[nabs-l] VR thoughts/what do you all think?

[Joshua Lester]

Hi Kaiti!
My Vocational Rehab is the same way!
They told me, when I requested a notetaker, that I didn't need it, so they gave me a desktop computer!
What good is that going to be in a classroom?
Finally, (after 5 years of dealing with them,) they decided to get me a Braille Note Apex!
I haven't gotten it yet, but I'm ready for it!
The only way to change the system is to infiltrate it!
The best counselors for blind students, are blind people!
I'm majoring in Behavioral Health Technology!
I'll try to get a job with my state VR, and straighten them out!
Blessings, Joshua
________________________________________
From: nabs-l [nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] on behalf of Kaiti Shelton [crazy4clarinet104 at gmail.com]
Sent: Tuesday, March 26, 2013 2:49 PM
To: nabs-l at nfbnet.org
Subject: [nabs-l] VR thoughts/what do you all think?

Hi all,

Okay, so I'll confess that part of the reason I'm writing this email
is to vent about my current circumstances, but more importantly than
that I am interested in seeing how other states or parts of the
country run their voc rehab services.  I apologize if this email
sounds venty, as in order to explain what I'm talking about I'll need
to give specific examples, but I am really interested in hearing your
thoughts on the matter based on your own experiences.

The thing that makes me the most uncomfortable with the voc rehab
system in my state is that the councelors don't necessarily know much
about blindness, let alone what a blind student truly needs to be
successful.  My councelor fills her job capacity in terms of knowing
how to do the paperwork, but my own mother has told me that when they
chat as I'm signing papers and my mom brings up something relatively
fundamental like a conversation about navigating campus or something,
she'll notice that what she says goes over my councelor's head.  This
has caused a few concerning events in terms of the authorizations that
have been made for me.  In December for example I requested
orientation and mobility training so I could go through my second
semester schedule, as there were a few buildings I would need to use
that I had not been to yet.  I got in touch with my O&M guy and we
planned to set up a time in January.  I emailed my councelor and told
her this, but then my O&M specialist emailed me back and asked if I
would be on campus after the first semester ended in December, because
that was when training was authorized.  I had to email my councelor
and tell her that the reason for going with January was that campus
closed the last day of finals week, and a few days prior to the start
of the second term I would be back on campus and most of the academic
buildings would be reopened.  Another time for this same semester I
requested a Perkins Brailler, specifically specifying that the
traditional braillers were much sturdier and more reliable than the
plastic ones and justifying my request.  When I got a call from my
vendor she first informed me that the braillers were out of stock
until February, half way through my semester, and then asked me what
color I wanted.  I told her that the new brailler was not what I
thought I was getting and she got in touch with the councelor.  I
ended up getting a traditional anyway on the grounds that although the
new generations were out of stock, there were plenty traditionals
available, and I needed one as I am taking math this semester.  I know
the system isn't there to grant my request, but it bothered me that I
justified my reasoning why for both events and that my councelor, who
doesn't necessarily know what I need, ignored it and wrote
authorizations which would not work.  The kicker, which really shows
that the councelors don't know much about blindness or the equipment
students use, is after I got off the phone with the vendor, I suddenly
wondered if the councelor authorized braille paper to go along with
it.  I called the vendor back and found that paper was not included in
the authorization, so the vendor had to call the councelor back and
get braille paper added so I could actually use the brailler.  I mean,
to anyone who really knows the basics of blindness, ordering paper for
the pencil-equivalent brailler seems like a no-brainer.  I'm wondering
why if the state employs people who aren't necessarily knowledgeable
about the consumers they serve why they don't make an effort to
educate and inform the councelors so they can better meet their
consumer's needs?

The other thing that bugs me is the communication problem.  I
understand that councelors are busy, that some travel between offices,
and that because of these things they're not always easy to get ahold
of.  What I don't understand are a few of the communication issues
whichh could be easily solved.  My councelor and I often play phone
tag; once in the summer I called her during the early afternoon hours
and when my call was returned a few days later it was before 8:00 in
the morning before I was even out of bed.  I tried using emails
instead, thinking that she probably has computer access more
frequently.  Sometimes when I send her paperwork I'll also take the
opportunity to ask for clarification.  I've found that when she does
respond to receiving the paperwork she usually doesn't answer my
question from the same email.  Other times, like when I sent those
emails about the brailler and mobility authorization in December, I
may not get a response at all.

Repetition of paperwork is another frustrating issue.  In Ohio they've
just started making students fill out these forms once a month which
report our major, number of credits, where we're going to school, and
how much class was missed.  I understand the need for this, as perhaps
there were issues when students who dropped classes or changed their
plans didn't report to their councelors as they are supposed to, but
if someone were to lie or withhold information from their councelor
why would they not lie on the form as well?  And to those of us who
are solid students who do what we're supposed to, don't skip class and
let our councelors know about the major changes, it's just an
inconvenience that is preaching to the choir.  We also have to do
these interviews with a professional in our field.  I've done two so
far, once over the summer for the pre-college interview and again last
semester.  This semester one of my music therapy professors is trained
in a specific type of therapy model that interests me.  The interview
sheet we have to go by has basic questions about the salary, what the
job outlook is like, etc.  I asked my councelor if it would be okay
for me to come up with my own interview questions which would build
off of what I've learned so far and that would take advantage of the
opportunity to talk to this person about their specific training.  She
replied and said we had to use the form every time.  To me, this seems
really redundant.  I don't see the point in asking different people
the same questions and coming up with very similar, if not the same
answers; if we're going to do that, then why not just use the same
interview each time.  I also don't see the point of doing it if
gaining different perspectives on the field isn't an available option.
 I was talking to my mom about this, and although she reiterated that
although the system is dumb all students have to do it, she agreed
with me and stated that one of the systems worst flaws is that the
expectation is so low that they don't want you to learn from the
things you do through them, they just want the paperwork.

Seguing off of that, the last thing that bugs me, (I promise), and the
thing that bugs my mom the most actually, is that the system does not
allow for students to complete their paperwork independently based on
their low expectations.  When the monthly report form was distributed
through email it was attached as a pdf file.  As we know, pdfs aren't
the best with screenreaders, and more importantly aren't editable.
The state clearly intended for these forms to be printed and filled
out with a pen or pencil, which does not align with independence as
most blind students in the voc rehab system would not be able to do
this without sighted assistance.  I emailed my councelor and asked if
it would be possible to get a word copy of the document so I could
fill it out myself.  Like the braille and O&M emails, that message did
not get a response.  This isn't the first time I noticed it; when I
was a sophomore in high school and just getting set up with voc rehab
they would send print forms about job interest and searching to my
house.  A friend and I went to our councelor (a different one from the
one we have now), and asked if we could get text or word files instead
of the print copies and she didn't really understand why.  We
explained that we obviously couldn't read the files ourselves or write
on them, but using our notetakers or laptops we could complete them if
given an accessible copy, we even told her she could just email us the
file as an attachment.  She really didn't know what to do about this.
It boggles me how a program designed to train blind students to be
competent and independent adults won't even allow them to do something
so simple as their paperwork on their own.  Are their expectations of
blind students really that low, and if so them giving money to college
students who do the bulk of their work independently is hypocritical.
(If they even know that we do most of our work independently without
someone to hold our hand and scribe all our assignments for us).  My
mom thinks that the system is just still stuck in the 80's or 90's
when not many blind kids successfully completed college, as opposed to
now when a lot of them do, but that is no excuse.  If they're that
stuck in the past then something far worse than their low expectations
is wrong with the system.

Sorry for the venting rant, but if any of you have thoughts or
commentary on this or your own situations please feel free to compare
and write about it.  I'm really interested in hearing other people's
experiences.

Thanks,

--
Kaiti

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