[nabs-l] Extensive Cane Travel During the Summer

[Ashley Bramlett]

Hi,
that's a tough question! The difficulties you have are common I've noticed 
from my interactions with young blind and vi adults. We get good braille and 
tech skills in school, but vision teachers do not teach daily life skills to 
us.
I commend you for seeking resources to rectify these deficits.
The research I did involved transition camps for college students or teens; 
these programs involve the whole range of skills like braille, technology, 
daily living, travel skills and
sometimes medical care instruction.

I know what you mean; in college, I sought the same program since my 
technology and braille skills were good; I just wanted the housekeeping 
skills and cane travel.
But now out of college, I realize I need to update my computer and other 
tech skills.
I would think a local agency like a lighthouse for the blind might provide 
weekly private training; I mean they come to your home and
give you this training and even label appliances and tools so you can use 
them. If you get O&M, they will instruct you in your neighborhood provided 
you have sidewalks and drive you to sites locally to teach you.
I want to use their services at columbia lighthouse, but it would get so 
darn expensive. ah, maybe if I have a part time job, I can use some of this 
money to hire instructors.
Is there a lighthouse in your area?

I might know of something; which state are you in, might I ask?
I had O&M growing up, but the teacher focussed so much on giving me routes 
to follow that she did not teach generalized skills and I feel her 
expectations were low; as an adult, I was fortunate to get more o&M by our 
dept for the blind. But they can only serve you a few times a month. I would 
have gone further and learned more if they provided training every week.

You know, in this free wealthy country, it is sad we do not have more 
community resources to address skills for blind and vision impaired people. 
Nfb might just say come to our centers, but the reality is people do not! 
want to leave their environment for months. They would rather stay at home 
to integrate skills in their own lives and homes. They have family  to care 
for or school to attend or other commitments. If we could provide more 
community services, I think people with vision loss may be more inclined to 
partake in services. Some people just want to use  a computer as they lose 
vision or learn how they can read again with magnifiers or braille; they do 
not want the whole package of skills that NFB centers, and to much extent 
regular centers offer. They just want some part of it, and I think this 
should be respected, not have them shipped off to some centers telling them 
they have to learn braille when  they might read fine with a CCTV or other 
magnifier or more lighting, telling them they have to use a cane when they 
hate it and are not ready for a cane emotionally or maybe their vision is 
sufficient to get around but not sufficient to say read a magazine, or 
telling clients they have to take cooking for like five months when they 
already knew how to cook as a sighted person and simply need some lessons in 
adaptive techniques of cooking which in this case they would be fine.

I hope you find a sollution! Are you seeking some regular instruction or 
structured discovery? The latter basically is based on problem solving and 
you figure out a lot on your own where as traditional instruction involves a 
variety of techniques such as using maps, working on mental mapping, 
teaching you traffic patterns by listening to traffic, sensory awareness, 
and sometimes use of electronic devices like GPS systems.
Structured discovery is taught at NFB centers and nfb like centers which are 
centers run by federationists but are often state funded.

Are you completely blind?

I would suggest  these resources.
1. Call hadley school for the blind; they may have ideas. they are a 
distance ed school; their O&M teacher who teaches intro to O&M may be able 
to recommend an instructor; her name is Ginger Irwin. She is a traditionally 
certified instructor.
but this might involve you paying for it; or your parents paying I mean.

2. Carroll center in newton MA, may have a summer program to fit your needs. 
You are too old for the youth in transition program, but maybe they have one 
for college students.

3. Cleveland sight center in Ohio has a six week program for young adults in 
the summer. You live in apartments and get to have a job which is a good 
resume builder. I know they individualize instruction, so if you do not want 
classes in braille or technology, they might honor that. I do not know how 
ridgid the young adult program is, but when I called to inquire about their 
adult program, they assured me that if you know a skill, and do not wish to 
go further in it, you do not take that class. I might add though, I do 
recommend you take computer classes because technology changes, and you 
might benefit from more pc instruction. For instance, I see many powerpoint 
questions here which means students do not know how to use that. I also 
think basic excel skills are good to learn budgeting or simply storing 
information. Sometimes people say their tech skills are great, but really 
they don't know the whole office suite, and this is needed for many office 
jobs.
The website is www.clevelandsightcenter.org.

4. The hatlen center might have summer offerings. you also live in 
apartments there, so lots of practice cooking and cleaning.

5. Have you checked into your state rehab center? they might let you take 
certain classes. I don't know if your state has one or not.

HTH,
Ashley

-----Original Message----- 
From: Andy
Sent: Saturday, January 25, 2014 6:26 PM
To: nabs-l at nfbnet.org
Subject: [nabs-l] Extensive Cane Travel During the Summer

All,
I'm a college student (freshman) and I've been blind since birth.
Unfortunately throughout the years, my mobility/cane travel
instruction has been sporadic, at best.  I'm finding that I lack a lot
of skills: I have a lot of difficulty crossing streets, for example,
and don't really even know basic traffic patterns.  I find that I get
lost a lot, and in general I just really need a great deal of
instruction for mobility.  To get around now, as much as it pains me
to say it, I get a lot of help.

I'm looking to rectify this situation.  As I'm in college, I really
would prefer to not take a semester off, so some sort of summer
training program would be enormously helpful.  I already know braille,
computers, etc – really all I need is mobility, and if possible, basic
cooking, housekeeping, etc.  I did some research, but all I could find
were camps, college prep programs, etc, which isn't what I'm looking
for.

If anyone has any suggestions on what might be out there during the
summer for training, please let me know.
Thanks.

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