[nabs-l] Training centers not the real world

Jedi Moerke loneblindjedi at samobile.net
Tue Nov 12 08:58:27 UTC 2013


RJ, 

Can I ask you an honest question? Are you really interested in hearing about our experiences with training centers, or are you just trying, on the subconscious or conscious level, to wind us up? In case it's the former, I'll try to explain how training centers help people develop social and job skills. 

It starts with honest feedback. Our teachers were very honest about how they perceived us on all levels including how we were dressed to how we behaved. Honestly, they sometimes went overboard and crossed personal boundaries with their criticism. This actually provided each of us with practice in sorting useful criticism from feedback that was just plain unnecessary. No matter what kind of feedback, useful or otherwise, many of us sorted through it to determine where we could grow and, if we were spot on, did away with the rest and learned to have confidence in ourselves. Sound like the real world? That all said, many of us received valuable feedback that let us know how we could better ourselves, especially in the way of social habits. 

We all benefited from some manner of direct instruction. We all sat through seminars discussing appropriate interviewing to how to manage all kinds of social interactions. Many of us went through specialized job skills training with curricular that suited our individual needs. 

We all practiced our skills when out and about. Wither it was dining  out as a group, visiting a business on a mobility lesson, or participating in education efforts on blindness, we practiced the skills we learned at the center. We discussed our abilities with the public, demonstrated the blindness skills we used in everyday interactions, etc. 

We had peers as mentors. We all lived together, worked together, and played together. It was not uncommon for students to help each other to leverage our strengths and overcome our weaknesses in all life areas. We had students with all kinds of life experiences. Some of them were employers who provided their knowledge for the  group. Our teachers were peers to a large extent. Many of them, if not most of them, had job and life experience outside of blindness. So they added their perspectives, too.

The  Center was run like a place of employment. Many of the expectations they placed on us were very similar to how employers would expect us to behave. There were consequences when we did not behave appropriately. For example, we were expected to be at the center on time. If we were late, we were docked pay from our stipend. If we were inappropriately dressed, we were sent back to the apartments to find something better. After which, we were expected to return back to school. We were expected to use sick time and leave appropriately. When we were in training, they expected us to work. We received bimonthly feedback on how we produced at school including our attitudes. And let me tell you, this system certainly was not perfect by any stretch. However, no system, even in the working world, is.

Perfections,  imperfections and all, the  center really is rather reflective of the real world as much as it can be. 

While I can't say that all training centers are like this, I can say that our structured discovery center's are. 

Respectfully, 
Hedu

Sent from my iPhone

> On Nov 11, 2013, at 3:18 PM, "RJ Sandefur" <joltingjacksandefur at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> 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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