[nabs-l] Questions About Using Vocational Rehab's Services

[Jedi Moerke]

I think it depends on the quality of your counselor. 

Some counselors understand that life has its detours and that people want to find work for the meantime that can add to experience needed for a vocational goal without being understood as the manifestation of accomplishing that goal. For example, my counselor set me up with a vocational agency who helped me get a job as a dishwasher so I could get some experience for my resume and so I could earn some extra money. But it was understood by all that washing dishes didn't constitute the realization of my vocational goal and certainly not the end point of my rehabilitation process. 

Unfortunately, there are also counselors looking for easy closures and or those who don't know what blind people are capable of and so steer these individuals toward low paying dead end jobs that don't meet the requirements of true rehabilitation. 

You can't control what type of counselor you get more often than not. But if you get the latter type, you need to stay on top of them and your process by knowing your rights and responsibilities, asking good questions, keeping in touch with positive blind role models, and by being willing to appropriately advocate when necessary. 

Hope that helps. 

Respectfully, 
Jedi 

Sent from my iPhone

> On Aug 12, 2014, at 9:04 PM, Kerri Kosten via nabs-l <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Hey Everyone:
> 
> Since I can't go back to school, I have to find a job or something to do.
> What is it like using Rehab to help you find a job?
> I'm afraid they will just place me into one of those sheltered
> workshops doing something simple like for example shredding paper or
> something like that and then when I want to go back to school my
> family and my counselor will say something like "This is your job now.
> You get paid doing this," or something like that and will mess with my
> head and they will convince me I can't go back to school or anything.
> How does using Rehab to help you find a job work?
> How do blind people end up in those sheltered workshops, particularly
> the ones that pay sub-minimum wages that the NFB has been trying so
> hard to fight?
> Does Rehab just place you in a job they want/think you should have
> just to give you a job?
> Does Rehab encourage you to do research and look for jobs on your own
> or do they just dictate to you which ones they feel you should apply
> for?
> I have to make an appointment with my rehab counselor and I am really
> really scared. The counselor I have now is one I really respect. He is
> a former football player, who actually lost his eyesight playing
> football for the team/school I am a huge fan of. Because of things
> that have happened in my past (I won't go into it here, if you want to
> know more email me off-list) I really look up to, and respect males
> like my counselor who are really really into sports. Ever since I got
> this counselor back in 2011, I have always tried to do my best for
> him. Even though I was absolutely scared to death about going to
> training at LCB, I pushed myself because I wanted to do well for him
> and for him to see me as a motivated individual. After completing
> training, when I would speak to him on the phone, he was always so
> proud of me. He really thinks I am this motivated individual.
> Now, the problem is I'm really not like that. I tried going back to
> school last semester and unintentionally failed out. My counselor does
> not know this yet, and when I have this meeting I will have to tell
> him. I myself am very ashamed and embarrassed about what happened in
> school, and don't really like talking about it with anyone,
> particularly those I really look up to such as him.
> I also really know nothing when it comes to just getting a random job
> when you have no college degree. I'm not sure what I as a blind person
> I could realistically do. This again really embarrasses me, because I
> want my counselor to see me as confident, independent, and motivated.
> Would it be best to maybe apply for a couple of jobs before I go into
> the meeting so I can tell my counselor I have done a couple of things
> on my own first? I could apply to our grocery store, or maybe Walmart
> might be looking for a greeter or something like that...
> I am just so so afraid I am going into this and will end up totally
> depending on Rehab for everything and I don't want to do that.
> Because of my lack of knologe of what I want to do and such, I'm
> afraid my counselor is just going to place me in some kind of
> sheltered workshop or something like that and since I can't go back to
> school for a year, I will get comfortable in said job and then when I
> want to go back to school or something everyone will convince me
> otherwise.
> I guess I just don't want my counselor realizing how much I have
> slipped since coming back from training. He spent a lot of money to
> send me to training, and I want to be confident and such the way we
> were taught at training. But, I'm really really afraid as the meeting
> progresses he will see through me and figure things out. I just really
> struggle horribly with self-esteem issues, and when someone says to me
> "I am so proud of you I sent you to training and now your setting the
> world on fire," that makes me feel so good and I really want to
> continue to do well for that person.
> Any answers/experiences regarding rehab and your counselor you could
> share would be great!
> Thanks,
> Kerri
> 
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