[nagdu] a blind consumer's Right to Choose rehab training (federalregs)

Fri Nov 11 00:17:02 UTC 2011

Tami
Regarding cane travel, Leader Dogs has an EXCELLENT O&M class called AMP 
or accelerated mobility program.  It is one week long.  I came away very 
comfortable with traffic and am no longer self conscious using my cane 
all the time which is very helpful in keeping me from falling down 
stairs, tripping, etc.  But the traffic training was especially 
awesome.  The class was only a week long which was easy on my schedule 
AND there is no charge to the client.

I still have a lot of self teaching to do, but I'm okay with that.  
Leader got me headed in the right direction.

If you find people in your state that need O&m, send them to leader.

Brenda

On 11/10/2011 4:10 PM, Tami Kinney wrote:
> Bibi,
>
> Based on results, I think I can safely say that our agency would fit 
> in the category of "dismal." And that's on a good day. Sigh. The 
> chances of getting to an NFB center from here seem to be nil to none. 
> There are are couple of Oregonians who went a few years ago, but if 
> there are more lately, I haven't heard of it.
>
> I'm one who ended up just teaching myself on the fly. I'm still doing 
> it. As I network more and more here in Oregon, that is one thing I'm 
> attempting to communicate to others: If you want to learn it, then 
> you're going to have to learn it for yourself. Somehow. I'm also 
> gradually refining my own resource lists and need to make them 
> available to others. Braille literacy curricula, stuff like that. 
> Information about basic braille tools and how they work and where to 
> get them... This is when I'm talking to people who have been through 
> our 12-week program. They have never heard of a lot of this before in 
> their lives.
>
> Cane travel? I'm not sure what to do there I can't bring myself to go 
> around randomly telling people to just go out and take that one on 
> themselves. I am bringing up the idea that crossing the street the 
> instant you hear the audible signal without further reference is a bad 
> idea. So I can discuss how I listen for traffic and stuff. Maybe 
> mention this or that danger of a randomly shifting environment. Stuff 
> like that.
>
> I do know people from other states who have done what I did and just 
> got themselves a cane and started using it to learn on the go and hope 
> for the best. I am not about to recommend that people start doing 
> this, though. That is way too dangerous. But if people are coming 
> through the agency's training program knowing how to go around the 
> block slowly and carefully and to say, "The Blind can't do that," when 
> it comes to goin to the mall or the store... Except for knowing how to 
> walk into traffic at the beep of an audible signal...
>
> There are some good travelers around here, so the agency must have 
> done better back in the day... Still, I find that in gatherings of 
> blind people, they're always talking about how to use the buss for the 
> sake of those who don't know how. Stuff like that. Okay, I'll admit. I 
> get a little annoyed by the assumption of the others that I must not 
> know how to do that either because I just showed up and seem to be 
> blind... But I kinda understand why they assume that about people in 
> Oregon... I worry every time I meet another blind person around here 
> that I need to get right to educating them because I know that they 
> haven't gotten it from the agency... I try not to get in the habit of 
> doing that, though. /lol/ It is really offensive if you happen to 
> already know how to cross the street and ride the bus to have everyone 
> you meet leap on you to make sure you know how to do it. Good grief!
>
> Still... Whaddaya do? I dunno.
>
> Tami
>
> On 11/10/2011 09:07 AM, Criminal Justice Major Extraordinaire wrote:
>> Hi, Lorraine,
>> Lots of times, it also depends on an individual trying to make the best
>> out of things for themselves.
>> Many people may think that the training centers are bad, but truth falls
>> on each individual toward the end of whether they choose to try to take
>> things seriously or if they don't show that initiative.
>> A friend of mine who I was in the summer program here at the Colorado
>> Center for the Blind.
>> A friend of hers ended up going blind because of something careless him
>> and the roommate did to one another.
>> The individual is only getting a certificate, more due to the fact he
>> doesn't have a good outcome and hasn't show he's taking things seriously
>> in life.
>> The individual desplays that "know it all" attitude, but he won't try to
>> do things for himself and show the poor blind me problem.
>> I stressed a lot while attending the training center, but made it 
>> through.
>> I wanted a guide dog, but waited everything out until I had completely
>> finished up with training.
>> At the Denver Vocational Rehabilitation office, I had a great mobility
>> instructor who took her time with me and always seemed impressed with
>> how well Odie and I communicated as a guide dog team.
>> This same instructor always took her time explaining things to me and
>> wanted me to do things step by step to avoid frustration.
>> I'm now having to do refresher with O&M again, but my hopes are I end up
>> having the instructor I had during my brush up before.
>> Now that the hurdle I've dealt with for a couple of months has been
>> dealt with, I can look into getting my next successor guide dog.
>> Just my thoughts here.
>> Bibi and Odie
>> the happy spirited bounty labra wolf
>>
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