[nabs-l] Learning Daily Living Skills

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Humberto,
Have you been blind all your life? Did you always have teachers of the 
visually impaired?
Have you received O&M service after school?  You have computer skills 
because you can email. Can you read braille? Do you have a portable 
notetaker like a braille note? Do you get NLS talking and braille books? I 
ask because if you do have a notetaker, can read braille, are signed up for 
NLS talking books/braille books from your regional library for the blind, 
and have a way to record information via a cassette player or digital 
recorder then learning these tasks will be easier.  Can you label in braille 
with dimo tape or something? I am assuming you can't read print labels.
I also would think since you can email, you can search the internet. 
Searching the internet for resources will help too.
Technology and reading skills can definitely help you do dailing living 
tasks. For instance with a debit/credit card you can shop online. By using 
google, you can search for recipies. If you have a recorder, you can record 
instructions or things about clothes.

I know how you feel about not being taught skills.  My parents didn't teach 
me much either.  My dad tried to show me a route, but he didn't point out 
tactile/auditory landmarks but pointed out visual things that he saw; well I 
can see a little, but  I would have prefered tactile landmarks with my cane.
Next time just say to your dad "I understand this is shorter, but so I can 
walk on a smooth path, can we take a sidewalk?" It may not have occurred to 
him that you can't travel well with your cane on gravel; I know that your 
cane cannot slide on the bumpy gravel, and besides you have no shoreline to 
follow then.
Just ask your parents or whomever is helping you to either let you feel 
their hands or take your hands and guide you through a task. Of course, 
verbal descriptions help too.
My parents don't seem to have the patience to teach me. Sounds like your 
parents taught you to clean and you performed household chores. That is 
good; I did not growing up.  Just explain to them you need to learn. Have 
them explain hand over hand.  Folding clothes and hanging them up should be 
easy. Just ask them to show/explain what they are doing.

In addition, yes there should be teachers
who can come to your house and teach you skills. A teacher of the visually 
impaired could do that or there are rehab therapists specializing in 
teaching living skills like this.
Do you have a blindness nonprofit nearby? If so, that is a source. A 
lighthouse for the blind would offer such a service or some other nonprofit. 
If none exist near you, I would think your rehab counselor would be able to 
refer you to a rehab therapist; they used to be called rehab teachers, but 
they changed their name a few years ago.  The state agency for the blind, 
DBVI, sent a rehab teacher to my home when I was a teen. Only then did I 
learn basics like you mentioned: how to do laundry, fold clothes, hang 
clothes, label with dimo tape, pour liquids, cut food, etc. So really, I was 
not much older than you when I finally learned skills that should have been 
learned as a young kid.

If I know what state and city you're in, I could probably find out some 
agencies and rehab theripists to help you. I am on lists of vision 
professionals. Just because you can't get to a center doesn't mean you can't 
find ways of cooking and learning other tasks.  Do you have friends that 
enjoy cooking? Maybe ask them to show you some simple recipies.  One of the 
first things you need is labeling supplies so when you buy products you will 
know what they are.  You also need a way of recording information like 
recipies and descriptions of clothes.  Braille or audio will work for this. 
You might want to have a three ring binder and put all your braile 
instructions by categories in there; like cooking instructions in one part, 
clothes in another, and budget information in another.  Since you cannot see 
the receits, I recommend you jot down what you spent and where. That way you 
can have an idea of what you can buy for what amount of money; like you will 
learn that you can buy cookies and chips for 6 dollars or something.

You said
"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."

Well, for folding clothes, someone could show you or I could try and explain 
off list if needed.  For
washing clothes, you need your washer and dryer labeled.  You select a 
setting for water; its safest to wash clothes in cold water, so they don't 
fade or colors run together. But if you separate whites and colors, wash 
whites in warm water. Then set a cycle. I was told to wash everything on 
normal cycle, except for more delicate shirts.  Then you just pour a cup of 
detergent into the machine on your clothes or before you put the clothes in. 
Most machines also allow you to select the amount of water. That is 
proportional to your load; small loads take less water, but for medium 
sized/larger loads, I use the full amount of water to ensure the soap rinses 
out.  A family member or rehab theripist should be able to familiarize you 
with the machine. And for drying you set the time, which is 50-60  minutes 
for most clothes and set a temperature as well. If you are unsure what to 
wash something with, the tags of your clothes have washing instructions; you 
can ask someone to read that and jot that down as washing instructions.

As for the store and managing money, experience is the best thing. When I 
had O&M in public school we did this a little; I'm surprised you didn't if 
you always were blind.
You can get to the store via public transit if you have it, walking, or a 
car ride. Once there, you should have a list of things you want to buy; 
bring a list in braille for you. Then ask for assistance at either the cash 
register or customer service counter. Those are generally near the front of 
a store.  For managing money, just fold it.  Having a sighted person 
initially go to a store and telling you what some common groceries and 
accessories cost such as shampoo and tooth past is a good idea. Otherwise, 
if you have no clue, ask the shopping assistant you are working with and 
round the amount in your head and then add it up.
Oh, if you spend too much, you can always put items back; like if you spent 
$20 and you only had a budget of $12.
Just say, oh I actually can't buy all of this and tell them to take the 
items you pick back.

For cooking, label your appliances. I'd start with ready made dinners or 
food you just heat up. You can also cook canned soups on the stove. Those 
usually require you to open the can and pour the contents into the pan and 
stir them and some ask you to add water.
For the oven, you will preheat it to the specified temperature it says ion 
the package. Then your oven will beep, hopefully as opposed to flashing a 
light. Older ovens take longer to preheat. Once preheated, use an oven mitt 
on your hand and place your food on a baking dish that will go in the oven.
Frozen dinners and frozen foods will have instructions to follow; you can 
get many tv dinners such as spaghetti, chicken pot pie, meatloaf, salisbury 
steak, and lasagna.  Frozen foods include chicken tenders, chicken nuggets, 
fries, pizzas, and more. Of course tv frozen dinners can be cooked in a 
microwave, but I think doing it in the oven makes the food taste better and 
you get the practice of preheating the oven, using the oven mitt, and timing 
your food and taking it out at the designated time.
After this, you could learn to cook simple foods. Many college students like 
easy Mac. It’s a instant form of mac and cheese you can do in a microwave.
I actually want to start a thread or two on cooking soon, since I want to 
learn more too.

Ashley
-----Original Message----- 
From: Humberto Avila
Sent: Monday, June 20, 2011 4:18 PM
To: nabs-l at nfbnet.org ; blindTlk at nfbnet.org
Subject: [nabs-l] Learning Daily Living Skills

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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