[nabs-l] re college classes vs high school classes

Mon Jan 24 02:13:37 UTC 2011

Hi Josh and all,
William had some good advice.  As for college, Josh you chose the online program so try it and finish it; you can always transfer or do another college if the program online doesn't work out.

As for the past and what your mother did or did not do, you cannot change that; yes cities and middle class communities have more resources and better services for the blind than rural counties.
But I know you in person, and do not know many here as actually people, and I'd say you seemed active and had  sevearal  opportunities; I met you in the summer youth program at Bism.
Whether blind or sighted, cities and suburbs have more opportunities for jobs, housing options, etc so moving may be a good option.
But research the area, determine your goals and make a move if that is best for you.  
Try not to dwell and grieve on the past; it gets you no where.  Set goals, be determined, and move on.
I'm sure you can do it!

Ashley
-----Original Message-----
>From: William ODonnell <william.odonnell1 at yahoo.com>
>Sent: Jan 23, 2011 8:15 PM
>To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
>Subject: Re: [nabs-l] re college classes vs high school classes
>
>Josh,
>I do not know much about the area you live in; however, you appear to be going through a state of loss or grief by blaming others with angered feelings.  Based on your demographics and religious background, you will have more opportunities afforded to you in this country.  The unfortunate reality is that America culture bases people automatically on skin color and specific religious origins rather than actual characteristics of the individual.  As a white person, I denounce this ignorant practice; I feel our society still lives in a 1940S mentality.  I want you to consider the current political tea-party movements that have taken place since 2009.  We would not have seen these take place during the last presidential administration.  Those who would have participated in such behaviors would have been arrested and tried for treason.  This is one of the many reasons why I personally do not want to raze children in America.  
>            I grew up in a small town and went to a school district with a graduating class of 12-1500.  Although I was one of several blind children in the school system, I faced many of the frustrations of being the popular student since I was disabled, lacking educational services, and limits placed upon me that were unusual limits not placed on other children.  
>I always had the drive to be a self-sufficient adult with a better life than my childhood.  I was one of those individuals who felt that I was included and treated properly since I did not know of the laws and came from a family that felt the need to never disrupt the status-quo.  My family always supported me by making me feel that I was as normal as possible and just could not see.  I was always told that I could fit in like anyone else.  I just could not drive or fly.  Later in life I saw there well intentioned ideas quickly turn into the harsh reality of our culture of denial.  
>Although some would say that I was razed in a world of make-believe, I feel that giving a child the drive to believe in themselves makes the individual handle the harsh reality with confidence to not lose sight of there agenda and goals.  
>Josh, find your deep inner passion and be determined to get it regardless of what you are told when speaking to others or going through life.  Think big and dream big.  I see you writing that you would basically settle for a job with 40K or so, that is good; however, how will a job earning 40K help you save for the future and most importantly help the future of your family?  Maybe you have more resources than you are informed about.  Most importantly, you can network and be the driving force of change within your local community.  Maybe your county needs a chapter of NFB, ACB, etc.  I would tell you and others in your position  to understand the hand you have been delft realize that it is factual and that you have some important decisions to make to better yourself.  Bard also has many good books on inspirational topics for reading that you may be interested in.  
>
>--- On Sun, 1/23/11, Josh Kennedy <jkenn337 at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
>From: Josh Kennedy <jkenn337 at gmail.com>
>Subject: [nabs-l] re college classes vs high school classes
>To: nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>Date: Sunday, January 23, 2011, 2:24 PM
>
>
>Hi
>
>Personally I cannot wait to graduate from college. When I went to college I spent much time at the numan center at least I think that's how it's spelled. Anyway its the place on campus for people who are catholic. Actually looking back on it I wish I had gone to a college in Pittsburg or Baltimore Maryland. I would have had access to good public transportation. Seems like so far in my life I grow up in a small town, go to college in a small town. get married move to another even smaller town. Then move to a town that in my opinion is pretending to be a city where nothing happens anyway. I don't care if it takes me 20 years I'm getting my degree from capella. And then if it takes me another 20 years to get a good paying 40k a year job well fine then. I attribute my current and past failures to growing up in a small town. When my mom realized she had a disabled child she should have moved us to Baltimore or Philadelphia at least in my opinion. then I would
> have had a better opportunity. I may be wrong about this completely but I think that blind people who grow up in farely large cities have more opportunities from the get go versus those who grow up in small towns. Grant-it my parents did the best they could. I got to go to costa rica, florida, bism, and one or two other places. But the rest of the time I was living a in  a small very small town. As a child it was fine maybe up through 8 or so years old. But after that it became so very boring nearly ever day I wished I lived somewhere else, anywhere else. in some place where something was happning. If I were my mom and I was raising me I would have given up the little safety zone of my small quiet town in the middle of nowhere and moved to a big city not for my own comfort but to give my child every opportunity to succeed I possibly could.
>Another thing I don't get with sighted people is again lets take my mom for example. she drives 1 and a half hours to work each day. so that's 3 hours of driving each day. 15 hours a week and 60 hours a month. that's about 3000 hours per year just driving back and forth to work. Now if we would have moved closer to where he worked. as in if we had lived in the same city then she could have spend thousands more hours with me. So part of my moving out getting married having a child means also that I have to not only take care of my family, I also have to correct my parents failures and the failures of the educational system. Oh it'll happen, slowly but surely it will happen I will correct ehrie their gheir failures.
>
>Josh
>
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Merry Christmas and Happy New Year