[nabs-l] Training centers

Thu Feb 10 21:32:13 UTC 2011

Hi all,

I met my boyfriend when I was at the Carrol Center. They had issues with 
touching etc over there, but we didn't actually start dating until after we 
were both finished our programs, so it wasn't a big deal for me.

Jen
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freespirit328 at gmail.com
401-644-5607

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Beth" <thebluesisloose at gmail.com>
To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list" 
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, February 10, 2011 11:21 AM
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Training centers

As far as dating at Centers, I am still dating my current bf and
he's amazing.  I met him here at CCB, and he welcomed me with
open arms.  HE's an amazing traveler, but snow is his weakness.
lol
Beth

 ----- Original Message -----
From: Arielle Silverman <nabs.president at gmail.com
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org
Date sent: Wed, 9 Feb 2011 21:41:15 -0700
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Training centers

Hi again,

Humberto, yes, people who are born blind are just as welcome at
NFB
centers as people who just went blind. I think when I was at LCB,
it
was about half and half, or maybe even more people who grew up
blind
than people who are newly blind. Some students also attend who
have
been "legally blind" for most or all of their lives, but who are
recently losing more vision.

Brian: It's sad, but also funny to hear about other centers
discouraging students from dating, because to my knowledge dating
between students at NFB centers is actually quite common, and not
discouraged (sometimes teasingly encouraged by staff who like to
play
"matchmaker"). I believe that several blind married couples who
are
active in the NFB first met at training centers (Dr. Maurer and
Mrs.
Maurer met at the Iowa training center, the one that the three
NFB
centers are modeled after). That said, there is certainly no
expectation to get romantically involved with a fellow center
student
and many students intentionally avoid it because the time at the
center is relatively short, or because they don't want to be
distracted during their training by such things. Either way is
perfectly acceptable, in my opinion.

Arielle

On 2/9/11, Arielle Silverman <nabs.president at gmail.com> wrote:
 Hi all,

 As you know, there is no magical number of days you must stay at
a
 training center in order to emerge as an "enlightened" blind
person.
 Nor is the center itself magical, or absolutely necessary for
everyone
 to achieve their optimal amount of self-sufficiency and
integration in
 the world. If you attend a center (NFB or not), you will
hopefully
 gain skills you can combine with your prior skills so you have
as many
 "tools in your toolbox" as possible. Having attended the
Louisiana
 Center for the Blind, and knowing many people who have gone to
the
 other two NFB centers, I believe that our centers are unique,
and
 anybody can gain something from attending one of them at least
for a
 short time, whether you "need" it or not. However, I also don't
think
 attending a center is essential for success. Unfortunately,
center
 training often must serve to fill in the gaps in one's childhood
 blindness skills training, so if you already have a solid
foundation
 in Braille, Computers, cane travel, and home management and feel
 appropriately confident in your skills in all four of these
areas,
 then going to a center may not be as important to you as other
goals,
 like college attendance. However, if you feel deficient in one
or more
 of these skills or feel your independence is limited because of
these
 issues, then a center is an excellent way to fill in that
knowledge
 gap.

 In answer to a couple questions that were raised, at least in
 Louisiana, the evenings and weekends are, for the most part,
your
 time. There are occasional trips like rafting and rock climbing,
and
 sometimes optional weekend activities, but the rest of the free
time
 is yours. I know at LCB many students attended local churches
and some
 exercised at the local fitness center. You are more than welcome
to
 sign up for community activities, as long as they don't take up
time
 during the week (Monday-Friday from 8:00-5:00, or 8:00-4:30 for
CCB;
 I'm not sure about BLIND, Inc.'s exact schedule).

 As someone mentioned, contrary to some people's stereotypes
about NFB
 centers, they really do make an effort to treat every student as
an
 individual. There are graduation requirements, but if you are
 struggling to meet them, the teachers will work with you to
develop a
 plan so that you can graduate and be challenged without being
 overwhelmed. When I was at LCB I saw lots of students with a
great
 range of prior skills and some who had additional disabilities
and I
 thought that for the most part, the staff did an exceptionally
good
 job of adjusting to each person's specific needs and abilities.
And,
 you can negotiate the length of your stay. If you stay for less
than
 six months you might not officially graduate or get a "freedom
bell"
 but if you say you only can attend for a few months because of
school,
 work or other reasons, they're not going to turn you away. I
think the
 more time, the better, but even a one-month stay is better than
none
 at all.

 There are a lot of things that make NFB centers stand out but I
think
 the high expectations and belief the instructors have in their
 students is the most important. A few of the instructors are
sighted,
 but I was struck by the difference in basic approach between the
 sighted teachers at LCB and the other sighted instructors I had
 growing up. It was clear that the teachers all believed in and
 respected the students' capacity to learn and become independent
in
 completing the assignments. They were both patient and firm,
 challenging us to go beyond what we thought we could do while
also
 being willing to invest the time and attention we needed to
learn the
 skills correctly. Even with little things, like having us
 independently find the pots we needed for cooking or the tools
we
 needed for woodshop, they conveyed that they expected us to
employ
 alternative techniques in every step of the process. It was also
clear
 to me that it wasn't just a "day job" for the staff. They really
care
 about the students and their progress even after graduation.

 The main reason I decided to attend the center was because of
travel.
 Like many of us I grew up with very traditional travel/O&M
instruction
 where I learned that I could only go to places if I had
memorized the
 route first. My parents were also very protective and I lived in
a
 suburban neighborhood so I had few opportunities to walk around
on my
 own or deal with busy streets, shopping centers, etc. without a
 sighted guide. In college when I did get to travel on my own, I
 frequently got lost, and I had learned from my traditional
travel
 instruction that getting lost was a "messup" or a failure. So, I
hated
 getting lost. I also wasn't very good at identifying when I was
going
 the wrong way because I had never really been taught to pay much
 attention to environmental cues. And, I was afraid of most
 intersections. It would literally take me fifteen minutes to
cross a
 lighted intersection that didn't have an audible signal because
I
 couldn't reliably tell the difference between parallel and
 perpendicular traffic. I knew when not to cross, but couldn't
tell
 when it was safe to cross until it was too late. At LCB we spent
time
 working on these issues. I also spent many days going out
finding
 addresses, often to places I had never been before. My
instructor
 would tell me the address of the business, so I knew what block
it was
 on, but of course I didn't know the set route to get to the
place. I
 really had to pay attention to where I was going using cardinal
 directions and carefully tuning in to traffic sounds. We also
worked
 on parking lots. When I was growing up I was taught to never
ever walk
 in a parking lot. I was taught routes to get to places where I
had to
 go around the block or cross over gravel to get to the entrance
of a
 business without using the parking lot. At LCB I regularly had
to
 traverse parking lots, sometimes big ones, and I learned that
there
 was nothing to be so worried about.

 I attended the center for just under seven months, graduating in
 August 2008. I will not say that today I am a great traveler, or
even
 an above-average cane traveler. I still get turned around a fair
 amount (actually did today). But, since leaving the center, I
don't
 get nearly as frustrated when I do get lost or turned around.
More
 importantly, I can recognize when I am turned around much more
 quickly, and correct it much more accurately, than I did before
 training. I can reliably detect parallel and turning traffic at
 intersections and I can cross uncontrolled intersections (no
light or
 stop sign) like the one by my house without problems (something
else I
 was told to avoid as a child). And, I cut across the driveway
for my
 condominium complex or the big parking lot by my grocery store
without
 a second thought. Had I stuck with my traditional training, I
think I
 would have had artificial limits on where I could live, and my
 mobility on the bus would have been limited by my inability to
cross
 streets or negotiate parking lots. I find it unlikely that I
would
 have gained this confidence and safety in cane travel at a
non-NFB
 training center, because I think the reason these benefits stay
with
 me today is because the NFB center assignments are so rigorous
and I
 spent so much time practicing these basic skills, both with
 instructors and by myself.

 Of course this is just one person's story, and everyone has a
 different story to bring to the table. I do think all of us can
 experience heightened confidence and skills by attending an NFB
center
 for any length of time, but of course, there are trade-offs in
life
 between center training and other priorities. I do think, as Joe
 alluded, that it would be great if we can figure out how to
bring
 NFB-style training to the one-on-one/home setting so blind
people can
 receive this quality of instruction without having to leave
their
 homes or their communities for several months. Until that
happens,
 though, the NFB centers all have an excellent track record for
turning
 out competent, self-reliant graduates.

 Arielle

 On 2/9/11, Anmol Bhatia <anmolpbhatia at yahoo.com> wrote:
 Kirt,
 Would you really need to attend a training center? I do not know
you
 well,
 but having met you a time or two I am not really sure if you
need to
 attend
 a training center. However, if you do attend I would encourage
you to get
 involved in the community and find sighted friends and do not
fall into
 common blind bubbel of only socializing with other blind people.
Like you
 said there is nothing wrong with that, but like you most of my
friends
 are
 also sighted and I believe that we live in a sight world and
will live in
 a
 sighted world it is important that blind people get out of their
comfert
 zone and participate in activities that sighted people do. Just
my two
 sense.
 Anmol
 I seldom think about my limitations, and they never make me sad.
Perhaps
 there is just a touch of yearning at times; but it is vague,
like a
 breeze
 among flowers.
 Hellen Keller

 --- On Wed, 2/9/11, Kirt Manwaring <kirt.crazydude at gmail.com>
wrote:

 From: Kirt Manwaring <kirt.crazydude at gmail.com
 Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Training centers
 To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list"
 <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
 Date: Wednesday, February 9, 2011, 2:37 PM
 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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 --
 Arielle Silverman
 President, National Association of Blind Students
 Phone:  602-502-2255
 Email:
 nabs.president at gmail.com
 Website:
 www.nabslink.org

--
Arielle Silverman
President, National Association of Blind Students
Phone:  602-502-2255
Email:
nabs.president at gmail.com
Website:
www.nabslink.org

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