[nfb-db] My thoughts on training centers blind, and deaf blind.

Tue Nov 5 14:22:02 UTC 2013

Rox, 
Exactly, and for a DB person, like myself who is learning to sign, there is no better place to be thrown into a signing community. No better way to learn than to use a skill all day, every day for a 6 to 8 month training program. Further, because I want to work as a social worker with deafblind persons, then I of course need to learn to sign. Its not just for my needs but for my career. 

My personal opinion here is that, we as the NFB advocate for braille for persons who are visually impaired and blind. Why would it be any different for persons who are hard of hearing or deaf with ASL or TSL?It should not. I have some residual hearing, that is about as reliable when its quiet with one on one conversations. Otherwise my hearing does nothing for me. Think about all of the times when your in a quiet environment, and think about how many more times your in a noise place. If I didn't know atleast a small amount of ASL, that how much more difficult communicating would be in those numerous noisey places. Someone can yell all they like, but what is more efficient. 

I am a just a tiny bit passionate about all of these subjects, I guess that is what I get for being thrown into the deafblind world without a manual to guide me...LOL 

Marsha drenth  
Sent with my IPhone 

> On Nov 5, 2013, at 12:56 AM, The Pawpower Pack <pawpower4me at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Marsha, 
> I would agree.  Also for a DB person who uses ASL, there is another issue.  At HKNC, I can have an instructor who is a signer, and we can communicate directly, instead of having to go through an interpreter.  
> Scott brings up a good point about the social aspect as well— at  HK, you will have other signers to chat and socialize with, where as, at an NFB center, when the interpreter went home, isolation would start because most people can't sign. 
> I think it really depends on personal needs. 
> I have not gone to any training center, but have talked with some of my clients who go to nfb centers and I've worked at HK as a contracting instructor in another program.  And I see how things happen there. 
> Rox 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
>> On Nov 4, 2013, at 8:26 PM, Marsha Drenth <marsha.drenth at gmail.com> wrote:
>> 
>> Maurice,
>> I think hands down that no one will argue with you that if someone is in need of blindness skills training, and if they are just blind with no additional disablity, then going to a NFB training center is the best. With that said, I am not just blind, but severely hard of hearing. I have chosen to go to HKNC because of two main reasons, I do not need blindness skills. I was blind before I lost my hearing. But I do need the skills in order to live as a deafblind person. I have traveled with a cane, with a guide dog, read braille, and am able to use technology. The problem lays in that I also can't hear. There is only one center in this country that can train a person who is both blind and hard of hearing. With that said, most persons who go to HKNC, are in need of a audiologist who has worked with the dual sensory loss. An in house audiologist who understand the needs of blind persons, visually impaired persons, and those who also who are deaf, hard of hearing and or hearing impaired; is something that an NFB center does not have. Just because I have made this desicion, doesn't not mean that I am less of a person, less of an NFB member, or think less of the philosophy. 
>> 
>> Its awesome that you had a successful experience at the CCB. And I am also not sure, of your hearing issues. But if I am reading your message correctly, your saying those persons who go to an NFB center, are better. This is the sort of attitude that divides a group. The NFB centers are no less better than HK, nor is HK better than an NFB center. Its just different, serves different disabilities, different needs. 
>> 
>> I have heard of both good and bad experiences at the HK center, jsut as I have heard of persons going through an NFB center. I just know that for me, with my hearing loss, it would not be successful to go to a NFB center. For them to ask me to listen to traffic in order to indicate when its safe to cross. I can't hear traffic. It would not be viable for me to have an NFB center to tell me, listen for the water boiling, I can't hear it boil. The techniques are different, similar but different. 
>> 
>> Granted I haven't been there yet to begin my training. My desicion was one I made for me. But with that said, I can understand why other deafblind persons make the same desicion. 
>> 
>> Its unfair to say that HK is not what blind, or deafblind people should be going to for training, especially if you haven't been there yourself. I would say that all blind persons should be tolerant of those of us who have different needs, are in need of different skills than just those you learn as a blind person. 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Marsha drenth  
>> Sent with my IPhone 
>> 
>>> On Nov 4, 2013, at 6:19 PM, maurice mines <kd0iko at icloud.com> wrote:
>>> 
>>> Good afternoon, I have been thinking for quite some time as I’ve read emails on this list recently, that it might be of some benefit to talk about the benefits of attending an NFB training center. Of course the question that many on this list will ask why are you even discussing this? Because I’ve heard a lot recently a.k.a. read a lot recently that the feeling seems to be that HK in C is apparently be only game in town. But I believe that if my past experience at the Colorado Center for the blind is any indication of how and if the training centers handle death blindness, one need not have very much worry about. Remember that the training is very individualized. So what may work for you and what level of deaf blindness you have, it may not reflect how they deal with your neighbor at all. Also as far as I understand the training centers do reach out to resources to help that training happen appropriately. So you’re not going into the great void of the unknown. Also it is good to know that based on my experience we found alternative techniques not only to blindness but the issues surrounding the lack of hearing. And of course we discuss the options should one’s hearing get worse. I guess one getting at here is that if you are considering going to a training center I think that’s the first part, the second part is actually figuring out which one you should go to and the reasons why you want to go to it? I think that based on everything I’ve read and people I’ve talked to that all three of our centers can handle this well. I think a comment by a current staff member made when I was a student at the Colorado Center for the blind came out of it conversation regarding the disabilities that is neither deaf blindness were just great blindness. It surrounds my at that time anyway great fear of writing anything. The staff member said quote you can’t just not right. The translation that I took away from that and have come to realize in the years since I graduated from the Colorado Center for the blind, you can’t just not live life because you can’t hear ordered their blindness involved. And depending on what you have to do, in many respects you have to get out there and just plain live one’s life. Another thought of course comes to mind in many of the writings and things that are second national president Dr. Jernigan when he spoke about not throwing the nickel. I guess it kind of blows down to accept help when you need it and of course find ways of not accepting it if you don’t. And last but not least he believed in blind people and I extend this adept line people blending into society when in wherever it is possible. Just some food for thought on a rainy Monday afternoon. I’d certainly would like to read some of the thoughts that you all may add to this. But I’ll just leave it at this I have an abiding belief in all of the training centers and what they can do in the fact that the NFB difference is that they care not just there for a paycheck. But because they care and believe in turning out capable and competent people.
>>> 
>>> Sincerely Maurice mines. Phone 360-524-0791, work/school email address, Maurice.mines at PCC.edu.
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> nfb-db mailing list
>>> nfb-db at nfbnet.org
>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfb-db_nfbnet.org
>> 
>> _______________________________________________
>> nfb-db mailing list
>> nfb-db at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfb-db_nfbnet.org
> 
> _______________________________________________
> nfb-db mailing list
> nfb-db at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfb-db_nfbnet.org