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

Sun Nov 13 16:32:48 UTC 2011

Yup, this would be Oregon. What you  may have heard about from here is 
the battle of the vendors with the agency. Although there is plenty of 
grief to go around. I tell my own tale of woe about poor little old me 
because it is the best vehicle for me to use to communicate about the 
problems, but I am so past feeling sorry for myself and finding new 
heights of blinding rage every time someb ody comes to me with their 
story and questions about what to do an...

You see, the failure of the agency to provide service, their flat 
refusal to do so even though the law requires them to, is not the worst 
problem in Oregon.

The biggest problem is flat out abuse. Physical abuse, yes, when you go 
to where they can get their hands on you. BUt in any contact or 
communicationg with that agency, you get what can only be called verbal 
abuse. With the threat of withholding resources they are not giving you 
in the first place, and that makes it psychological abuse.

Which is then passed on through the blind culture, so many of them just 
talk to other blind people that way. Probably without knowing it... 
They've been abused, too. I try to remember that and to compartmentalize 
the behavioral and conversational results of that abuse from the 
individual or group where I am seeing it. Difficult, since my emotional 
reaction is pretty strong. but I'm getting to where it's not a big 
effort to look past that and to see the rest of the person or group 
according to who they are apart from that conditioned response in that 
one area. Sigh.

Anyway, with everything that's going on here with audits and all that, I 
sort of made a decision that I would speak more fully and publicly and 
be much stronger and even a bit confrontive in a national arena than is 
my norm... Now I have to see if I ended up going too far overboard and 
who I need to apologize to for letting my knee jerk reaction get the 
best of me. I hate when that happens! Doesn't happen to me very often, 
but every few years in my life, I suddenly discover that I got the bit 
in my teeth again and got myself into trouble jumping the wrong fences.

Ah, well. I've done my damage and now need to be a very very good little 
girl and get back to work addressing my own needs for tools and 
self-education to regain lost ground. And to finding those resources I 
can pass along to ohers who just want to learn braille without having to 
hear all about how much they suck and will never amount to anything, so 
why should they try... I'm glad people will talk to me about it so that 
while I'm offering suggestions that might be helpful, I can also toss in 
all sorts of positive reinforcement to counteract that beat down from 
the agency andf rom so many in the blind community. I do not like seeing 
people that broken, and I've been around long enough to see the before 
and after... While struggling so hard with my own crap that I just feel 
helpless.  Grrr! Aargh!

Wags and mischief from Mitzi to Holly. Poodle power rules! /grin/

Tami

On 11/11/2011 05:54 PM, Larry D. Keeler wrote:
> Write me offlist. I thaught I heard something about that out therre! You
> are in Oregon?
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Tami Kinney" <tamara.8024 at comcast.net>
> To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users"
> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Friday, November 11, 2011 6:02 PM
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] a blind consumer's Right to Choose
> rehabtraining(federalregs)
>
>
>> Larry,
>>
>> I keep trying to say something about our VR agency and find I have way
>> too much to say... The short version would just sound like frothing
>> accusations and not communicate anything effective. Bummer about that,
>> eh? /grin/ I wonder if it would make me feel better to go with that
>> format anyway? Just kidding! I would only be making myself feel
>> stupid, and who needs that?
>>
>> I think I just got a real bonus in procuring something I really need
>> to get back to vocation... I still can't believ it, but... Who knew?
>> Mitzi will be happy because I will have more time for her and be much
>> less grumpy in general.
>>
>> Tami
>>
>> On 11/11/2011 08:11 AM, Larry D. Keeler wrote:
>>> We could say a lot more than that! But we won't.
>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Marion Gwizdala"
>>> <blind411 at verizon.net>
>>> To: "NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users"
>>> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>>> Sent: Friday, November 11, 2011 8:46 AM
>>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] a blind consumer's Right to Choose rehab
>>> training(federalregs)
>>>
>>>
>>>> Bibi,
>>>> Much of how blind people view themselves is based on how society has
>>>> taught them. When the so called experts tell them how limited they
>>>> are, they believe them. They are, after all, the experts and they
>>>> know, right? Well, the experts here in Florida are telling a blind
>>>> person that the ministry is not a realistic vocation for a blind
>>>> person. This, in spite of the fact that he holds a master degree in
>>>> divinity! Tell one of our several blind ministers, which include a
>>>> Catholic priest, a Mormon bishop, and numerous other pastors that the
>>>> ministry is not a realistic endeavor for a blind person. Can we all
>>>> say, "Hmm!"?
>>>>
>>>> Fraternally yours,
>>>> Marion
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Criminal Justice Major
>>>> Extraordinaire" <orleans24 at comcast.net>
>>>> To: "NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users"
>>>> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>>>> Sent: Thursday, November 10, 2011 12:07 PM
>>>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] a blind consumer's Right to Choose rehab
>>>> training(federalregs)
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> 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
>>>>>
>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>> nagdu mailing list
>>>>> nagdu at nfbnet.org
>>>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
>>>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>>>>> nagdu:
>>>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/blind411%40verizon.net
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> nagdu mailing list
>>>> nagdu at nfbnet.org
>>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
>>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>>>> nagdu:
>>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/lkeeler%40comcast.net
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> nagdu mailing list
>>> nagdu at nfbnet.org
>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>>> nagdu:
>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/tamara.8024%40comcast.net
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> nagdu mailing list
>> nagdu at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> nagdu:
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/lkeeler%40comcast.net
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> nagdu mailing list
> nagdu at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> nagdu:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/tamara.8024%40comcast.net
>
>