[nabs-l] justifying more rehab service out of state

[Ashley Bramlett]

Hi Arielle,
Thanks for these ideas and it’s a pretty neutral response.
Good. I actually went to our in-state center in Richmond already. I'm in VA. 
And I only went to Carroll center for a summer program.
It was Richmond's program where the cooking instruction was three times a 
week and we often made one cooking project per class.

I like your idea of talking to the director of rehab with specific questions 
especially finding out student accomplishments and outcome.
Yes if you say you want more training, the tendency is for rehab counselors 
to send you back to the in-state center; no wonder students go back multiple 
times. Another widely used practice is for counselors to refer you to a 
rehab teacher that visits your home but that visit is seldom, like once a 
month.

I guess the key is the specific reasons.  I'm actually trying to get 
additional computer training now, but if the state doesn't give me enough, 
which is very likely, I can say I need more and advanced technology training 
at a center.

Take care.

Ashley
-----Original Message----- 
From: Arielle Silverman
Sent: Monday, October 24, 2011 12:25 AM
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] justifying more rehab service out of state

Hi Ashley,
I think the first step will be identifying a specific out-of-state
center that you want to attend. Then, once you've identified the
center you want, you can base your argument on specific things they do
at the center you are choosing that are better than what is provided
at the center you attended previously. If you just tell your counselor
that you want more training, they will try to steer you toward an
in-state or in-contract center. So do your research and look for
centers that you think would cater to your specific O&M, independent
living and computer skills needs.
There are some state-run centers that have good reputations and are
staffed by a mix of NFB and non-NFB members. For example, I have heard
good things about the state centers in Nebraska, New Mexico and Utah.
Also, I believe you attended the Carroll center, right? There is
another center in Richmond, VA that is now directed by a Federationist
(Melody Lindsay I believe) but they have a mix of NFB and traditional
practices. I would suggest calling up the directors of a few different
centers and asking some detailed questions about how the curriculum is
set up, what students typically achieve by the time of graduation etc.
so you can gauge what their expectations are and what their teaching
style is.
Finally, I would recommend speaking with the director of at least one
of the NFB centers before ruling them out altogether. You may have
done this already, but if you haven't, it's possible that you may not
have a complete understanding of how skills are taught at the NFB
centers, so talking with either a center director or with center
graduates could be helpful. If you would like to pose any specific
questions about the NFB centers on-list, we would be happy to answer
them. One thing to keep in mind is that the NFB centers work with some
students who are very poor travelers and have a lot of trouble with
spatial awareness when they come in. While these people do struggle
with the structured-discovery method at first, from what I've observed
they do end up being better travelers by the time they leave than when
they come in, which is really the goal of any training program. With
cooking at the NFB centers, students have to do the entire project
themselves-from finding and retrieving ingredients at the beginning to
cleanup at the end-which is different from the group cooking projects
that you described.
Best,
Arielle

On 10/23/11, Ashley Bramlett <bookwormahb at earthlink.net> wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> I come from an overprotective family and did not learn the living skills 
> at
> the same time as my peers or sighted brothers. My parents seemed to feel 
> it
> was easier to do something than teach me what to do. I was supported well
> for academics but not living skills. I was encouraged to keep up with
> reading in the summer and like all kids I watched kids educational TV like
> Sesemee street. I still remember Elmo and Ernie; they were cute!
>
> I grew up in a white middle class family so fortunately my parents bought 
> me
> many toys and educational materials throughout  my childhood/youth. The
> major things we got paid for via the lions club or the department for the
> blind and vision impaired, DBVI, when I was a teen. But they bought many
> supplies and talking products for me and some were daily life functional 
> too
> including bold line paper, braille paper, labeling tape, labeling dots, a
> talking calculator, talking timer, and a braille embosser and more.
>
> However it wasn’t til a rehab teacher came to us as a teenager that I
> learned some basic kitchen stuff and how to cut food. For instance, I
> learned to do my laundry and make cereal and label with dymo tape at this
> point.
>
> Now to my point. I mention this stuff for some context where I am as a 
> young
> adult. I attended our state center and did learn some more, but it was not
> enough. They do not give you the core classes every day. The instruction 
> in
> daily living was fine, in my opinion, but simply was not enough and 
> besides
> I lack confidence. I had a cooking teacher who was not hands on enough for
> me. If the whole class makes one thing, that doesn’t help me learn. I need
> to do it to learn it meaning I need to do all steps in making a cake to
> understand how its done. Instead, we took turns doing the steps to make 
> one
> product. The computer instruction was too basic and I asked for more
> intermediate skills and they said they wouldn’t cover it; not in their
> curriculum. The instruction was fine for a beginner though. Their lessons
> gave you lots of repetition and practice.
>
> I am contemplating another center; I’ll admit I do not feel a NFB center 
> is
> for me.
> I just feel the structured discovery approach would not work; I want a 
> more
> hands on and explicit approach.
>
>
> So here is the thing.
> How do you convince rehab you need training? What if you have a lot of
> skills? I use them regularly in school; I’m taking writing classes next
> spring at community college to finish a certificate.
> I use my computer skills of word processing and research for school. I 
> used
> the computer to look for work and generate cover letters. Still I need 
> more
> such as learning excell though.
> I already learned braille, labeling, and organization in school and 
> through
> a rehab teacher.
> I also use a cane and know some O&M although I could improve there too.
>
> How do you convince them especially when you have some skills? What if 
> they
> say, Ashley we can send a rehab teacher to your house. But the rehab 
> teacher
> in my area won’t work due to her low expectations and she’s a heavy 
> smoker.
>
> I know home teaching will be their reaction because most skills revolve
> around cooking, cleaning, home maintenance, clothing care like ironing and
> other home tasks.
> What if they say go back to the state center. Of course I don’t want that.
>
> I don’t know if I want to go or not yet. Again, I’m brainstorming and
> preparing possible arguments while I have time so I’m ready if I decide 
> time
> is right. Next semester I’ll be at Nova, community college, though; I’m
> finishing a certificate and taking an elective, probably public speaking, 
> to
> further my business skills.
>
>
>
> Even though I won’t do a NFB center, I want to go out of state, so
> justifying is about the same process. But if you justified it and won to 
> go
> out of state at a NFB center, I figured some of the same principles can
> apply elsewhere to exercise informed choice.
>
> Ashley
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