones might be the best choice for her to get started with.

I worry that she will have trouble refilling carts, and I certainly don't think she'll want to drip. Would pre-filled cartos be her best bet? I need to find something that's almost hassle free for her convenience.

ANY advice would be greatly appreciated. If anyone can help me help her, I know VaporTalk can.

Edited May 17, 2010 by Phaseman66

[FTJoe]

Did you notice the wetbox being promoted that will be out this week I think? Clouds of vapor I think? No idea on the cost. Also, cartos are a very nice option, I think the soft caps might be doable for refilling but I think plenty of vendors are doing prefilled cartos which seemed reasonable. I would suggest cartos with a 3.7 device (you can buy ego batts for $23, charger for 10 or the 510, but less hassle charging the ego batts.

Apologies I am not visually impaired but wanted to throw out my opinions.

[Phaseman66]

Apologies I am not visually impaired but wanted to throw out my opinions.

No apologies needed, thanks a lot FTJoe for the tips!

I wasn't looking exclusively for visually impaired people, just good info that I can pick from in making a choice that best suits her. Anyone, sighted or not can give their input on this. I've edited my original post for clarity. Thanks again!

P.S. Thanks for the awesome wetbox idea!

Edited May 17, 2010 by Phaseman66

[ddavelarsen]

True to form FTJoe preempted what I was gonna say again. I think cartos would be a great way to go, if they're not to expensive. We had this topic a few months ago and I don't believe we came to a decent resolution. But that was before 510 cartos were available, which I think would be a viable solution. Good luck to your wife's friend and please keep us posted how it turns out.

[nana]

What a wonderful thing you want to do! Just another example of the kind people that belong to this forum.

There was another post on this subject a few months ago. I thought you might like to read it, so here's the link for it. I'm not sure just pasting it on here will work, but I'm going to give it a try.

http://www.vaportalk.com/forum/forum/topic/2739-ideas-for-the-blind/page__hl__blind

Hey! It worked!

Edited May 17, 2010 by nana

[snubber]

I'm going to put my 2cents worth in here. I'm sure that the cartos are the best choice if she is sightless. and I would normally suggest a 510 manual, however you might want to consider a auto battery so it's easier for her to just pick up and vape without worrying about the button. Maybe kr808d-1 with the charging case. The other problem I see is that she will not know when the batteries are low, need charging or when they are charged unless she has someone there that can help her. If that's the case then the 510 is probably her best choice right now.

I'm sure you will get other suggestions as well.

[miatafrank]

I think that the wetbox idea is right on the money. The wet box uses cartos, and feeds juice from the bottom. A blind person should be able to feel for the button, and know where it is instinctively in no time. As snubber said, battery charging might be a challenge, so I would have several batteries that she can work with. I'm thinking maybe 6 batteries so she can have a storage box where she stores fully charged batteries. One battery in use, when it falls off vapor production put it on a separate box for staging "to be charged". place a battery in the charger over night and it will be charged by morning, out of the charger and into the fully charged box. Take a battery from the staging box and put it in the charger, charge all day, should be charged by night. Move charged battery to the fully charged storage box, move a drained battery from the staging box into the charger for the overnight charge. Get the picture?

With enough batteries, she should be able to handle this by feel, and the fully charged box should have more batteries in it than the staging box.

Filling juice bottles might be the next challenge, is something that she may need help with. I wouldn't want her spilling any on herself.

Blind people can learn all kinds of ways to be self sufficient, and getting to know her a little, and how she can use other senses to compensate will help fine tune the plan to her abilities. Concentrate on what she CAN do to compensate for what she can't (see).

[Burn]

I have nothing new to add other than to further endorse the wetbox. You will have to set it up for her but she will get a good full day out of it (3ml). Setup may be rather tricky when you are blind but I have personally seen some amazing things in my time when I worked in an eye and ear hospital.

I bought a wetbox for my mother in law, she is not blind but believe me when I say she is plenty impaired. If she can make it work, then it is fit for anyone else.

(Is there a way to set a post so my wife can't read it???)

[Jeffb]

I have nothing new to add other than to further endorse the wetbox. You will have to set it up for her but she will get a good full day out of it (3ml). Setup may be rather tricky when you are blind but I have personally seen some amazing things in my time when I worked in an eye and ear hospital.

I bought a wetbox for my mother in law, she is not blind but believe me when I say she is plenty impaired. If she can make it work, then it is fit for anyone else.

(Is there a way to set a post so my wife can't read it???)

I hope your Mother-in-Law has a good sense of humor like you Burn.

[DAYVAPE]

Man, I can't imagine doing any of the e-cig "tinkering" that I do without being able to see!!

HOW in the hell would any of this be possible... I mean really? Not saying that a visually imapaired person couldn't figure it out. But, keep in mind she's a senior citizen as well. I don't know... I just think there is too much involved personally. Maybe if she has someone helping her, etc. it would be doable.

[Phaseman66]

She does have an adult son who comes by a few (3) times a week to check on her and help her with shopping etc.

The way I'm leaning now is toward a 510 setup with prefilled cartos that possibly her son can refill on the days he's visiting. The wetbox (although a GREAT idea) might be too sophisticated should something act up on her while she's alone.

I'm still thinking though, keep these awesome ideas coming!

[kitsune]

If her son would be will to learn how to set things up for her, she would be in business no matter which unit she got. if she could afford to have the extra batteries/supplies

charging shouldn't be too bad--would just have to base things on time--if I charge the 510 battery it should be done in 1hr....etc.

if she could have many extra cartos or prefilled carts for use in between her sons visits...

people that ate visually limited, do learn how to do things that work for them !!

What a wonderful thing you are doing to help.... I really love the vaping community.

If the son has trouble--I would be willing to send her prefilled carts....

[Stirfry]

i agree with the regular manual 510, with a few spare bats (maybe even a 5-bat charger from TW) and plenty of cartos (like a dozen or more) just in case the son gets lazy.

and i would much rather have a blind person dealing with e-cigs than analogs, and i know plenty of blind people who smoke (and never miss the ash tray or catch on fire)

[TheBeckster]

I think it's completely possible to be blind and vape! People with disabilities figure out how to do the things they have to do that we take for granted. Things that we think would be impossible without our senses.

With that, I agree with the 510. I know that I can tell before/during the battery blinking that it's not creating vapor. I don't think you need to see the light to be able to know when the batt needs charging, you can feel it. I also think that the multi-batt charger is a Great idea, she could rotate them.

510

lots of batteries

cartos

Totally possible! What a nice thing you are trying to do for her!

[FTJoe]

I still say two ego batts at $23 each. Last a day or almost each. One charging, one working. Cartos and done!!!! Fill five to ten at a time...

[nana]

I agree with FTJoe on this one. The eGo batts last so long that there wouldn't be much of a problem with charging. And cartos would most certainly be the best thing.

You people are all awesome. So willing to jump in and help a complete stranger. I'm proud to be a part of this group.

Phaseman66 - thumbs up for what you are doing!

Kitsune - What a wonderful person you are to volunteer to fill the cartos. My hat's off to you!! (well I don't wear hats, but it's the thought that counts, right?)

[Hawk]

Hey Guys,

I'm with a lot of what has been stated so far. That original link that Nana put up, regarding the blind and visually impaired contained a post from my brother, who is very almost totally visually blind. He drips as he uses the Silver Bullet at 6volts, although most of the time it is a total pain for him. He ends up with juice all over him, and not in the atty.

That said, I think a longer lasting battery, such as in the wetbox utilizing the 14500, or the Ego would be the best bet, using a cartomizer. I know a few seniors who are blind, and who smoke, as my mom lives in a senior community now, and and boy they smoked a lot, so I imagine that she would vape a lot too. A longer battery life is the way to go. The standard 510's don't last worth a hoot, but the aforementioned batteries will last most of the day. Getting back ups (batteries), and having someone to help her charge them should do the trick.

As far as atty's go, I think the cartomizers might work best. I have yet to try the 510 carto's, but I started out vaping on the KR808d's and they worked well, and if the 510 carto's are as good as the reviews and talk of em, I think they should suffice.

Summing it up, I think the wetbox, or Ego with 510 carto's sounds like the ticket.

[Phaseman66]

Let me start this post by thanking everyone who offered to help/gave their advice. (I even had someone who wishes to remain nameless, offer me up pretty much everything in his personal stock! ) Special thanks also to Kitsune, who went above and beyond my call for help and offered to fill up cartos! You ALL ROCK!. I can't think of a better vaping community to belong to than this one.

Quick update, I ran across this offer through Dietsmokes.com and think it may be JUST what I'm looking for. This lets HER decide if she would rather use a manual or automatic battery, still uses genuine Joye 510 parts, and should be quite servicable if something goes wrong with it. Plus, I can always upgrade her to an Ego battery if it proves the regular batts just don't cut it.

I'll update how she likes it and how it's all working out for her once I give it to her.

Thanks again VaporTalkers!

Edited May 24, 2010 by Phaseman66

[nana]

Thanks for offering the update. I'd love to hear how it goes.

[Phaseman66]

-UPDATE-

Well, today I delivered to my friend her new Joye510 with a couple of sets of cartos.

I'm waiting to hear back from her after a few days of use to see how she likes them and how the cartos especially are working out for her. I gave her some prefilled caramel machiatto cartos from Dietsmokes and two cartos filled with Vaportalk Tobacco and Dulcis in them. She seemed to enjoy the flavor and she was able to use the e-cig without any problems. I really hope that these will do the trick and replace analogs for her.

In the meantime until I hear back from her, I asked her if it would be alright to let the folks at VaporTalk know who she is and with a huge smile, she said I could finally tell.

(I've been bursting to tell you all for weeks now).

This is no ordinary Lady.

Her name is Virginia James and in the 1950's, she was one of the most famous if not THE most famous Las Vegas Showgirl. She danced at the Sands Hotel in the Copa Room and also opened the Follies Bergere at the Tropicana a few years later. This Wonderful Lady dated Frank Sinatra and stole many, MANY a man's heart during her incredible career. To have even met this woman was an honor. I'm including some links here for you all to look at and see and hear this wonderful gal and hear about her in her own words.

I really also wanted to thank all the VaporTalkers again for stepping up and helping a smoker get past the analogs. You are all fantastic people.

http://www.library.unlv.edu/oral_histories/addl_pages/virginia.html

http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/1999/Oct-15-Fri-1999/news/12153867.html

A picture of Virginia in costume: http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/1999/Oct-15-Fri-1999/photos/james.jpg

http://articles.latimes.com/2009/mar/19/nation/na-folies-closing19

(Some of these articles are from a few years back, but she is just as vibrant now as she was back in the 50's.)

[Phaseman66]

-UPDATE-

I got a bummer phone call from my friend today, she had been using the kit I gave her and for a day or so it went well. She had complained to me of nic fits and that she was craving analogs. I advised her NOT to use both analogs and vape at the same time. She let me know that she had woken up and used her pv and afterward got really jittery and felt her heart race. The cartos I gave her were only 9mg and she had told me that she had been smoking regular analogs before trying to switch over. I gave her the low nic ones so she wouldn't accidentally make herself sick (exactly what happened). I asked her if she had also smoked an analog and she had. SOOO...She freaked out and called her Doctor, who promptly blamed her using a pv and told her to discontinue using it and just cut down an the analogs.

Really. The Doctor TOLD her to go back to smoking!

I really wish it would have worked out for her, but to her, the word of her MD is gospel and she's given up on the idea of using a pv.

Go figure.

[nana]

Oh, how disappointing.

[FTJoe]

Bummer...

[Phaseman66]

On a happier note...there are MORE smokers out there just WAITING to be saved! I have not yet BEGUN to fight!

[nana]

Good for you!! Glad to hear it.