[nabs-l] Training centers not real world

[Bridgit Pollpeter]

Joe,

Two things I would have you ponder are these: You appear to have had
blindness skills taught to you as a child. Many people don't have this
opportunity, especially those who lose sight later in life. Attending a
center is an individual choice, and if you already know the skills and
are living your life, I agree a center isn't a necessary option. But for
those who didn't receive an education in blindness skills earlier in
life, we need those skills before continuing on, conquering goals.

And no one believes a person must be an expert in any of the skills. No
one person will excel at everything, at least few of us. The point is
not to become an expert, but to learn basic, fundamentals of the skills
so we can go about life. Sighted people must know how to read and write
for pretty much every aspect of life. They require a basic knowledge of
computers for most jobs and school and really life in general. They must
have the ability to get from place to place. So as blind people, we must
know how to do these things, meaning we learn Braille to read and write,
computer to compete with our peers at school and work, travel abilities
to get to school and work and everything in between. All people know how
to do these basic functions; it doesn't mean they are experts in any
given field. The same rule applies to blind people. Centers are not
trying to make experts out of students. They are trying to provide basic
skills for living using methods that are accessible and efficient for
blind people.

Bridgit
Message: 14
Date: Mon, 11 Nov 2013 18:36:22 -0500
From: "Joe" <jsoro620 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: <007101cedf36$d50c3c60$7f24b520$@gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain;	charset="us-ascii"

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