[nabs-l] Training centers and their structure

Tue Feb 8 20:11:19 UTC 2011

I agree with the posts, Bridgit and Joe.  I'm a student at the CCB,
and I'm really enjoying it, except for the snow. lol  But other than
the snow, and all the ploughing and traffic that results, I really
love it.  I'm going to live somewhere on my own, and sometime later,
my current boyfriend, who btw is blind, could marry me!  These are
things I could never have dreamed of before I came to CCB.  Before
CCB, I had a family that absolutely would not allow me to catch the
bus somewhere or go places without a driver.  Well, Titusville,
Florida is one of the more rural cities with a dangerous bus system to
use.  The paratransit sucks, but I wanted a place with more public
transit, so Denver won.  When I met my current boyfriend, I learned to
not only do the skills, but I learned to live, laugh, love, grow.  He
and I bonded, and believe you me, he has seen my training progress.  I
love cooking in my crock pot, finding good recipes, and doing cool
stuff in the oven.  I wanted to make cake cookies for my friend
Carrisa who's probably going to be delayed in her coming back.  Poor
thing.  But anyhoo, CCB is the way to go for me because of the
transit, the diversity of people there, and the love and support I get
from the NFB of Denver.  Thanks. :-d
Beth Taurasi

On 2/8/11, Joe Orozco <jsorozco at gmail.com> wrote:
> Bridgit,
>
> This is one of the best cases I've seen laid out for pursuing training at a
> Center.  You're not preaching to the choir, because there are some of us
> with a slightly dissenting view.
>
> I initially rejected the NFB training for two reasons.  First, I was more
> interested in continuing college, and second, I was not at all interested in
> being forced into what other people felt was the right path to independence.
> Now that I'm a little older, I can appreciate the stupidity of my first
> reason.  If you want something bad enough, you make it a priority, but the
> second reason, to me, still holds a little water.
>
> I was not interested in condescending people looking down on me for choosing
> not to take 6 to 9 months out of my life to fit someone else's model of
> training.  There is a very distinct culture among Center alumni that makes
> people not part of it feel a little left out.  Now, I am always first in
> line to preach the line about doing what you need to do and never mind what
> anyone else says, but from a marketing perspective, it makes very little
> sense to make it appear as though NFB training is a cornerstone to NFB
> philosophy.  Yes, the NFB centers feature phenomenal expectations, but no,
> these centers will never be able to reach everyone who needs or wants
> training.  A flexible plan ought to be exercised to catch professionals who
> would like NFB-style training without the unreasonable expectation of
> stopping employment for an extended period of time, especially in uncertain
> economies.
>
> After all that babble, my point is this:  I did not pursue training and am
> positive I would benefit from a training program.  I think people like me
> who chose not to enroll in a program should be prepared to achieve the same
> levels of proficiency with the disadvantage of doing it on your own across a
> longer period of time.  You have to commit to pushing yourself across
> multiple fronts to maintain confidence.  I feel I've done that, though I
> have not found someone to teach me a thing or three about woodwork.  Maybe
> later when I have the sufficient income to pitch the idea, I'll convince a
> Center to let me train for a summer at one of their facilities.  Success is
> possible whether you go to a Center or not.  If you go to a Center, you'll
> have to work hard.  If you go at it on your own, you'll have to work even
> harder, but, make the decision that is truly most beneficial for you and
> commit to it 100% after you've chosen.  I personally think I would have been
> a little more swayed in favor of the training center route had I read
> something like the post below when I graduated from high school.
>
> Best,
>
> Joe
>
> "Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their sleeves,
> some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all."--Sam Ewing
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org
> [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Bridgit Pollpeter
> Sent: Tuesday, February 08, 2011 1:41 PM
> To: nabs-l at nfbnet.org
> Subject: [nabs-l] Training centers and their structure
>
> Dear List,
>
> I know I will be preaching to the choir here so forgive me, but I feel
> it is important to stress the importance of choosing a good training
> center to attend.
>
> As a blind person-- whether blind from birth, later in life or in the
> process of losing vision-- one of the most important things you can do
> is attend the best training center you can find.  The reason NFB centers
> and other progressive centers follow similar methods is because, for
> years now, they have proven to be the best methods for instilling
> independence along with a strong functionality with the skills.
>
> We all learn at different paces and with different styles, but these
> centers are structured to meet individual needs.  This is why people
> train anywhere from 6 months to a year.  If you think you can learn the
> skills in less than 6 months and use them effectively, you are mistaken.
> Time and time again, I have seen people choose to not complete a
> training course and they lack the confidence and ability that most gain
> after at least a six month stint.
>
> As for sleep shades, I have always failed to understand why people are
> against this.  I initially learned with sleep shades and it made sense
> to me.  How better to gain that confidence than to know you can do
> things in non-visual ways?  Now that I can no longer use my vision at
> all, it makes me feel like I must be less capable when people say sleep
> shade training is wrong or not necessary.  The way this comes across is
> that vision is still vital to be truly independent, and that when you
> have no useable vision, you can not effectively accomplish things.
>
> Do not sell yourself short.  We all have the ability to gain that
> freedom and independence we hear so much about.  If you have never tried
> something, how do you know you can't do it?  I don't say all this
> because I have been brain washed, and I am one of those hard core blind
> people; I say all this because I have experienced it and know the
> benefits.
>
> We will struggle, we will need to learn, we will not always do
> everything perfectly, but if we have been handed the tools and methods
> to give us independence and confidence, we will find a way to prove
> ourselves to the world.
>
> I agree that placing an untrained student into an apartment scenerio may
> not work for everyone.  I understand the reasoning behind this, but I
> also know that before you learn skills and the confidence to use those
> skills, living on your own may not be the best situation right away.
> Not all training centers, good ones that is, follow this style of
> training.  You can find centers, like the Iowa Department for the Blind,
> where there structure is similar to the NFB centers, but housing is on
> campus, not apartments.  Regardless, challenge yourself and find out
> what you really are able to do.
>
> Many of us can a test to the positive influence of a good training
> center that teaches Structured Discovery.  Sleep shades and completing
> six to nine months is essential to these programs.  Do we choose
> universities that truncate their programs because we don't want to spend
> time completing a degree?  No, we know we have to work for four years,
> or longer, so we can receive the best education possible.  Why do we
> view training centers for the blind differently?
>
> I urge us all to take a good look inside and figure out who we are and
> what we are capable of.  We will all encounter situations in life that
> make us nervous or scared, but does that mean we limit our lives?  Do we
> not reach our full potential because of nerves?  No, of course not.  We
> should not follow an opposite line of thinking, then, when it comes to
> choosing a training center.
>
> Centers that do not offer this kind of training only send a message that
> blindness is limiting, and one is better off with some vision.  Yes, I
> have visited centers like this and it is sad to see blind people not
> reaching their full potential or not understanding how independent they
> can be.  The reason NFB centers were created was because most other
> agencies were not teaching and instilling this sense of independence,
> and they were not willing to open their minds to a new way.  Like many
> other situations, we were not going to accept this so we opened our own
> training centers.  Not everyone graduating from these centers leaves
> ready to make their mark on the world, bbut this is life.  Many, though,
> leave these centers knowing they can do anything, and they are ready to
> face the world.
>
> I am one of these people.  I never understood the fear of training or
> the insistance that it was not important.  When I started losing my
> vision, I couldn't wait to train.  I knew I could still do things, I
> just had to figure out how to do them.  I did not accept what people
> told me, that I was limited and would not be able to do a lot of things.
> I felt this way long before I trained, long before I knew of the NFB or
> any other group.  I was nervous, and at 23, leaving for training, in a
> whole other state, was the first time I truly lived away from home.  I
> have not been back since.
>
> I live on my own (wel, with my husband, who, by the way, is blind too).
> I take the bus, I go to school, I work.  I do everything, and more, and
> I owe this to a positive training center.
>
> I will stop.  I apologize, but I feel so strongly about this topic.  As
> blind people-- as people-- I know we can do anything we put our minds
> too.  I simply don't want to see anyone stifle their own potential.
>
> Bridgit
>
>
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