[nabs-l] First O/M lesson

[Angela fowler]

Yes, but I don't think there's a first time sleep shade user on the planet
that didn't peak a few times their first time out. In Jim's case, the info
he gleamed from peaking for the most part confirmed that he was on the right
track, and he did say that he realized that he didn't really need to. He was
made aware of the alternative techniques he could have used instead. Jim's
doing a damn good job of self-teaching if you ask me.   

-----Original Message-----
From: nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of clinton waterbury
Sent: Thursday, June 18, 2009 6:06 AM
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] First O/M lesson

Uh...  Wow...  The whole purpose of sleepshades and o and m is to...   
Gain the skills like finding landmarks and being able to go anywhere.   
Really, I would talk to 1 of the higherups about this.
On Jun 17, 2009, at 1:53 PM, Jim Reed wrote:

> Hey all,
>
> I just had my first O/M lesson under sleepshades, and I was not 
> impressed. I am not convinced that my O/M instructor has the time, 
> skill, or proper additude towards blindness to teach me what I 
> need/want to know. My goal of O/M training is to be able to safely 
> travel and navigate non-visually anywhere I want/need to go in 
> Billings (or anywhere else for that matter).
>
> Given
> the goals I just mentioned, I told/asked my O/M instructor  to teach 
> me under sleepshades, and I asked her to teach me universal travel and 
> navigation skills, rather than teaching me specific routes. Before I 
> could turn around twice, she is teaching me a specific route to 
> campus. Then, even though I was under sleepshades for the purposes of 
> learning non-visual techniques, she insisted that I take off my 
> blindfold nearly every block so that I could check out the terrain 
> ahead, and she also made me take off my sleepshades quite frequently 
> so that I could visually see the landmarks that she was pointing out. 
> I must have took off and put on those sleepshades about 20 times 
> during the lesson. There were also two times where she told me to take 
> off my sleepshades and walk with her, "so that we can find the best 
> route visually". I think I probably walked 4-5 blocks without my 
> sleepshades on. I'm sorry, but I don't need a lesson on sighted O/M, 
> I've been doing that since birth. And what the hell good does it do me 
> to see a landmark visually that I may not be able to see visually when 
> I am walking to school at night? Additionally, she wasn't letting me 
> figure out anything for myself. She was telling me of all the 
> landmarks that were around, she was telling me everytime there were 
> bushes sticking out into the sidewalk, or trees overhanging it, she 
> was telling me everytime there was a bench, lightpost, sign, or any 
> other obstacle in my way, and she kinda made a gasping sound everytime 
> I approached a curb at full speed. She was doing all of this before I 
> even had the chance to detect the obstacle with my cane, and she was 
> doing all of this without having seen me run into anything; I guess 
> she just assumed that I would not/did not have the skills to be able 
> to detect and avoid obstacles on my own.
>
> Towards the end of the
> lesson I got sick of her pointing out where every curb was, and I told 
> her that she wasnt doing me any favors by pointing out every curb. She 
> seemed to be taken by suprize at this, and she said something like 
> "fine, I'll let you walk off the curb". Whenever we get our next 
> lesson I intend to tell her to stop pointing out every little 
> obstaclle, and I intend to leave the sleepshade on for the duration of 
> the lesson.
>
> Additionally,
> I asked my O/M instructor  if she herself actually gets under a 
> sleepshade and travels. Her response was, " I was trained under a 
> sleepshade, but I havent been under one for years." A blind friend of 
> mine (who wants to become an O/M instructor) made a good point that I 
> am begining to agree with, she said, "if your O/M instructor 
> can't/won't travel under a sleepshade, then she really doesnt have any 
> buisness teaching O/M. All the theoretical knowledge learned in O/M 
> masters programs are nice, but without practical application of the 
> theoretical knowledge, she will never be as good of an O/M instructor 
> as her counterparts who routinely practices or works with clients 
> under sleepshades."
>
> Thoughts?
>
> Jim
>
> "From compromise and things half done, Keep me with stern and stubborn 
> pride, And when at last the fight is won, ... Keep me still 
> unsatisfied." --Louis Untermeyer
>
>
>
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