[nagdu] O&M skills

[Julie J]

You have to be a client of a VR agency because it is vocational rehabilitation funds that pay for  those services.  The VR agencies are federally mandated to provide services that will lead to employment.  There are limited funds and services for non VR clients, commonly called Independent Living or perhaps Older Blind services.  I doubt that you could get much O amd M training through these non VR services though.  They are pretty limited and O and M is pretty involved.

If you are willing to privately pay for O and M training, then there might be options.  I know of one lady who is certified NOMC and I don't think she's found a job yet.  I bet if you were willing to pay her expenses plus a fee for her seervice, she could come and work with you.

If you just need specific information about your environment, what about finding a volunteer?  I work in Crimminal Justice and all of my clients need to do community service.  None of them are dangerous.  Lots of college and high school students need to do volunteer work for classes.  Quite a few church youth groups/confirmation classes also do community service.  There are others, but these are some resources that aren't often discussed.  Anyhow, the volunteer could walk with you, answering questions and giving you visual information.  It's not O and M training, but what I'm hearing a lot of people say is that they aren'tt as familiar with their environment as they'd like to be.  To me that's different from learning O and M.  In the case where the person isn't able to walk long distances, the volunteer could go out and scccope out routes while talking through the details over the phone.  Then the blind person could ask specific questions to determine if it's a route they want to invest the time to learn.

Julie

Sent from my iPad

> On Jan 31, 2014, at 11:24 AM, "Star Gazer" <pickrellrebecca at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> So am I. This seems like it could and should be like any other service. Why
> isn't it?
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of melissa R green
> Sent: Friday, January 31, 2014 11:00 AM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] O&M skills
> 
> I wonder if there is a way to get around being a client of rehab just to get
> services like O&M.
> there just has to be a way.
> I have a really good instructor who also worked at a guide dog school.
> Not all people are working or going to school.
> they just want to live their life.
> Might have to ask my instructor.
> I am curious now.
> best wishes,
> Sincerely,
> Melissa R Green
> "Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole
> staircase." -- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Tracy Carcione" <carcione at access.net>
> To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Thursday, January 30, 2014 1:17 PM
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] O&M skills
> 
> 
> Hi Julie M.
> I agree wholeheartedly.  Being afraid to go out is very sad.  It also
> disgusts me to hear of people who want to get training but can't find anyone
> to provide it.  It ought to be a basic thing provided by any state agency
> for the blind, to help any blind person who asks for it get timely training
> in O&M.  Is there anything we can do about this?  And I don't mean just
> telling everyone to take several months out of their lives to attend an NFB
> center.  That's useful, but not always practical, IMO.
>