[nabs-l] Good vs. Not-so-good Training Centers

Tue Jul 24 14:41:40 UTC 2012

Arielle and all,
They never had sign in and sign out policy before when I would go to the LWSB as it was known back then. However, the area where WSB is located has become dramatically worse. I lived in a on campus apartment across from WSB when I was working on my graduate certificate at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, and one night a friend and I were dropping off a friend who lived in a off campus across from UALR and close to the WSB. This friend who is sighted looked around to make sure knowone was around when he got out and was very careful until he go into his apartment. So to be honest I am not sure why WSB has a sign in and sign out policy, but to be quite honest I am not sure whats been going on there recently. Matybe something has happened that caused them to bring this policy and without knowing the reason for why this policy came about, it would not be fair for us to come to a conclusion.

Anmol
I seldom think about my limitations, and they never make me sad. Perhaps there is just a touch of yearning at times; but it is vague, like a breeze among flowers.
Hellen Keller

--- On Sat, 7/21/12, Arielle Silverman <arielle71 at gmail.com> wrote:

> From: Arielle Silverman <arielle71 at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Good vs. Not-so-good Training Centers
> To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list" <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
> Date: Saturday, July 21, 2012, 6:54 PM
> Agreed. Is there any reason why a
> center needs to keep up with
> students' whereabouts any more than a college dorm needs to
> keep up
> with its residents' whereabouts? One could argue that if a
> college
> student gets hurt, the university or dormitory could be held
> liable
> for that as well.
> When I lived in the dorm I think we were required to sign
> out or at
> least tell our dorm residential advisor (RA) if we were
> leaving for an
> extended period, like a weekend or vacation. This seemed
> fair to me
> and I always abided by that rule. But I would never want to
> live
> somewhere where I had to let an authority figure know every
> time I
> wanted to head to the grocery store, friend's house, bar or
> anywhere
> else for just a few hours.
> If a center student doesn't show up to class, or a roommate
> reports
> them missing, then the staff will attempt to track the
> student down.
> Best,
> Arielle
> 
> On 7/21/12, Peter Donahue <pdonahue2 at satx.rr.com>
> wrote:
> > Hello everyone,
> >
> >     And since most people these
> days have cell phones if the center needs to
> >
> > locate a particular student chances they're only a cell
> phone away.
> >
> > Peter Donahue
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Jedi" <loneblindjedi at samobile.net>
> > To: <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
> > Sent: Saturday, July 21, 2012 5:17 PM
> > Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Good vs. Not-so-good Training
> Centers
> >
> >
> > I don't understand the sign-out thing. The staff of the
> LCB never asked
> > students (in the two times I spent extended time there
> for training and
> > my O and M degree) to sign out or in. It was just
> expected that, since
> > everyone there are adults, they could handle
> themselves. when students
> > went out for independent travel lessons, the teachers
> would go looking
> > for them only if they were gone for a longer amount of
> time than would
> > be necessary under normal circumstances. And if, while
> making a pass by
> > the student, they seemed okay, were on track, and
> getting near the
> > school, then the teachers would let the students get on
> with things and
> > debrief the route as usual. Most of the time though,
> travel instructors
> > and their students had each other's cell numbers for
> checking in with
> > each other as needed. After school, the staff honestly
> had no idea
> > where students were. Again, it was just assumed that,
> like any other
> > adult, they could handle themselves. It was also
> understood that the
> > students looked out for each other as needed and the
> staff would only
> > intervene if the situation called for it. Otherwise,
> the staff of the
> > LCB firmly believed that blind adults are, well, adults
> and don't need
> > anyone to look after them as though they were
> teenagers. So in summary,
> > I think the sign-in/out procedure says a lot about how
> the center views
> > their students: are they viewed as people needing
> someone to watch over
> > them, or are they adults there to learn a new set of
> skills to maintain
> > their independence?
> >
> > Respectfully,
> > Jedi
> >
> >
> > Original message:
> >> Brandon,
> >> I'm not saying you let them know where you are;
> just signing in and out.
> >> They ask you to do that at the state center in VA.
> >> You may not know where you're going, good point. I
> agree about the
> >> transit
> >> thing though; unfortunately, perhaps centers save
> money by buying cheap
> >> land.
> >> Since training centers need to account for everyone
> , I can see why they
> >> due
> >> that. They might have a legal obligation to know if
> you are on or off
> >> property. I'm not a lawyer, but it probably has to
> do with that. When we
> >> had
> >> a drill at college, they took attendance before
> everyone left. It was a
> >> community college though and may be less common at
> universities.
> >
> >> It seems that if WSB wanted to serve their students
> in the best
> >> situation,
> >> they would relocate to a safer area.
> >> But I can understand the sign out thing.
> >
> >> Ashley
> >
> >
> >> -----Original Message-----
> >> From: Brandon Keith Biggs
> >> Sent: Tuesday, July 17, 2012 2:43 AM
> >> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing
> list
> >> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Good vs. Not-so-good Training
> Centers
> >
> >> I totally Agree, training centers should be in the
> areas where blind
> >> people
> >> would be most likely to live, not the cheapest
> place to live. I was at a
> >> program in LA and although the neighborhood wasn't
> too bad, a guy found a
> >> dead body at a bus stop when I was there...
> >> Also, I am a firm believer in training centers
> being in a town with good
> >> public transportation, NOT LA!
> >
> >> Not be able to contact the student? Mom call your
> child's cell phone?
> >> That's
> >> what my parents did/do when I was at a training
> program and now living on
> >>
> >> my
> >> own. I'm an adult, if you want to know where I am
> you can call me... In a
> >> new city I'm probably going to not know what's
> around, so most of my
> >> outings
> >> will say something like "exploring" or "taking a
> walk." Of course if I'm
> >> staying any extended time at a place where my phone
> is going to be off
> >> for
> >> most of the time, I should let someone know where I
> am, but I go
> >> everywhere
> >> in my area and it would just become too much to
> tell someone where I am
> >> at
> >> all times.
> >> Thanks,
> >
> >> Brandon Keith Biggs
> >> -----Original Message-----
> >> From: Ashley Bramlett
> >> Sent: Monday, July 16, 2012 9:42 PM
> >> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing
> list
> >> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Good vs. Not-so-good Training
> Centers
> >
> >> Dave,
> >> Oh my! Which year did you attend WSB? Were you
> there for a vocational
> >> program or independent living? I've heard good
> things about the
> >> vocational
> >> tracks like IRS, but not the general life skills
> teaching. Its sad to
> >> house
> >> a center for the blind in a high crime area. Seems
> counter productive
> >> because the director should want students to get
> out and do their own
> >> thing.
> >> There is a tendency to exaggerate here because
> people like nfb centers
> >> more.
> >> Its nfb list after all.
> >> Are you serious? Near enough to hear gun shots?
> >> Ashley
> >
> >> -----Original Message-----
> >> From: Dave Webster
> >> Sent: Monday, July 16, 2012 11:43 PM
> >> To: 'National Association of Blind Students mailing
> list'
> >> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Good vs. Not-so-good Training
> Centers
> >
> >> Hi.  My name is Dave.  I actually have
> been to both centers lcb and
> >> wsb which is world services for the blind which
> formally was lions world
> >> services for the blind.  I attended lcb back
> when Joanne was director.
> >> World services gane me good training in a
> vocational skill but you're
> >> right
> >> it didn't give good training in personal management
> skills.  things such
> >> as
> >> cooking cleaning and stuff like that wasn't all
> that great.  One of the
> >> things to keep in mind is that wsb is in a very
> very bad area of Little
> >> rock.  I would not want to go out on my own
> especially at night.  Noone
> >> could pay me enough money to do that.  its
> such a bad enough area that
> >> people have heard gun shots on campus.  People
> have seen others get
> >> arrested
> >> right there in front of the school so.  Just
> my thoughts.-----Original
> >> Message-----
> >> From: nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org
> [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org]
> On
> >> Behalf
> >> Of Arielle Silverman
> >> Sent: Monday, July 16, 2012 10:22 PM
> >> To: nabs-l at nfbnet.org
> >> Subject: [nabs-l] Good vs. Not-so-good Training
> Centers
> >
> >> Hi all,
> >> I have not been to WSB and so cannot comment on its
> quality as a center
> >> for
> >> specific job training (i.e. the IRS program), but I
> have heard lots of
> >> negative rumors about it, though none as disturbing
> as what Amber related.
> >>
> >> I
> >> will, however, comment on the fact that WSB
> apparently houses students in
> >> dormitories and does not give students any
> opportunities to prepare their
> >> own meals or, presumably, to travel very far
> between home and campus. I am
> >>
> >> a
> >> proud graduate of LCB and I would recommend NFB
> centers for many reasons,
> >> but one of the biggest differences I can see
> between good and bad
> >> training
> >> centers is whether or not students live on or off
> campus. This is simply
> >> because, in my experience, at least half of what I
> gained from attending
> >> a
> >> center were things I learned off campus by cooking,
> cleaning and
> >> traveling
> >> on my own. When you make the commitment to go to a
> residential center,
> >> you
> >> really need to get the most bang for your buck, so
> to speak, and I think
> >> dorm-style accommodations really limit what you are
> able to learn from
> >> the
> >> experience. As just one example, a skill I acquired
> at LCB that I still
> >> use
> >> on a daily basis is knowing how to safely and
> confidently cross the
> >> street
> >> at an uncontrolled intersection. I practiced this a
> few times in travel
> >> class, but nearly all the safety and confidence I
> acquired in crossing
> >> uncontrolled intersections came from needing to
> cross Bonner and
> >> Mississippi
> >> twice each day to get to and from the LCB from my
> off-campus apartment.
> >> Similarly, many of us decide to attend centers to
> improve nonvisual
> >> cooking
> >> and cleaning skills and I don't even understand how
> you can really
> >> practice
> >> those things if you live in a dorm. Laundry maybe,
> but that's about it.
> >> Training isn't about just trying something out once
> or twice, but instead
> >> it's about practice and repetition, which is best
> gotten when you are
> >> doing
> >> things like cooking, cleaning and street travel on
> a regular basis and
> >> out
> >> of necessity. Not to mention that having to sign in
> and out must really
> >> make
> >> people less motivated to venture out on their
> own--but that's a whole
> >> other
> >> issue.
> >> So if you are struggling between center options,
> I'd urge you to consider
> >> whether the living situation is on or off campus as
> a major factor in
> >> your
> >> decision.
> >> BTW, I think someone might have posted recently
> with questions about LCB,
> >> but I don't recall who it was. If you still have
> questions, you can give
> >> me
> >> a call at
> >> 602-502-2255
> >> There's a lot I could say about my LCB experience
> and a live  phone
> >> conversation will probably be more helpful than
> email.
> >> Best,
> >> Arielle
> >
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