[nabs-l] Training centers not the real world

[Joe]

Great comments all around. The only thing I would add from my perspective is
that one needs to be blunt with oneself to determine whether or not they
could benefit from making a training center a priority. I think everyone
could benefit from going to one. Some may even benefit from going back, but
you have to go for yourself. Part of the reason why I rejected the idea of
going to a training is the NFB peer pressure that if I did not go to a
Center, I would never fully reach my full potential. That sort of thinking
drove me nutty, and by nature, I set out to prove them wrong. But, I'd also
put this nonsense aside and asked myself whether taking time off school was
in my best interest. Could I learn enough for the returns to be worth the
investment? The answer still came back in the negative, so I did not enroll.
But, I fell back on the high expectations of strict parents. In the Latino
culture, or at least in my Latino household, if I didn't pull my fair share
around the house, I was spanked. Simple as that. At school I drew a vision
teacher who had the worse reputation in our district for being a stickler. I
love that lady to no end for being such a hard ass during my high school
years. As far as O&M, I remember one day in seventh grade I got so fed up
with navigating the Galleria, one of Houston's massive malls. I threw down
my cane and actually began to cry like a little baby. My O&M instructor came
over, asked what was the deal. We talked about it. I got back up and found
the damned hotel registration desk I'd been sent to find on the other side
of the complex. The only thing I regret is not having had the sleep shade
training. I got to what I think could be the same level of confidence as
those who underwent this style of training. But, I took the scenic route to
get there. So, in some ways you could argue my own logic about returns could
be flawed. My point is, go for yourself, not for anyone else, and set
specific goals. Not everyone needs to be a whiz in the kitchen. Not everyone
needs to excel at computers. I don't much care for some opinions that you
have to do everything well to be truly independent. That's bogus and
deprives us of the same natural individuality that exists among our sighted
peers. I think some of the blind instructors at our training centers could
do with something like a sabbatical outside of the blindness field to take a
break, brush up on new skills and bring back a fresh perspectives on the
challenges you can't fully stay on top of if your world is living and
breathing a blindness independence philosophy.

Joe