[nabs-l] sample justification letter

Tue Mar 16 00:06:06 UTC 2010

Well done, hope you are able to get funding from BVS, I live in
Delaware, but I have friends that have told me stories about BVS and
such things.

Take care, and good luck,
Kat

On 3/15/10, Martha Harris <latinanewschic at gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi Everyone,
> I am in the process of requesting funding from my state agency to attend
> BLIND Inc. I'm pasting my letter below.
>
> HTH,
> Martha
>
> Dear XXX:
>
>
>
> I am writing to request funding to attend Blindness: Learning In New
> Dimensions Incorporated (BLIND, Incorporated), a facility that will provide
> comprehensive adjustment-to-blindness training.  I recognize the necessity
> to learn job-related skills as well as alternative techniques that will
> affect my abilities to function successfully and competitively as a grad
> student and employee.
>
>
>
> I talked extensively with staff and former students of BLIND, Incorporated
> and found they live the positive philosophy I want. Not only does BLIND,
> Incorporated believe in blind people, most of its staff is blind. A board of
> directors who are all blind also governs it. This is in contrast to centers
> such as Pittsburgh Vision Services, which is staffed mainly by sighted
> people.
>
>
>
> I have learned to use a computer and some other blindness technology with
> some success, and as you know, computers, software, and technology change on
> a regular basis.  In Communications Class, BLIND, Incorporated, will not
> only teach me some of this updated software and technology, but teach me how
> to "teach myself" when these changes occur.  In addition, this
> Communications Class can capitalize on my current Braille skills to improve
> my reading and writing speed, and give me "hands-on" experience and practice
> with a variety of Braille devices and technology. I feel that this class can
> assist me in acquiring the "competitive edge" necessary for my college and
> employment objectives.
>
>
>
> I am able to do some household-related chores, but I need safe non-visual
> techniques for cooking. I have received some local services from BVS in the
> past, but I need a program that teaches these skills over a longer period of
> time. I will learn how to make every part of a meal on an electric and gas
> stove, in the oven, and on a charcoal grill. I will eventually know how to
> set up and cook for 40 people without assistance.
>
>
>
> Students live in apartments with a roommate and are required to cook daily
> and maintain this apartment while living there. I can be around blind and
> sighted people and practice what I am learning, outside of class.
>
>
>
> Another significant reason for comprehensive training is travel. I know how
> to travel independently in familiar areas and routes I have done several
> times before however, I am completely unsuccessful and dependent on sighted
> friends or pedestrians. I do not know how to figure out where I am in a new
> area, especially a city such as Washington, D.C. or Boston. I eventually
> want to be a journalist or researcher, and I need to move to an area with
> public transportation and places in walking distance.
>
>
>
> Growing up in Altoona, I have not had much experience with subways, light
> rails, and local buses. Furthermore, attending Bloomsburg University has
> placed me in a rural area with little traffic. I was never a confident
> traveler before, but now, because of lack of practice and time, I am nervous
> in heavy traffic. I need to know I can travel in a city by myself without
> taking excess time judging light cycles and second-guessing my decision to
> cross the street.
>
>
>
> Attending this center for 6-9 months will allow me to become confident and
> truly know I have the skills to be an independent traveler. I will learn how
> to discover and explore unfamiliar routes and how to plan the best way to
> get to a specific destination. This will be important for my future job. I
> am a journalism and sociology major, and as a journalist, I will possibly
> have to travel to new locations on a daily basis. I know, with the skills I
> currently possess, I cannot do this, no matter if I am in a rural or urban
> setting.  If I am employed as a researcher or in another sociology-related
> field, I will attend large conferences and travel frequently for projects
> and data analysis. I lack confidence in crowds, and again, a conference is
> an unfamiliar place.
>
>
>
> I attended a conference in December, and if it weren't for my roommates, I
> would have been stranded and lost the whole time with no idea how to attend
> sessions. This is not dignified or independent and would not present a
> professional image. While at BLIND Incorporated, students attend a
> conference with 3,000 other blind people in a city, go on three-day tours,
> and go to a Minnesota state fair with over 1,000,000 people.
>
>
>
> There is no substitute for practical experience. The highly accomplished
> people at BLIND, Incorporated have a far broader and deeper wealth of
> experience about blindness than anyone else I could find locally.
>
>
>
> Under the rehabilitation act and regulations, clients have the right to
> informed choice. They have the right to choose their vocational goal, the
> services they need, the providers of those services, and the way those
> services are provided. This is not a privilege, but a right under federal
> law.  I now wish to exercise this right. I am aware that other people from
> Pennsylvania have been funded through this agency to attend BLIND,
> Incorporated and other out of state training centers so a precedence has
> already been set.
>
>
>
> While I am attending BLIND, Incorporated, each instructor will send monthly
> progress reports to you, and we can also have conferences with you and the
> executive director either in person or by phone. The average time for the
> comprehensive training is six to nine months with individual variability.  I
> know that no facility can cover everything, but I want to do what I can so
> that I do not have to keep coming back for more training every time I run
> into a new problem or task I cannot complete because of a lack of blindness
> skills. As stated in law, I want to maximize my potential so that I can be
> employable, not underemployed.
>
>
>
> Thank you for the opportunity to tell you why I want to attend BLIND,
> Incorporated. I think there is a much greater likelihood that I will be
> successful in both college and employment. Therefore, I request that you
> approve funding so that I can start training at BLIND, Incorporated.
>
>
>
> Sincerely,
>
>
>
> Martha Harris
>
>
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