[nabs-l] Training centers not the real world

[Steve Jacobson]

RJ,

It is really hard to know what is going to work in an individual case such as that of your friend.  In general, 
though, one really has to weigh what learning certain skills well might mean for bringing up a child in the long 
run.  I believe, for example, that it is pretty hard to become a confident independent traveler without putting in 
some serious time learning and experiencing.  If one is not a confident traveler, for example, one is going to 
find it more difficult to get one's child where that child needs to be, or to be there for that child.  Your 
friend may not have had any options in terms of family who could take care of the child, and there could be other 
considerations, but to simply state that one can't leave one's child to take training seems very short-sighted to 
me, and I am a parent so I am not unfamiliar with the dilema.

Best regards,

Steve Jacobson

On Mon, 11 Nov 2013 12:05:28 -0500, RJ Sandefur wrote:

>Men, Thank you for that point. My friend Rohanda went blind four years ago.
>Her daughter is Ten years old. Our ehab agency wanted to send her to a
>training center. She doesn't want to leave her child. RJ
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "minh ha" <minh.ha927 at gmail.com>
>To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list"
><nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
>Sent: Monday, November 11, 2013 12:33 AM
>Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Training centers not the real world


>All the proponents of training centers, NFB or otherwise keep saying
>how going to one will give blind individuals the skills they need to
>gain employment or to be successful. I'm just wondering how these
>success stories are measured? Do the majority of graduates gain
>employment afterwards because of their new found independence skills
>and are these numbers higher than those that do not attend training
>centers? Maybe it's different for me because I had vision for the
>first few years of my life, but all the skills that I've acquired over
>the years, I learned from my family and friends. I remember growing
>up, cooking was one of the activities that my best friend and I
>experimented together; she didn't know cooking skills either so we
>played around in the kitchen and taught ourselves how to use a stove,
>etc. I think we place too much responsibility on others--if I want to
>learn something, I teach myself or I ask someone who knows it to teach
>me. Furthermore, I can't see myself taking 6-9 months to essentially
>remove myself from society to focus on blindness skills so I can gain
>employment. I have had many internships and opportunities in college
>because I actually go out there and network and present myself to
>potential employers. My point is experience is the best teacher--I can
>learn all the independence skills I need at a center, but it's not
>going to do me any good without the experience.

>Minh

>On 11/10/13, Darian Smith <dsmithnfb at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Hi all,
>>  good points thus far, and great discussion.
>>   The idea of schools for the blind (at least as I understand them) is
>that
>> students in these  schools may get  the proper instruction in skills that
>> would allow them to be  as successful in the classroom as their
>classmates.
>> They may also benefit from gaining access to sports that are adapted for
>the
>> blind where in the public school setting these things are not always
>readily
>> available .
>>   In the training center environment, you are learning skills that will
>help
>> you   become confident and competent enough to  compete and  succeed  in
>the
>> world.  in our NFB training centers, we learn the skills  that enable us
>to
>>   be successful and  gain the attitude and belief  that not only can we
>> lead  productive  successful, and meaningful lives,  but that  this should
>> be the exact expectation we should have for ourselves.
>>  So, while the implication one might get is that such learning
>environments
>> shelter  people  from the 
real world
, it is my view that generally
>> speaking they can serve to help you be prepared  for that 
real world
 in
>a
>> way that matriculating through mainstream schooling might leave  you
>> otherwise ill equipped to do.
>>    Darian
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> nabs-l mailing list
>> nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> nabs-l:
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/minh.ha927%40gmail.com
>>


>--
>"All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty
>recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it was vanity:
>but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act on
>their dreams with open eyes, to make them possible." T. E. Lawrence

>_______________________________________________
>nabs-l mailing list
>nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
>To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>nabs-l:
>http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/joltingjacksandefur%40gm
>ail.com


>_______________________________________________
>nabs-l mailing list
>nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
>To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for nabs-l:
>http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/steve.jacobson%40visi.com