[nabs-l] Training centers

Fri Feb 11 00:55:05 UTC 2011

Hello,

Neither encouraging not discouraging dating among students is appropriate.

You might hear of one center doing the work to take adult choices away, while others present some choices more or less explisitally.

Antonio Guimaraes

On Feb 9, 2011, at 5:32 PM, Brian Hatgelakas wrote:

> Why are blind people discouraged from dating and treated like little kids at some centers!
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Beth" <thebluesisloose at gmail.com>
> To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list" <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Wednesday, February 09, 2011 2:51 PM
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Training centers
> 
> 
>> 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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