[nabs-l] Training centers

Fri Feb 11 16:26:18 UTC 2011

Al,
Good point; if you Need a training center experience you got to prove it and 
link it to your vocational goal.
If you just want to or say Oh I can benefit from learning more of this or 
that skill, that will not fly.
In these times of budget tightness and accountability, everything has to be 
justified.
Glad you pointed that directive out; its very important to use for 
justifications.

-----Original Message----- 
From: Al Spooner
Sent: Friday, February 11, 2011 7:45 AM
To: 'National Association of Blind Students mailing list'
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Training centers

Hi all,

I have not been able to follow every detail of this thread topic, so please
excuse me if I am repeating something that has already been mentioned.

To help you define "need," what you have to do is read a couple of sections
of our RSA regulations regarding informed choice.  In so many words, the
regulations state that you are the person that defines this need, and it
should be chosen to allow you to maximize your individual potential.

Below is a quote taken directly from a policy directive, RSA-PD-01-03 dated
January 17, 2001, written by Dr. Fred Schroeder, during his time as RSA
Commissioner.
Pay specific attention to the following verbiage "consistent with the
strengths, resources, priorities, concerns, abilities, capabilities,
interests, and informed choice"

Below are the two sections of this directive that I am referring too.
Beginning of quote:
"The 1998 amendments link the individual's employment outcome with the
informed choice of the individual.  Section 102(b)(3)(A) of the Act
specifies the description of the individual's chosen employment outcome as a
"mandatory component" of the IPE and stipulates that the  employment outcome
must be chosen by the individual and must be consistent with the strengths,
resources, priorities, concerns, abilities, capabilities, interests, and
informed choice of the individual.  The respective responsibilities of the
individual and the State VR agency in working toward the achievement of the
employment outcome must be described in the IPE  (Section 102(b)(3)(E)(i)
and (ii) of the Act)."

"The link between the employment outcome and informed choice is further
reinforced by the description of VR services in section 103(a) of the Act as
"any services described in an individualized plan for employment necessary
to assist an individual with a disability in preparing for, securing,
retaining, or regaining an employment outcome that is consistent with the
strengths, resources, priorities, concerns, abilities, capabilities,
interests, and informed choice of the individual."  This is a change from
the previous description of VR services as "any goods or services necessary
to render an individual with a disability employable."  These changes make
it clear that the cost, duration, or extent of vocational rehabilitation
services that an eligible individual may need to achieve a particular
employment goal should not be considered in identifying the goal.  Instead,
the employment outcome must be based only on what is consistent with the
strengths, resources, priorities, concerns, abilities, capabilities,
interests, and informed choice of the individual."
End of quote

Al Spooner
Assistant Director
Outreach and Marketing
Blindness Learning In New Dimensions, Incorporated (BLIND, Incorporated)
100 East 22nd Street
Minneapolis, MN 55404
Office: 612-872-0100
Toll Free: 800-597-9558
Fax: 612-872-9358
Web Site: www.blindinc.org
Office E-mail: aspooner at blindinc.org

-----Original Message-----
From: nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Sean Whalen
Sent: Friday, February 11, 2011 2:51 AM
To: nabs-l at nfbnet.org
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Training centers

Antonio,

Is it justifiable to use financial resources to buy a student a laptop that
that student could benefit from but does not need?

What do we mean by "need?" None of us really need training, we could all sit
at home without skills or technology and collect SSI, right? A need is vague
and undefined until you put it in the context of an end to be achieved by
fulfillment of the need. I didn't need e-texts to complete classes in
school. I could have used readers. I did, however, need e-texts to perform
up to my potential in classes, as I very much struggle with retaining
information when it is read aloud to me. Needs are not what matter. The cost
of the things we need to achieve a goal weighed against the prospective
benefit to be gained by attainment of the goal are what matter.

I absolutely believe that any blind person could benefit from attending a
training center. This said, I certainly do not believe that all blind people
need to, or even should, attend a training center. I chose to do so because
I was never taught to read in school. I felt that the benefits to be gained
by learning Braille, plus whatever other useful computer tips, travel tricks
and life lessons that I might pick up along the way outweighed the cost of
my giving up 6 months of my life to undertake the training. I have no doubt
I could have been successful in life without spending time in Ruston, but I
definitely feel that I took more away from the experience than I gave up to
go. Each of us must make our own calculations based on cost/benefit analysis
to determine what is the best option for us as individuals.

Attending an NFB center is no guarantee of life success. Not attending a
center is no guarantee of failure. Plenty of people who attend centers won't
reach their true potential, and plenty of people who do not attend will do
so.

Saying that anybody could benefit is a far cry from claiming that everybody
ought to attend. Frankly, I think that people benefit in one way or another
from almost every experience each of us has. This might not make them good,
enjoyable or useful experiences, but there is still some benefit to be
gained in virtually all circumstances.

More to the point, whether, and how, to get training is a highly individual
choice and wholly dependent on the particulars of one's skill level, age,
family situation, employment status and prospects, and myriad other things.
Anybody who tells you that everybody should attend a center is being
doctrinaire, but anybody who cannot acknowledge the benefits, in many cases
vast benefits, that good training can yield is being equally rigid and
dogmatic.

By the way, I'm not claiming that you do this. I just found your post to be
a good jumping off point.

All the best,

Sean

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