[nabs-l] First O/M lesson

Thu Jun 18 20:08:49 UTC 2009

I agree. Jim really understands what it's going to take for him to become a 
competent traveler.

Dezman
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Angela fowler" <fowlers at syix.com>
To: "'National Association of Blind Students mailing list'" 
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, June 18, 2009 11:38 AM
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] First O/M lesson

> 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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