[nabs-l] Training centers not the real world

Tue Nov 12 00:20:00 UTC 2013

I have often told my employers about blindness training and how it
made me an effective problem solver. Use it to your advantage. I was
in a quandry of having a school year look blank on my resume or not,
so I choose to list it. I also explain how my experiences have helped
me and how they will make me a more effective employee. But that is a
personal choice. I may have missed a few interviews because of listing
it, but I have also gotten some.

Cindy

On 11/11/13, RJ Sandefur <joltingjacksandefur at gmail.com> wrote:
> Ashley, the rehab center I attended did not teach any job skills or
> anything. Sure they had us read a bunch of hand outs, but any one can read
> a
> bunch of hand outs and pass a test! RJ
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Ashley Bramlett" <bookwormahb at earthlink.net>
> To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list"
> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Monday, November 11, 2013 4:28 PM
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Training centers not the real world
>
>
>> RJ,
>> They do teach job skills. just talk to  a center graduate and you'll get
> the
>> answer.
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: RJ Sandefur
>> Sent: Monday, November 11, 2013 4:18 PM
>> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Training centers not the real world
>>
>> I could be wrong here, but I don't really see where rehabilitation
>> centers
>> are teaching both social and job skills. RJ
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Bridgit Pollpeter" <bpollpeter at hotmail.com>
>> To: <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Monday, November 11, 2013 11:50 AM
>> Subject: [nabs-l] Training centers not the real world
>>
>>
>> > Minh,
>> >
>> > You seem to have had a very fortunate experience. I lost my sight as an
>> > adult, but in my experience, most blind people, especially children,
>> > don't have an experience like yours. If more families adopted an
>> > attitude like yours, we may not be having this discussion.
>> >
>> > And on a side note, I notice few people have analytical reasoning
>> > skills
>> > and the ability to be self-taught regardless of disability. Some
>> > people,
>> > for whatever reason, don't possess the ability to learn this way,
>> > therefore requiring a more formal teaching process.
>> >
>> > And life skills, these can easily be taught to blind people without
>> > shipping off to a specialized training center. But skills like Braille,
>> > adaptive technology, cane travel, etc., these are specialized skills
>> > that are not always easily picked up. It's for these skills that
>> > training centers are necessary.
>> >
>> > I think how we comport ourselves has a lot to do with how the world
>> > perceives us and our abilities. Right or wrong, when you present
>> > yourself to an employer, they are immediately judging you based on
>> > physical appearance. If you walk in well-groomed, confident and polite,
>> > this goes a long way, sighted or blind. If you enter a room appearing
>> > to
>> > not be confident and not looking polished physically and mentally, an
>> > employer will automatically have red flags. This is just human nature.
>> >
>> > So, sadly, few blind people are provided the experience afforded you in
>> > this department. They don't naturally possess confidence, and
>> > regretfully, many people in their lives do not foster a spirit of
>> > confidence. So without training centers, I do think fewer people would
>> > be employed. This isn't to say that getting a job will be easy as a
>> > blind person because you received training or carry yourself with
>> > confidence, but your chances certainly are better.
>> >
>> > And yes, a few studies have been conducted pointing to the advantage of
>> > attending a training center for the blind. Those with this background,
>> > especially those not taught nonvisual skills beforehand, do better in
>> > school, employment and life in general.
>> >
>> > Bridgit
>> > Message: 3
>> > Date: Mon, 11 Nov 2013 00:33:06 -0500
>> > From: minh ha <minh.ha927 at gmail.com>
>> > To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
>> > <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
>> > Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Training centers not the real world
>> > Message-ID:
>> >
>> > <CAAJqG9hYUgmy=_M2GLmwOmdknimkhUc6Y=Fgg8fBdHC0z6RX-g at mail.gmail.com>
>> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252
>> >
>> > 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
>> >
>> >
>> > _______________________________________________
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>>
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-- 
Cindy Bennett
Secretary: National Association of Blind Students

B.A. Psychology, UNC Wilmington
clb5590 at gmail.com