[nabs-l] Learning Daily Living Skills

Wed Jun 22 09:47:39 UTC 2011

I’ve got to agree.  Sometimes there’s no alternative to just going 
off and doing it yourself to see what you can do on your own.  What’s 
the worst that could happen?

Okay, yes, a four alarm fire, fine.  Maybe you should avoid trying to 
bake a pizza or light up a charcoal grill until you have a few other 
things under your belt.

(HEY!  I hear you snickering over there!)

Joseph

On Mon, Jun 20, 2011 at 07:21:34PM -0400, Lea williams wrote:
>Oh I had the hardest time once I lived on my own. I knew how to do my
>on laundry and some cooking but the going to the store and doing it
>without trembling in my shoes was the hardest. But I agree with the
>others. I went to the school for the blind and lived there for five
>years and I have learned more in these last three years of living on
>my own than all my life put together. If you have any problems or just
>want advice, fill free to contact me or just post on this list. I am
>great at explaining and giving advice. I do it all the time with my
>friends and enjoy it so much.
>
>On 6/20/11, Ignasi Cambra <ignasicambra at gmail.com> wrote:
>> There are many things that can be taught to you, and talking to your parents
>> just like you have been doing up until now is probably a good idea. I'm sure
>> that, after all, they don't want you to be unable to do anything by yourself
>> either. They probably just don't know how to help with certain things. When
>> going to the grocery store you can always tell your dad that you are looking
>> for a safe way to make it there, walking on sidewalks etc. Sighted people
>> sometimes take shortcuts which might not be safe for you at this point. You
>> will probably be able to do those things after you become more experienced,
>> but for now you should probably just ask your dad for a better option that's
>> more suitable for you and your cane.
>> Also, don't be scared of trying things out. If you don't know how to fold
>> clothes, just take one of your own folded shirts and slowly unfold it so
>> that you can understand how your mom folded it. The same concept can be
>> applied to many things. You know that in order to cook pasta you need to put
>> it in boiling, salted water, right? Then you can just try doing it. I'm sure
>> that the first time your pasta will be overcooked or maybe undercooked, or
>> who knows what else can go wrong? But as long as you use your common sense
>> so that you don't get burned or anything like that, you can learn lots of
>> things by yourself. After you have made terrible pasta two or three times,
>> you will see how it starts tasting better!
>> Again I'm not trying to discourage you from asking your parents to teach you
>> things or to go to a training center if you are ever able to do it. I'm just
>> saying that with a little bit of imagination you can figure out lots of
>> things by yourself. Also many of us on this list are used to living by
>> ourselves and can try to give you suggestions etc.
>>
>> IC
>> On Jun 20, 2011, at 4:18 PM, Humberto Avila wrote:
>>
>>> Hello fellow listers:
>>>
>>> As you know I've been really wanting to learn Daily Living and life
>>> skills.
>>> I am starting college in the fall and therefore I don't want to be living
>>> at
>>> home forever -- most college students my age are living in their dorms
>>> (including blind students). although my community college is not located
>>> far
>>> from home, learning daily living skills would be a plus for me and if I
>>> actually want to get a place of my own in the future I must be able to
>>> have
>>> life and daily living skills.
>>>
>>> the only glitch I'm facing, however, is my parents, especially my Mom. I
>>> have talked to them into teaching me how to do daily living tasks, yet
>>> when
>>> they are actually trying to teach me it gets sort of confusing and I can't
>>> really understand what they are teaching, and I don't really know whether
>>> the alternatives they teach me are the safest or most accessible. Like for
>>> example, one day my Dad and I were going to our nearby grocery store
>>> called
>>> "Fiesta foods" walking. I was using my cane and as we were walking my dad
>>> walked me through a bunch of gravel and rocks. was there a sidewalk I
>>> could've used? I don't know, but he said "this is the fastest way".
>>>
>>> but anyways, just like my teacher of the blind pointed out in my IEP
>>> post-secondary plan worksheet when I graduated, MY PARENTS STILL DO A
>>> TREMENDOUS AMOUNT FOR ME AND IF I'M TAUGHT THE SKILL I CAN SUCCEED.
>>>
>>> and... here I am, a 20-year-old who doesn't even know how to fold his
>>> clothes properly or wash them, go to the store and manage money and
>>> shopping
>>> by himself, and not knowing how to perform basic cooking tasks.
>>>
>>> I know how to wash dishes (I haven't learn to use a dishwasher), and I
>>> know
>>> how to vacuum, mop and clean the table (still * requiring lots of sighted
>>> assistance *)
>>>
>>> Unfortunately I can not afford going to an NFB training center or an
>>> orientation and training center at my home state [feel free to email me
>>> off
>>> list if you want to know exactly why].
>>> if I want to live productively and form a new family as well as get my own
>>> place, how would I go about explaining my parents (or even friends) to
>>> really teach me the skills I want to learn? Do I have to adapt to how they
>>> teach me? Are there any teacher of the blind that, for an affordable cost,
>>> can come to my house and teach me such skills. I really want your
>>> opinions.
>>> I don't want to end up getting my AA degree and after that move away and I
>>> have to ask people "Can you please do this for me?" plus, that would be
>>> embarrassing.
>>>
>>> thanks,
>>> Humberto
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>>
>>
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>
>
>-- 
>Lea Williams
>
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>704-732-4470
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