[nagdu] a blind consumer's Right toChooserehabtraining(federalregs)

[Jeffrey Young]

I should say, regarding my previous rant, that I have, like Julie, had good experiences. Dealing with a counselor can be a difficult experience.
Jeff Young

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On Nov 11, 2011, at 2:39 PM, Julie J. wrote:

> Yes, I'm replying to myself! LOL It's a privledge that old people get.
> 
> I wanted to add that sometimes clients sell themselves short, occassionally very short.  It's hard to work with a young, energetic client who is well spoken, who is confident and well educated who tells you they want to sell pencils on the corner.  As a counselor you want to encourage them to elevate their expectations.  You know in your heart that they could acomplish so much more.  There's no way to know if they want to sell pencils because that's all they think they can do or is that really their heart's desire?
> 
> I admit to being less than 100% supportive of other blind people that I thought were choosing to be a piano tuner or telemarketer because I thought they were picking those careers because those are the only options for blind folks.  Looking back I see it was a mistake, but at the time I had no way to know.   There are ways to be supportive of someone while still encouraging them to be more, but I hadn't quite figured that out yet.
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> Julie
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> On 11/11/2011 3:24 PM, Julie J. wrote:
>> In defense of rehabilitation counselors, they are just like us, human.  They may see potential in you that you don't see.  They may be trying to get you thinking outside of the box, so to speak and may suggest things you hadn't considered.  Sometimes it's difficult to be encouraging while still being realistic.  None of us can see into the future to know exactly what the person on the other side of the desk is capable of.
>> 
>> I used to work in rehabilitation and still do in a different capacity.  I've seen folks with huge dreams, but their daily actions don't fit with what they are saying they want to do.   I've talked with folks who tell me they want to work in drug/alcohol prevention.  Yet when I make suggestions of things they could do now like learning Braille, joining local prevention organizations, checking out colleges etc. they make excuses and don't do any of those things.  So is it awful of the counselor to tell the client the agency can't support them in that goal?
>> 
>> Outside of the professional rehabilitation scene, I've frequently had email and phone calls from individuals who want to owner train their guide dog.  Some of them I encourage and some I try to gently suggest they try a different avenue for getting a guide.  Do I believe blind people can train their own guide dog?  Absolutely.  It is, however, an entirely different question to ask can this person I am talking to train their own guide?  Maybe yes and maybe no, but blindness isn't as big of a factor as commitment, ambition and resourcefulness are.
>> 
>> And then there are rehab counselors who do not have a very positive view of what blind people can truly accomplish. *sigh*  That is a whole different discussion.
>> 
>> anyway I'm just saying to try to understand where the counselor is coming from because it will help you know how to proceed to get yourself what you need.
>> 
>> JMHO
>> Julie
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