[nabs-l] Training centers

Wed Feb 9 21:14:14 UTC 2011

Kirt, I don't think you'll be discouraged.  Julie Deden and the 
crew at CCB would highly encourage people to get involved with 
communities.  I am thinking of doing some stuff with Americorps 
Vista if possible and maybe getting involved with starting my own 
nonprofit that helps not just blind people, but refugees and 
women as well.  I'd help people who need it.
Beth

 ----- Original Message -----
From: Kirt Manwaring <kirt.crazydude at gmail.com
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list 
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org
Date sent: Wed, 9 Feb 2011 13:37:37 -0700
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Training centers

Dear Beth, Tara and all,
  Is it hard to get involved with the community outside the 
center?
Let me clarify the question, as it maybe doesn't make sense.
  I know a lot of blind people (and please keep in mind I'm not
calling anyone out or judging), who graduated from the training
centers and now spend their lives mostly with other blind people.
There's nothing wrong with that, it's just not for me.  I'm 
probably
not going to marry a blind person or seriously date a blind
person...simply because most of my friends aren't blind.  So, 
with
that in mind, I'm going to want to find ways to get involved in 
the
community at large, at whichever center I decide is right for me.
So...do you think I'll be discouraged or austricized if I choose 
to
spend lots of my free time with church groups, volunteer 
programs,
other friends I might find outside the center, etc?  Because I 
think
the worst thing that could happen to me is to get caught in a 
"blind
bubble" where I learn all the skills I need, hang out with center
people all the time, and miss out on whatever other opportunities 
I
might find living away from home for such a long time.  Don't get 
me
wrong, I hope to make friends at the center and have a great 
time.
But I don't want that to be my whole life while I'm out on my own 
like
this.  Thoughts, anyone?
  Kirt

On 2/9/11, Beth <thebluesisloose at gmail.com> wrote:
 Training centers are a good way for blind people to learn the
 skills, but the CCB staff being blind makes it easier.  Tara, I
 agree with you on all points.  At a center in Daytona Beach,
 Florida, there were nurses, old creeps,, and lots of rules such
 as the lights out rule.  Sexes were separated by wing, and there
 was no question about dating.  At CCB, blind people are treated
 like people.
 Beth

  ----- Original Message -----
 From: Tara Annis <TAnnis at afb.net
 To: "nabs-l at nfbnet.org" <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
 Date sent: Wed, 9 Feb 2011 14:38:09 -0500
 Subject: [nabs-l] Training centers

 I attended the Colorado Center program between semesters at
 college.    I attended the school for the blind and also took
 some classes at a local association of the blind, so would like
 to provide some insight.
 I do agree that blind people can be successful and have above
 average skills, even though they do  not go to the NFB center,
 but this is really rare from my observations.
 Before I went to CCB, I did not know that blind people could 
walk
 long distances using a cane, as in m five or ten miles.  I
 thought people could only walk routes that the O&M instructor 
had
 taught them, and the route would be a mile or less.  I thought
 blind  people needed sighted  guide for any new place they
 visited, and couldn't use the cane to follow someone.
 I didn't know that blind people could use a charcoal grill.
 Some observations:
 1. There were no nurses at CCB that had control of the 
medication
 you took.  If you are supposed to be living in the real world,
 why have someone keep track of your meds?

 2. There were no lights out at CCB.  As long as you showed up to
 class on time, who cares what you do at night, as long as you
 aren't breaking the law.  You're adults, so you should be 
treated
 like them.
 Go to bed when you feel like it.

 3. There was no hassle at CCB when you wanted to go for lunch.
 You just  walked out the door.  You didn't need to make sure
 people had a sighted guide before beginning.  You didn't need to
 have a sighted person to come along to help out.

 4. Instructors were blind at CCB, and not ashamed of it. At 
other
 training centers, the instructors would never be caught using a
 cane or reading braille.  Sighted people wore dark glasses when
 traveling with blind people, so the public couldn't look into
 their eyes.  They did  not like being stared at by the  public.
 Yet, they never told blind people this fact.

 5. Colorado staff did not hide the fact that the public can
 sometimes be cruel, and many do not understand blindness.  I 
have
 witnessed at  other centers staff outright lying to blind people
 telling them that no one can tell they are blind and that they
 don't need a cane, since they get around  so well.  Yet, the
 people they tell this to have disfigured eyes, and run into
 obstacles.  The instructors do not want the blind person to feel
 bad so that is why they make up these lies.

 6. I hate how at other centers they always assume a blind person
 has low self  esteem, and needs counseling.
 CCB  knew that some of their students are at an intermediate
 level, already past the adjustment phase of blidnness, and just
 came to CCB for advanced skills training.

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