[nfb-db] HKNC

Thu May 23 18:09:46 UTC 2013

Scott, 

Thank you very much for your perspective. Its exactly the sort of information I was looking for. 

As I mentioned in my first  and original post on this topic, my blindness skills are good, have been in place for a while and I do what I need without much trouble. Its now dealing with a hearing loss that has become challenging. 

Those things you mentioned getting are exactly the same things I need. So I am assuming that Scott, you were visually impaired first and then lost your hearing? 

I am a very self motivated person, one of my major goals is to finish my educattion and go to work. I want to work. I am not the type of person to be happy sitting on my bum at home doing nothing. I live an active life now, and although things are challenging, I want to learn skills that will help me in continueing to be an active person. 

Scott, if your comfortable, please share more experiences of your time as a student at HKNC. Of course I do not want to get you into trouble. So please just talk about your experiences as a student. I want to know the good, the bad and the ugly. 

Thank you, 

Marsha drenth  
Sent with my IPhone 

On May 23, 2013, at 9:05 AM, Scott Davert <scottdavert at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi all.
> I’ve been debating whether to reply to this message, since it may be a
> conflict of interest, or I could be accused as such, since I now work
> at HKNC. However, the below comments are what I experienced as a
> student, and not as someone in my current position working in 2
> different departments.
> I would agree with the assessment that HKNC sometimes doesn’t
> challenge their students enough, and it’s really up to the individual
> to push themselves. I have no problems pushing myself, so I was able
> to thrive in this environment for the most part. As I was fairly
> adjusted to my blindness skills, most of the focus was placed on
> compensatory methods for dealing with my hearing loss. For example, a
> street crossing card to facilitate the crossing of streets, a
> vibrating timer to alert me to when something is done cooking, being
> introduced to the vibracall system for alerts to things like the smoke
> alarm going off, doorbell, etc. I also learned communication related
> things as far as getting new hearing aids, methods of using my FM
> system more effectively, etc. But it’s really what you make it. The
> worst thing you can do is go to HKNC, without specific goals in mind.
> Though I’d say it’s best to have specific goals in mind when using any
> training program if at all possible.
> Also with technology, I was able to try out a lot of the latest
> braille displays to see what notetaker and/or display I wanted. This
> was in 2006, so the tech landscape is much different than it was then,
> but I was able to try out several different things currently on the
> market, and figure out what I liked best. HKNC was then able to put in
> a recommendation to my state to get me what I needed to help me
> complete graduate school after I left here.
> The other good point about HKNC is that you will get 1 on 1 time with
> instructors more so than what you’d get at other training facilities.
> In general, group classes are not something HKNC does. For an
> individual who has both vision and hearing issues, this makes the
> learning process go much more smoothly for a variety of reasons. At
> least, in my observation and personal experience.
> Most training facilities have their good and bad points, HKNC is not
> without it’s bad points. The first is that you really need to not let
> some of the people treat you like you’re not an adult. Some people,
> myself included as a student, had to put certain people in their
> place. Part of the reason for this is that there are some students who
> have other disabilities or lack of social awareness and so they need
> assistance in this area. Sometimes, certain instructors seem to forget
> that there are those among us who get along in society and who can
> take responsibility for ourselves. This is something I’m working with
> other deaf-blind staff to try and address. Another disadvantage is
> that HKNC is located in a very isolated area. No sidewalks, no
> paratransit to take you from HKNC to the nearest town, etc. You can
> take a cab to get to a place where paratransit will pick you up, or to
> the train station a few miles away where you can go in to the city,
> which is a good travel experience for those needing it. Often times
> those who teach mobility need more time to do things because they have
> to travel further than a facility located in a city. By far, this is a
> terrible place for a rehab agency.
> As for the NFB’s stance on such a place, well, I wouldn’t take any
> organization’s stance on anything seriously, because they’re not you,
> and so they cannot know what is best for you. Only you know that. For
> example, I know lots of people who go to places like LCB, CCB, or even
> some sate rehab facilities who find one environment much more suitable
> than the other. The best you can do is what you are now--- ask
> questions of others who have been to these various places and decide
> what would be the best situation for you as a person.
> I hope this post is informative, and I hope it helps give you a
> balanced view of things.
> 
> Scott
> 
> On 5/23/13, Kerri Kosten <kerrik2006 at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Hi Everyone:
>> 
>> First, I want to say I am very disappointed by how many of you have
>> been treated at conventions and such by the NFB.
>> I have never had this experience of being treated rudely. I am
>> saddened to learn of this, because I love the NFB, and it's positive
>> philosophy, and I think everyone should be able to enjoy it and
>> participate in the organization.
>> I have a question. I have been selected to attend a leadership seminar
>> at the National center next week. Apparently, htis seminar is for
>> young, up and coming leaders. It is by invitation only, and I was
>> recomended by my state president and so was invited.
>> What can I do as a young leader to help combat this problem in the
>> federation? It is wrong people are being treated this way and if
>> someone wants to go to convention they should be able to and have full
>> access to the information!! What can I do to help with this?
>> The way people have been treated by federationists is wrong, and
>> ridiculous!!
>> Marsha and everyone, please don't give up. The more of us who become
>> leaders and stand up and make our voices heard, the more the NFB will
>> have to wake up and listen. We must not give up. We must make our
>> voices heard.
>> Marsha, as for your question, I just recently attended training. I
>> decided to attend LCB because I felt they pushed their students and
>> challenged them more than HKNC does. I am not against HKNC, I just
>> didn't think it would push and challenge me the way LCB would. I had a
>> very positive experience at LCB, and I learned many techniques for
>> communicating to compensate for my hearing loss. I also learned how to
>> get assistance/use a sign to get assistance in crossing streets. They
>> also taught me how to mental map, use the sun, cardinal directions,
>> and we worked a ton on communication.
>> I also wonder what the NFB's position is on HKNC. I wish HKNC pushed
>> and challenged their students the way the NFB centers do.
>> Thanks,
>> Kerri
>> 
>> On 5/22/13, Sheila Leigland <sleigland at bresnan.net> wrote:
>>> yes, I am exploring the posibility of going to hknc for training. My
>>> blindness skills are good but mixed with hearing loss I could use some
>>> training.
>>> On 5/22/2013 8:37 PM, Marsha Drenth wrote:
>>>> 
>>>> Sheila,
>>>> Your exploring the option of going to HKNC for training? Just wanted to
>>>> clarify.
>>>> 
>>>> Marsha drenth
>>>> Sent with my IPhone
>>>> 
>>>> On May 22, 2013, at 1:35 PM, Sheila Leigland <sleigland at bresnan.net>
>>>> wrote:
>>>> 
>>>>> hi marsha I am considering this also for the same reason that you are.
>>>>> and we as federationists better wake up and start treating each other
>>>>> with the respect that we claime to deserve and want. I hope to meet you
>>>>> at comvention this year.
>>>>> On 5/21/2013 8:14 PM, Marsha Drenth wrote:
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Hello Listers,
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> For the past year I have lost a significant amount of hearing. Last
>>>>>> tested I was at a 100DB loss. I have been totally blind for the last
>>>>>> 10
>>>>>> years. as a child I attended a school for the blind. So my blindness
>>>>>> skills are good. But now with the loss of my hearing, life has
>>>>>> certainly
>>>>>> gotten interesting and challenging. I will be the first to say that I
>>>>>> have been struggling. Currently I am a full time student at a major
>>>>>> university pursuing a degree in Social Work. I have one year left.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> So my questions are this, Has anyone on this list been to HKNC? I know
>>>>>> the NFB advocates for a blindness skills training center, but that is
>>>>>> NOT what i need. my OVR came to and has recommended that I go to HKNC
>>>>>> for training. If you have been, I have a whole slue of questions, that
>>>>>> i'll ask at another point.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> What is the NFB's stance on HKNC? This by no means will impact my
>>>>>> desicion to go or not to go. I am curious.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> I guess a better reason of why I ask the above questions, is that I
>>>>>> have
>>>>>> been an NFB member for my entire life, my parents, my grandparents all
>>>>>> have been in the NFB. my grandparents were around when the two
>>>>>> organizations split. I have grown up with the positive philosophy. I
>>>>>> get
>>>>>> it, I truely do. But here I have been thrust into the world of
>>>>>> deafblindness. Not many people know this yet, as I am working to
>>>>>> figure
>>>>>> things out, I am only begining to be comfortable with expressing my
>>>>>> needs to others. I know that is whole another subject on acceptance,
>>>>>> but
>>>>>> that is not my point for this post.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> I will relay an experience I had at my last national convention, last
>>>>>> year in Dallas. I was in the general session, I got up to go to the
>>>>>> bathroom, found my way out fine. Found the bathroom fine. But when I
>>>>>> entered the big huge room, I was lost. I asked persons around me where
>>>>>> I
>>>>>> was. People were rude. i said I can't hear. people made fun of me. I
>>>>>> walked around looking for my state for atleast 15 minutes. I was
>>>>>> frustrated, I didn't know which way was to the front or the back of
>>>>>> the
>>>>>> room or the way to get out.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> I tell you all this, because I realized that my ability to hear, my
>>>>>> independence was changing. There were other times that I got lost, but
>>>>>> people were so rude, so mean. When I expressed that I was hard of
>>>>>> hearing and totally blind, people did not understand, care, or get it.
>>>>>> In other words I was shunned, looked down upon, made fun of.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Why can't people in the NFB accept persons who are different? Why are
>>>>>> us
>>>>>> who are deafblind looked down upon? And if confirmed, its just because
>>>>>> our blindness skills are lacking. That is not the case.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> So do the NFB people look down upon those who go to HKNC? Is there a
>>>>>> difference in training philosophy? Again I said this won't change my
>>>>>> desision to go for training or not. more curious than anything.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Look folks I don't want to argue about this, but I do want answers.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Thank you for reading, and sorry this is so long....
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Marsha drenth
>>>>>> Sent with my IPhone
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>>>>> 
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