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

Fri Nov 11 00:49:39 UTC 2011

They sure do Brenda!  You can also get the training if you have another dog 
from another school!
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Brenda" <bjnite at windstream.net>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, November 10, 2011 7:17 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] a blind consumer's Right to Choose rehabtraining 
(federalregs)


> 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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>>
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