[nabs-l] Training centers and volunteers

Wed Nov 13 02:33:24 UTC 2013

I think this is a great idea!

On Tue, Nov 12, 2013 at 7:27 PM, Arielle Silverman <
Arielle.Silverman at asu.edu> wrote:

> 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
> >>
> >>
> >> _______________________________________________
> >> nabs-l mailing list
> >> nabs-l at nfbnet.org
> >> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
> >> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> > nabs-l:
> >> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/loneblindjedi%40sa
> >> mobile.net
> >>
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > nabs-l mailing list
> > nabs-l at nfbnet.org
> > http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
> > To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> > nabs-l:
> > http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/jsoro620%40gmail.com
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > nabs-l mailing list
> > nabs-l at nfbnet.org
> > http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
> > To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> > nabs-l:
> >
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/arielle71%40gmail.com
> >
>
> _______________________________________________
> nabs-l mailing list
> nabs-l at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> nabs-l:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/sgermano%40asu.edu
>