[nabs-l] Training Center Questions

[James Alan Boehm]

I think that was a great way of explaining the difference! Great clear explanation!
James Alan Boehm
Contact Information:
Phone: 901-483-1515
Personal Email: jimmydagerman80 at gmail.com
NFB Email: secretary at nfb-tn.org
Kustom Cane: kustomcane at gmail.com

Blindness never limits-low expectations do! Live the life you want!




> On Jun 23, 2016, at 7:38 PM, Arielle Silverman via NABS-L <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Hi Julie. I think the confidence comes mainly from the problem solving
> approach that the teachers use at the NFB centers. For example, in
> travel, the instructor never tells you if you are going the wrong way
> or which way you should be going. He or she will ask you questions
> about the sun and the traffic and other things until you figure out
> how to get back on track. At first this is maddening, believe me. But
> over time you start to ask yourself these same questions and you
> realize that you can figure these things out without an instructor
> present. For example, if I am walking around and something just
> doesn't feel right, in my head I will say, "Hey wait, where's the sun?
> It should be on my left but it's on my right, what's up with that?"
> This happens automatically now because the instructors trained me to
> pay attention to these things. There is also a lot of focus on
> independent lessons which builds confidence. If something goes wrong
> in a class, the instructors encourage you to try again until you get
> it right.
> I actually had three out of five sighted instructors while at LCB.
> However, because the sighted instructors taught me to solve my own
> problems instead of solving them for me, I was able to build
> confidence. In addition, all the instructors believe in the
> capabilities of blind people.
> I remember my first cooking assignment was to make scrambled eggs.
> Once my eggs were cooking, my instructor (sighted) left me alone in
> the kitchen. She then came back a few minutes later and I asked her if
> my eggs were done. She said "why don't you taste them?" I did, and
> they were done to my liking. Now I know I can figure out if my eggs
> are done by tasting them or using a variety of other nonvisual
> techniques.
> Before I went to LCB, I knew that blind people could do all these
> things, but I didn't have the practical problem solving experience to
> do them confidently myself. Through guidance and a lot of structured
> practice, I was able to build both the skills and the confidence so I
> don't have to go back for re-training when a new problem comes up.
> This is just my experience of course.
> Best, Arielle
> 
> On 6/23/16, Julie McGinnity via NABS-L <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> Thank you kind ones for humoring me.  Keep the answers coming!
>> 
>> My next question...  What is it about the NFB Training Centers that
>> inspires such confidence in their graduates?  Aleeha is not the only
>> one who has told me that confidence is the most valuable thing learned
>> at a center.  I've seen it happen in people who are very close to me
>> and believe its true; however, I would like to know why?  Is it that
>> centers challenge their students to push themselves further than
>> they've ever been pushed?  Is it learning under accomplished blind
>> instructors who motivate the students?  How? What?  Why?  :)
>> 
>> I know that center curriculum can be individualized.  That's actually
>> one of the selling points for me.  Also, although I have been
>> encouraged to attend a center, I have never been pressured or
>> recruited much at all.  If I had, well, I don't think I would be
>> seriously considering it.  That whole stubbern thing...  I get it.
>> 
>> The point about learning things in community settings doesn't work for
>> me though.  When I'm learning a skill, I have a hard time teaching a
>> sighted instructor how they can teach me that skill, especially if A.
>> I don't know how to do the task in question... And, B. The instructor
>> isn't open to learning about blindness.  Maybe this speaks to my lack
>> of confidence or my massive impatient streak.
>> 
>> One of my beloved mentors never went to a training center.  I know it
>> is not strictly necessary for getting a job and being successful.  I
>> won't start writing about careers though... We would be here all
>> evening...  :)
>> 
>> I definitely agree that a student at a center gets what they put into
>> it.  I suppose that is life though as well.  We get out of life what
>> we expect from ourselves.  If a person feels as though a center could
>> help them expand their good skills and success into brilliance and
>> confidence, then maybe they should take advantage of it?  I don't
>> know...  But that goes right along with my thoughts lately.  Lol
>> Reason 2,800 why you don't want to live in my head...  :)  Thanks
>> friends for the discussion.
>> 
>> 
>> On 6/23/16, Arielle Silverman via NABS-L <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>> Hi Julie and all,
>>> Excellent discussion. I will share my experience with a center, but
>>> first I want to gently challenge some misconceptions about rigidity.
>>> The centers recommend six to nine months in order to have a proper
>>> graduation ceremony and get a bell. However, there is nothing magical
>>> about getting a bell. I have known several individuals who attended a
>>> center for only a month or two and still received benefit. In fact, I
>>> think our esteemed Anil Lewis attended LCB for only a few months. I
>>> have also known individuals, and myself had the experience of being
>>> able to finish some classes early and then focus more on other
>>> classes. Some students finish cooking class requirements after only
>>> four months or so, and then double up on travel or Braille. I came
>>> into LCB reading over 300 words a minute, so after a month of
>>> training, I was able to negotiate with the staff to attend Braille
>>> only once a week. I spent the other four hours per week in kitchen
>>> where I really needed and benefited from the extra time. A good friend
>>> of mine went to CCB for only a month crash course after his wife
>>> passed away and he wanted to get some help with daily living skills.
>>> He was already employed, so he took a month's leave from work and
>>> funded his own training. My point is there are all kinds of situations
>>> where center training can work and the centers are flexible about
>>> working with students on meeting their goals in their own time frame.
>>> To answer the original question, I went to LCB between undergrad and
>>> grad school. I had thought about going during undergrad, but waited
>>> mainly because I had a big scholarship and was worried about
>>> complications from deferring my enrollment in school. By the time I
>>> went to LCB, I had lived on my own successfully and had even studied
>>> abroad in Australia. The main reason I wanted to attend the center was
>>> to improve my street travel skills. While I could get around OK in
>>> familiar areas or with the help of a mobility instructor, I had a lot
>>> of trouble with unfamiliar environments and with street crossings. In
>>> that regard LCB helped me to become a safer and more efficient
>>> traveler. While I still get myself turned around sometimes, I am now
>>> more tuned in to my environment and can get myself back on track a lot
>>> more easily than I could before. I can also walk through a new route
>>> once or twice and learn it instead of having to practice and memorize
>>> routes over and over. While I think I would have been an OK traveler
>>> without the center, I think the travel skills I gained made it much
>>> easier for me to learn my way around new cities, and I am in my third
>>> new city now since training. The other major benefit I got out of the
>>> center, as I mentioned, was cooking skills and confidence to try new
>>> recipes. I could cook a few things before training, but I wasn't
>>> fluent in the kitchen and I didn't trust myself to know when things
>>> were done for example. Now I am a lot more confident preparing new
>>> recipes, managing my time and multitasking in the kitchen.
>>> I do agree with Joe that if you think you may want to go to a center,
>>> it is easier to do it when you are younger and have less adult
>>> responsibilities. I think that all blind adults could benefit from
>>> spending even a few weeks at an NFB center, but I also recognize that
>>> for many of us, the incremental benefit may not be worth the sacrifice
>>> of time or freedom. Ultimately you will have to think about whether
>>> there are things you wish you knew how to do or that you wish you
>>> could do better, and if you think going to a center would help move
>>> you closer to those goals. That is a very individual decision.
>>> I am happy to talk more about specific details off list if you want.
>>> Best, Arielle
>>> 
>>> On 6/23/16, Joe via NABS-L <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>>> Hello,
>>>> 
>>>> I have never attended a training center and do not regret it. For the
>>>> sake
>>>> of specificity, I'll put out there that I'm referring to the NFB
>>>> training
>>>> centers.
>>>> 
>>>> First, there is a certain rigidity to the traditional timeframe of six
>>>> to
>>>> nine months. Yes, this speaks to a person's inability to put their life
>>>> on
>>>> hold the older you get, but it also touches on the program's refusal to
>>>> offer flexibility. It's a zero sum arrangement of offering the entire
>>>> curriculum as opposed to breaking it down to specific areas where the
>>>> individual wants the most concentration. Is it feasible for someone to
>>>> take
>>>> just one class all day? Probably not, but then the training center could
>>>> offer a minimum threshold where the student agrees to take a reduced
>>>> course
>>>> load, making it profitable for the center and practical for the student.
>>>> In
>>>> doing so one would hope the time commitment would naturally be reduced.
>>>> 
>>>> Second, for the working adult, it's not economically feasible. Unless
>>>> the
>>>> training center student is simultaneously doing something else for
>>>> professional development, time at the training center creates a resume
>>>> gap.
>>>> For a hiring manager it's interesting to read about a candidate who took
>>>> time off to better themselves, but a story of how you spent time
>>>> building
>>>> your independence sounds more like a reflective college admissions
>>>> essay.
>>>> In
>>>> the job market, the candidate who took the same length of time to
>>>> educate
>>>> themselves or hold down a relevant job will present a stronger case for
>>>> employment. The training could work while simultaneously building
>>>> professional development. There are students at LCB, for example, and
>>>> probably the other two centers who enroll in college courses, courses
>>>> which
>>>> have to be paid for, but then it becomes a matter of priorities. Are you
>>>> taking college courses for the sake of taking courses? Is your NFB
>>>> training
>>>> likely to suffer if you simultaneously take on the demands of another
>>>> obligation? To a degree one could argue the NFB training experience is a
>>>> total emersion for a reason.
>>>> 
>>>> Of course there is the matter of paying for the NFB training itself. I
>>>> would
>>>> venture to guess the vast majority of training is paid for with
>>>> government
>>>> funds. If a person is between jobs, perhaps it makes sense to seek
>>>> training
>>>> since one need not worry about the income requirements to be eligible
>>>> for
>>>> certain services. If an adult is gainfully employed, are they making
>>>> enough
>>>> to afford training? More to the point, is the employer likely to extend
>>>> that
>>>> much leave for the employee to receive independent living skills? If so,
>>>> that is one heck of an employer we should all be wanting to work for. :)
>>>> 
>>>> Next, for me there was never a uniqueness factor. The biggest selling
>>>> point
>>>> for an NFB training center is the level of confidence cultivated by
>>>> confident, and competent, blind instructors, but does one necessarily
>>>> have
>>>> to attend an NFB training center to find this confidence? I could teach,
>>>> and
>>>> actually have taught, people different skills in my local area
>>>> completely
>>>> free of charge. There are means to learn technology and cooking from any
>>>> number of community resources, meetups and the like, and one could argue
>>>> these training scenarios would be preferable because one would
>>>> presumably
>>>> learn these skills from fellow sighted teachers. That seems like a dual
>>>> teaching opportunity, but if blindness-specific training is what is
>>>> being
>>>> sought, the number of instructional podcasts by blind hosts for blind
>>>> audiences is off the charts. Braille could be learned and improved upon
>>>> through Hadley courses, pen pals and consistent practice.
>>>> 
>>>> The only possible exception is travel instruction. Yet, it's only a
>>>> possible
>>>> exception, because NFB training centers could employ field travel
>>>> instructors who could be deployed to specific areas to provide
>>>> individual
>>>> instruction similar to what guide dog schools offer as follow-up
>>>> service.
>>>> Again, this is an innovative strategy I wish modern NFB training
>>>> programs
>>>> incorporated into their curriculums. Nevertheless, most state agencies
>>>> offer
>>>> instructors on contract who could fulfill travel instruction needs, many
>>>> of
>>>> whom have graduated from the Louisiana Tech program.
>>>> 
>>>> Putting all that aside, what a wonderful outreach opportunity for local
>>>> NFB
>>>> chapters. It would kind of be like putting your money where your mouth
>>>> is.
>>>> I
>>>> learned how to confidently navigate the DC Metro system with the help of
>>>> a
>>>> local chapter member and became loyal to that chapter for that reason
>>>> alone.
>>>> 
>>>> Finally, I never bought into the marketing tactics. Guide dog schools do
>>>> something similar where they try to sell you on independence if you get
>>>> one
>>>> of their canines. Likewise, I personally felt like NFB training centers
>>>> worked hard at peddling their own special independence product. With
>>>> certain
>>>> exceptions, you will get out of a training program, any training
>>>> program,
>>>> whatever you put into it. If the NFB training centers were selling
>>>> something
>>>> ground-shaking, one could argue the unemployment rate among the blind
>>>> would
>>>> have seen a persistent trend downward, but either the centers with the
>>>> scores of graduates each year aren't actually independent enough to
>>>> reverse
>>>> the statistics or the NFB is following suspicious statistics to start.
>>>> 
>>>> Having said that, the committed person should attend a training center
>>>> if
>>>> that is their heart's passion. There is a difference between taking
>>>> online
>>>> college courses and living the campus life. Perhaps the person feels
>>>> they
>>>> need the total emersion to gain something valuable, and no one should
>>>> get
>>>> in
>>>> the way of that desire. But, do it for yourself and not because someone
>>>> else
>>>> said you should do it. The reasons I've outlined here stem from my own
>>>> cynicism and sheer stubbornness. I fell into the hands of terrible
>>>> recruiters who were vocal about their value of the cane over the dog, of
>>>> their belief that the NFB way was the only way, and of their views that
>>>> without training I would have difficulty finding a job. Well, I'm on my
>>>> second guide dog, did not rely on the NFB to chart my success, and my
>>>> salary
>>>> says my marketability is doing just fine. Some of the crazier
>>>> independent
>>>> blind people I know never had anything to do with the organization. I
>>>> include this bit not to give those friendly center ambassadors the
>>>> virtual
>>>> finger. Some of those ambassadors are some of my current friends, but
>>>> the
>>>> point is everyone needs something to spur them onto picking up and
>>>> developing the skills needed to navigate life. Attending a training
>>>> center
>>>> is going to build that motivation right into the experience. If the
>>>> person
>>>> can find the motivation to go at it alone, they're going to be just
>>>> fine.
>>>> After all, there is NFB philosophy at work outside of the centers. If
>>>> they
>>>> need an extra boost, there's absolutely nothing wrong with taking time
>>>> off.
>>>> If you're reading this and thinking you may want to go to a training
>>>> center,
>>>> do it early. The year after high school seems like the most ideal time
>>>> in
>>>> your life to knock it out. The longer you wait, the harder it becomes to
>>>> accommodate the training, and then people run into the difficult but
>>>> understandable dilemma of weighing the pros and cons of going for
>>>> training
>>>> versus the inevitable reality of looking for a job. That's letting life
>>>> control you. You need to control it.
>>>> 
>>>> Alright, that's my twenty dollar's worth. This was in no way a personal
>>>> bash
>>>> against centers or the awesome people who have posted favorable reviews
>>>> of
>>>> their experience, just a different perspective to consider in making
>>>> decisions.
>>>> 
>>>> Joe
>>>> 
>>>> 
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>>> 
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>> 
>> 
>> --
>> Julie A. McGinnity
>> President, National Federation of the Blind Performing Arts Division,
>> Second Vice President, National Federation of the Blind of Missouri
>> "For we walk by faith, not by sight"
>> 2 Cor. 7
>> 
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> 
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