[nabs-l] O&M services through state agency for the blind

Fri Jul 23 17:02:53 UTC 2010

Hi Ashley:

I'm from W.VA...a very poor state that also has terrible services.

I right now am trying to decide which center I want to go to, but when
I was getting contracted O and M services it was pretty bad. The
instructor I had only worked on route travel with me, which I hate and
do not do very well with...I am much better and am excelling even
without training with the structured discovery method. Our state
agency is so bad that a few years ago they lost funding and had to
close part of the building down. They now put you in a hotel to stay
every night...I toured our state center once and could tell just from
that one tour that it was pretty bad.

I doubt that you'll get very good services from your state...I'd also
recomend one of the NFB training centers...or at least one that has
structured discovery cane travel. I believe the structured discovery
method is much much better and you'll learn much more with it.

Just my opinion!

Kerri

On 7/22/10, Beth <thebluesisloose at gmail.com> wrote:
> Florida services were bad enough.  The instructor I was assigned
> canceled eight times.  I couldn't get O and M but once a week.  I hope
> I can convince you, Ashley, to try CCB.  The staf are all amazing,
> blind, and know how to travel.  My orientation skills are pretty bad
> myself, but the CCB staff are determined to have me overcome this, and
> so am I.  The NFB training centers are all about overcoming obstacles.
>  Here, you can also learn Braille, computers/tech, and home management
> skills.  Louisiana also has an NFB center, but I say CCB people are
> better travelers because we have to walk and take the train and bus to
> our center every day.  I think that makes us better travelers because
> it makes us focus more on walking to the destination and gives us
> practice, but I hate route travel.  Services with state agencies are
> pretty bad a lot of times, so I would recommend going to an NFB
> training center.
> Beth
>
> On 7/22/10, bookwormahb at earthlink.net <bookwormahb at earthlink.net> wrote:
>> Hi all,
>> I wanted to vent here about a problem I have and see what sort of service
>> your state agency provides.  I'm in VA and the state agency is Department
>> for the blind and Vision Impaired, DBVI.
>>
>>
>> one skill I struggle with is O&M.  I have tunnel vision and use a cane.  I
>> don't have a good sense of direction and my spatial abilities are lacking;
>> Its hard for me to build a cognitive map in my head so if someone explains
>> directions or a layout I cannot hold that in my head and comprehend it
>> unless its drawn for me as a map on paper.  Sometimes "drawing" on my skin
>> with a finger helps me get the shape of something.  I say this as
>> background
>> fo my situation.
>>
>> I am requesting O&M service from the agency.  However my instructor really
>> can't teach and he is rude.  I mentioned to Corbb who I think worked with
>> this instructor, that I really wanted the other instructor in the Fairfax
>> office.  He agreed with me.  But they denied my request stating I had to
>> work with the instructor assigned to my territory.  This instructor gave
>> me
>> short lessons of less than an hour, cancelled many times, and had to rest
>> on
>> lessons because he did not feel well.
>>
>> When I complained about this comduct they just said that is not acceptable
>> and the manager said he would speak to the instructor.  Then we had a
>> meeting to lay out goals and clarify the instructor's responsibility.
>> They
>> said it was the instructor's responsibility to plan lessons and bring me
>> to
>> places to learn my objectives.  They also said I had a right to longer
>> lessons.
>> I was not happy with the meeting since the instructor hardly participated
>> and gave no indication as to how he would improve and teach me.  He
>> clearly
>> does not care.
>>
>> They, I mean the manager of the Fairfax office, tells me I may not get
>> lessons but once a month because they are short staffed.  I feel this is
>> rediculous because I need more to meet my needs; like three or four times
>> a
>> month.
>>
>> The bottom line is they won't give me adaquate service.  Giving me
>> instruction with an impatient, rude, instructor is not quality service.
>> The
>> other instructor is university trained as well, but she is much better,
>> has
>> teaching abilities and a positive attitude.  But I cannot have her because
>> she is not assigned to my territory.
>>
>>
>> I wish they would outsource OandM service to meet client's needs.  There
>> are
>> many good OandMers here that don't work for the agency.  I wish they would
>> contract with someone.  BTW I want to learn such things as better
>> orientation strategies outside, crossing streets, and public transit.
>>
>> Can you tell me what your services were like in terms of quality and
>> frequency of lessons if you had community O&M from an agency.  I'm not
>> sure
>> what to do other than go up the chain of command with my complaint.
>>
>> Thanks.
>> Ashley
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