[Home-on-the-range] "It's not what we do but the way that we do it!"

Sharon Luka pilgrim5 at cox.net
Fri Oct 26 17:59:52 UTC 2012


This is most interesting!

I recall back from 1972 through 1975, at the Kansas State School for the
Blind.  A positive lady, Margie Bell, was our home economics' teacher.  All
of us, either totally blind or with residual vision, were required to
perform cooking projects under sleep shades.  Mrs. Bell believed we totally
blind students should be treated as our partially sighted peers.

Another thing.  I recall in 1968 or so training at the Illinois Visually
Handicapped Institute (IVHI).  One day we were trying to thread needles
without help by rocking the thread around the eye while the needle sat point
down on a cork table.  I always wondered about how appropriate that session
was, as I never got the needle threaded, and most citizens do not own a cork
table.  Hmm.  Back then, I'm not certain how that training method was
labeled.  I do believe in true structured discovery learning.

Thank you for the fun springboard of sharing!

See you all in Lawrence!

In the meantime, happy pumpkin day!!

Sharon


-----Original Message-----
From: Home-on-the-range [mailto:home-on-the-range-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Dianne Hemphill
Sent: Friday, October 26, 2012 7:29 AM
To: NFB of Kansas Internet Mailing List
Subject: [Home-on-the-range] "It's not what we do but the way that we do
it!"

Good morning federationists! Convention time is just around the corner and
excitement is mounting. What about that new technology we want to know more
about? Well, we can hear more about all of it and make a more informed
decision about our next purchase.  Or are you thinking about some of the
other options listed on the agenda and wonder what we might learn this year
about "everything effecting the blind "?  I , myself, keep coming back to
our friends from the Colorado Center (CCB) once again joining us as they
frequently have done in the past. 
There is  a commercial running now that says "it's not what you do , but
the way that you do it" . I don't even know what they're advertising but I
do know it can help define the difference between traditional rehabilitation
and the approach that the NFB has  used for decades. The federation refers
to this training approach as "structured discovery" Learning(SDL".  Many
people in the rehab biz claim they also used SDL as they view that the
skills that they teach are basically the same as those found in the NFB
centers. They get offended when discussion about the differences and want to
only refer to the mandate of using sleep shades by those with any useful,
(though unreliable, if not down right dangerous low vision)  takes place.
So what besides using sleep shades during the training, is really different?
If it's only about the use of sleep shades, why would a totally blind person
go through this training method? And, of course, if your low vision , though
your eyes allow you only slow and unreliable ,   but some access  to
reading some print , etc, why would SDL training programs  be a
consideration for you?  I'd like to suggest that we begin a discussion about
what SDL is all about and why it has been effective. The feds define
effective as having it's graduates go into  competitive  integrated work
settings followed by a closure of an individuals Vocational Rehabilitation
Services case.  Being able to effectively communicate the differences
between traditional rehab and SDL is necessary in order for us to help our
blind brothers and sisters to seek rehabilitation with the greatest
potential for successful employability outcomes.  

If you have questions about this subject please post them here...if you have
insights about SDL and/or traditional rehab, please share. How is it that
some of us have been successful in terms of employment  having gone through
traditional training  while most have not? What makes SDL so effective? What
do you want to hear from the CCB that would make a difference in your
understanding about why SDL has been the training approach used by
federation centers? 

With most of us (conservatively estimated at 70 percent) have not been
successful in landing a regular job or entering a career in a competitive,
integrated work setting  are still trying to figure out what would give us
an edge, let's consider what makes SDL tick. Traditional rehab, based around
only providing skills training, has left the majority of us in the dust
...so what makes SDL so effective? ,,,and, of course, why is there such
resistance from the rehab specialist to embrace SDL? A quote from Einstein,
might help us  to harness our resolve to "help" the rehabilitation system
take notice, "the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and
over again and expecting different results". ...  
The way you can help all of us here on home on the range is by helping us
better understand what this whole rehab thing is and, more importantly, what
it needs to be and why. Dianne
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