[nabs-l] Training centers and volunteers

Wed Nov 13 02:27:56 UTC 2013

Hi all,

I'm not sure if it could be done nationally, but it's an excellent
project for NFB chapters and affiliates and not terribly hard to
manage. Just set up some kind of sign-up system where members could
sign up as volunteers, give their location, contact info and skills
they're able to teach. Then new members, newly blind folks, parents of
blind children, etc. could approach the chapter or affiliate asking
for a match. It's much like a mentoring program except that instead of
just saying "you two, get together and Joe will mentor John", Joe is
agreeing to teach specific skills to John. A good coordinator could
set up regular meetings for all the teacher-student pairs to keep them
meeting regularly until the student feels comfortable and confident
with the training. So many times I've wanted to set up a parent whose
child is being denied Braille instruction with a competent Braille
reader who has the time and willingness to provide some Braille
instruction, but I don't know who to recommend. A local or state-wide
volunteer system would organize all that.

I agree that we shouldn't try to infiltrate the rehab system with
volunteers. But eventually, if volunteers gain enough hours of
experience, they could get references and be more equipped to get a
job after coming out of a certification program. And for some things,
like technology training, it's not that hard to get certified. And,
after some volunteer experience blind folks could put themselves out
on the market as independent contractors, and while some potential
clients might not be able to hire a teacher without financial help,
others can and may be willing to do so especially if rehab has
rejected them for whatever reason.

So let's go to our chapters and get this going!

Arielle

On 11/12/13, Joe <jsoro620 at gmail.com> wrote:
> Another way to go about it is just to offer your time if you know someone
> needs the help. When I moved to DC a real nice lady from a Virginia chapter
> spent a Saturday morning going over the subway system with me so that I
> would not look like a lost tourist. Almost a year later I had the chance to
> work with an exchange student from Spain to help him figure out how to run
> his washer and dryer and how to get from his apartment to work. I've spent
> countless hours helping people out with JAWS. Volunteer programs would be
> awesome, but sometimes it's just a matter of offering a hand when you know
> someone needs the help.
>
> Joe
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nabs-l [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Jedi Moerke
> Sent: Tuesday, November 12, 2013 5:53 PM
> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Training centers and volunteers
>
> It would be very difficult to establish volunteer programs like the ones
> you're thinking of. The rehabilitation field is filled with ego. Many in
> the
> rehabilitation Field, especially dealing with rehab teaching and
> orientation
> and mobility, feel that you need special certifications in each in order to
> teach the basic skills. So to step in and offer your uncertified self as a
> volunteer teacher would be a kind of stepping on the toes. More than
> likely,
> they will tell you that it's not safe for whatever reason. Mind you,  I'm
> talking about traditional rehabilitation systems which make up the majority
> of the country. Your better bet is to create a sort of program that is
> completely outside of the rehabilitation system. I have operated similar
> programs through my local chapter of the Federation and it works quite
> well.
> If nothing else, our volunteer services provided extra training on top of
> whatever the person was getting from rehabilitation. It also filled gaps
> for
> those who, for whatever reason, couldn't get rehabilitation teaching. That
> also includes computers and braille   & mobility.
>
> Respectfully,
> Jedi
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
>> On Nov 12, 2013, at 4:04 PM, Bridgit Pollpeter <bpollpeter at hotmail.com>
> wrote:
>>
>> Arielle,
>>
>> Is there any way some initiative could be developed for such
>> volunteer-based programs? It seems like a huge undertaking, and I
>> don't even know if something like this can be done on a national
>> level. Just thinking out loud, so to speak, smile.
>>
>> Bridgit
>> Message: 21
>> Date: Mon, 11 Nov 2013 17:33:02 -0700
>> From: Arielle Silverman <arielle71 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:
>>
>> <CALAYQJCd3=XmSwpUof8FLgKLon6GPSvNHvjjs7821s-Zpyc9fA at mail.gmail.com>
>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
>>
>> Hi all,
>>
>> I think a volunteer-based in-home training program like what Bridgit
>> described would be really excellent to have in  every state. I know a
>> bunch of blind folks who are unemployed but who would make great
>> in-home teachers for other blind people. Why not set them up first as
>> volunteers, and then allow them to be hired as independent contractors
>> of the state VR once they gain enough experience? At the very least,
>> voc rehab needs to be better about matching blind mentors up with
>> menttes particularly those who cannot go to a formal center. Those of
>> us who have other disabilities or health conditions need the help most
>> and tend to get it least.
>> I will also admit that I've met several NFB center grads who remain
>> unemployed for a long time after graduating, and often settle down in
>> the town where the center is located but don't participate in school
>> or work. This can happen for many reasons. Some have barriers to
>> employment or higher education that the centers just can't address,
>> like psychiatric conditions, chronic illnesses etc. For others who
>> come to the center from out of state, they find it difficult to
>> integrate what they learn into their old environment, for instance if
>> they have over-protective families or a lack of blindness community
>> support where they live. And finally, our centers are really designed
>> to teach access and independence skills but they're not designed to
>> teach job-specific professional skills or much in the way of academic
>> skills. Perhaps our centers could improve on that, though I don't know
>> exactly how.
>>
>> Arielle
>>
>>
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