[Nfbf-l] nfb center in florida
RJ Sandefur
joltingjacksandefur at gmail.com
Sun Apr 3 20:29:24 UTC 2011
I didn't know this. I designate Craig Kiser to present the resolution, as I
won't be able to make convention this year. RJ
----- Original Message -----
From: "Gloria Hicks" <glorianfb at irescue-tax.com>
To: "'NFB of Florida Internet Mailing List'" <nfbf-l at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Sunday, April 03, 2011 4:22 PM
Subject: Re: [Nfbf-l] nfb center in florida
Dear RJ,
I think that it is very nice that you are writing a resolution. Will you be
in St Petersburg at our state convention to present this resolution? As I
understand the rules for resolutions, the author of the resolution must be
present or some body he designates. Also, as the treasurer of NFBF I have
not received your at large dues for this year, the presenter of the
resolution must be a member of the NFBF.
Actually, I have not received any at large dues this year; did every body
join a chapter?
Gloria Mills Hicks TR
3708 W. Bay To Bay Blvd.
Tampa Florida 33629
813 837-1100
-----Original Message-----
From: nfbf-l-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfbf-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of RJ Sandefur
Sent: Sunday, April 03, 2011 3:23 PM
To: NFB of Florida Internet Mailing List
Subject: [Nfbf-l] nfbcenter in florida
Please read the following. This is for those who do not have MS word. Then
please comment upon what you've read.
National Federation of the Blind of Florida
RESOLUTION 2006-3
Concerning the Florida Orientation and Adjustment Center
WHEREAS,
The Orientation and Adjustment Center operated by the Florida Division of
Blind Services is primarily for the purpose of assisting blind and visually
impaired Floridians to adjust their attitudes about blindness; and
WHEREAS,
There are centuries old myths, misconceptions and stereotypes about
blindness and the blind which have become generally accepted by the public
and by the blind themselves; and
WHEREAS,
These myths, misconceptions and stereotypes result in limited expectations
by both the public and the blind themselves; and
WHEREAS,
The teaching of the various skills of blindness such as Braille, cane
travel, assistive technology, etcetera are only a part of the training
necessary to overcome these myths, misconceptions and stereotypes; and
WHEREAS,
The acquisition of blindness skills alone will not adequately prepare blind
Floridians to succeed in order to live a full and productive life as an
active participant in society; and
WHEREAS,
It is essential to encourage blind Floridians to challenge the myths,
misconceptions and stereotypes, gain confidence through activities that
challenge their own beliefs and stretch their expectation; and
WHEREAS,
The Director of the Division of Blind Services, Craig Kaiser, has set forth
new policies for the operation of the Orientation and Adjustment Center
designed to focus on the adjustment to blindness aspect of the residential
rehabilitation experience
Now therefore BE IT RESOLVED that
the National Federation of the Blind of Florida assembled this 28th day of
May, 2006, in the City of Orlando, Florida endorses and supports the changes
being implemented by Director Kiser as embodied in the DBS document quoted
below:
"Orientation and Adjustment Center
May 1, 2006
1. Students enrolled in the Orientation and Adjustment Center
(general Rehabilitation track) will be required to participate on a fulltime
basis for an average period of six to nine months. A six-month stay will
represent the minimum period of time that any student will be expected to
participate in this residential rehabilitation program.
2. Students enrolled in the Orientation and Adjustment Center will
participate in the full curriculum, and will not be permitted to customize
their program by excluding specific courses in their Individualized Center
Plan (ICP.) All students will take core courses in: Braille; Orientation
and Mobility; Key Boarding and Adaptive Technology; Home Management;
Personal Management, and Seminar Class. All students will be invited to
select one optional course to take for their personal growth and training.
These optional courses will include: Arts and Crafts, Horticulture,
tailored Academic Instruction, or other course offerings that may be made
available to students from time-to-time.
3. Consideration will be given to expanding periods of course
instruction for classes in Orientation and Mobility and Home Management.
These courses traditionally are better received with more time than the
traditional 50-minute period.
4. Class instructors and all center staff will emphasize problem
solving, self-sufficiency, and independence in all interactions with
students. Students, when faced with a question or challenge, will be
encouraged to engage in exploration and critical thinking to identify
solutions to their situations. Use of the Socratic method and basic
principles of Structured Discovery theory will be effective tools for
facilitating this objective. In short, staff are not to immediately offer
help when it is requested, but are to encourage students to seek answers to
their own questions.
5. All students in training at the Orientation and Adjustment
Center are to carry the cane issued by the agency with them at all times
during their residential rehabilitation program. This practice will
positively contribute to their increased independent travel skills and may
also be useful in helping students to acknowledge and cope with public
identification as a blind person and emotional acceptance of their limited
sight. Similarly, blind agency staff members are urged to carry a cane or
use a dog when on duty. In addition to being necessary for safe travel, it
will serve as positive modeling for students who look to them for role
guidance.
6. Students enrolled in the Orientation and Adjustment Center who
use a guide dog may keep and use their service animal during training, but
will be expected to participate in cane travel during formal Orientation and
mobility classes. During these instances, the students guide dog will need
to be resting and not in use. Instructors at the Orientation and Adjustment
Center are not trained to offer travel instruction with a service animal,
and it is the policy of this program that the foundations of independent
mobility must first be mastered with a cane before students exercise their
option to use a guide dog for traveling. Barring these qualifications,
students with guide dogs will be welcome to attend the program with their
service animal.
7. No student enrolled at the orientation and Adjustment Center
may use Sighted Guide" technique for traveling, either on or off campus in
relation to all formally sponsored instruction, once they have been issued a
cane and given a brief orientation to the training campus.
8. In an effort to foster greater student independence and
initiative, the cafeteria at the Orientation and Adjustment Center will only
provide sandwich and salad bars every evening making it necessary that
students wanting a full hot meal use their developing mobility skills to
leave campus and acquire their evening meal. Students will be encouraged to
use this opportunity to practice bus or taxi travel, to function
independently in a public restaurant, and to develop healthy relations by
offering support to one another. Additional maintenance will be provided to
cover such costs. Staff will not provide shopping trips for students.
Students will be provided information regarding public transportation and
location of malls, stores, etc.
9. Extracurricular programs will be established within fiscal
constraints to stretch and challenge enrolled students at the Orientation
and Adjustment Center. Some of these programs may include camping, skiing,
or other spontaneous events that require students to practice their skills
and build their self-confidence by performing tasks that they traditionally
believe a person cannot independently manage with non-visual techniques.
10. All students will participate in regularly scheduled seminar" or
"philosophy" classes calculated to stimulate student reflection and
understanding of the emotional and social issues/barriers faced by blind
people living in the everyday world. Such sessions, at a minimum, should
occur once a week, but gradually the frequency of these classes should
increase to at least two days per week.
11. All students with residual sight will participate in formal
classes and organized extracurricular activities under Vision occluders.
Outside of the scheduled class day (8:00 AM-4:30 PM) and occasionally
planned extracurricular activities, students may function without their
Vision occluders. This policy is designed to enable students of the
Orientation and Adjustment Center to build confidence in performing daily
activities using non-visual techniques. It is not a policy calculated to
minimize the value of ones residual vision where such sight can be
efficiently used, but is instead used in training to create an optimal
environment for practicing one's non-visual skill development. Once it has
been determined that a particular student has thoroughly mastered use of
non-visual techniques, students with useful residual vision may spend their
last several weeks in training without Vision occluders to practice
low-vision techniques, e.g. use of Zoomtext, etc. Every effort will be made
to minimize student apprehension, which may arise when vision occluder use
is originally introduced. Minor exceptions to this policy may be adopted at
the discretion of the Administrator of the Orientation and Adjustment Center
to accommodate students with unique circumstances. The intention, though,
is that the vision occluder policy will be enforced with relative uniformity
and consistency. After an evaluation by the Administrator or his/her
designee at the Orientation and Training Center, decisions will be reached
as to the appropriate tool to use to achieve visual occlusion. During the
initial student evaluation, students may be assessed without Vision
occluders, but if it is determined that their vision is sufficiently poor to
remain in the program for training, these students will be advised of, and
subject to, this vision occlusion policy. Following sufficient training,
class instructors should teach under Vision occluders to demonstrate the
efficacy of non-visual approaches where this will encourage their students
to embrace this training practice.
12. In light of the extended enrollment obligation, eligible
students will be afforded longer access to the four existing student
apartments for practicing their independent living skills (e.g. cooking,
cleaning, and other home management techniques) before graduating.
13. New staff employed to work at the Orientation and Adjustment
Center will undergo training as a fully immersed student for a period of at
least three months before they commence their formal teaching
responsibilities. These new hires will take all courses and participate in
training activities under the same terms and conditions required of all
students, e.g. vision occlusion and cane usage. A procedure for an
abbreviated training of this nature will also be developed for new hires
throughout the agency that are not specifically assigned to work in the
Orientation and Adjustment Center. Provision will also be made, on an
on-going and staggered basis, to expose existing agency staff to such
blindness orientation training. The Administrator of the Orientation and
Adjustment Center will possess the discretion to amend or implement this
policy to take account of any unanticipated operational exigencies."
Now here are the changes which were made at the center.
Introduction:
The mission of the Rehabilitation Center for the Blind and Visually
Impaired is to empower individuals with varying degrees of vision loss to
achieve independence. Below is a description of our referral process, our
residential program, our Independent Living Skills program and our current
vocational programs. Included are contacts for the various categories. We
encourage you to call or email us with whatever questions you have. We
attempt to provide as individualized a program as possible for each of your
clients and welcome your involvement in the process.
REFERRALS
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
To refer a client to any of our Center's programs, e-mail your referral memo
to the attention of Mary Dixon.
The referral is to include student's name, program being referred, any past
rehab training, any medical problems we should be aware of, and any
psychological history or current treatment.
For all programs, the following is needed:
1. Referral memo
2. The following reports on AWARE: Client Application, Education History,
Eye Exam, and IPE with the following codes included:
TRANSPORTATION
Transportation is necessary regardless of the program, even if clients are
coming only for a short assessment or if they plan to arrive/depart via
private transportation. The reason the transportation code is needed is
that they may have to take a taxi to/from Greyhound and other destinations
while they are here .
Common Carrier Transportation Code 071060 is what we use.
MEDICAL
The medical code is needed for all students regardless of the program or the
expected duration of their stay. We use their insurance whenever possible,
but unexpected situations can arise suddenly in a residential program and we
have to be prepared.
We recommend Medical Incidental 98999 to cover any medical issue without a
cost attached.
MAINTENANCE
All students who are here for more than an assessment are given
$100.00/month. We ask the students to use this money to interact and
recreate in the community. The referring VR counselor provides the first
maintenance check and the Rehab Center provides the rest.
Training Maintenance Code 061000 is needed to cover all maintenance.
The following codes are often included, or can be added to the plan as
needed. When you amend a plan for a client attending the center, we review
the amendments with your client, print off the last page of the plan from
AWARE, have the client sign the new plan and mail you the hard copy.
LOW VISION
Low vision screening and evaluation are again being offered while your
client is here. The Center will pay for the evaluation, but the codes must
be included in the plan. An advantage of having this screening done here is
that the staff can work with your clients in learning to use their low
vision aides in a variety of settings. The first two codes that are
necessary to have the evaluation are:
Initial Exam 192370 $170.00
Refraction 92015 $50.00
If your student needs low vision aides, we will contact you with the
recommendations. If you approve the recommendations, you can amend the plan
accordingly to include:
Low vision Aids under $600.00 039920
Low vision Aids over $600.00 039925
VOCATIONAL ASSESSMENT
For clients to receive a vocational assessment at the center, codes are not
needed. We do the assessment as part of the program. However, we
anticipate vocational assessments will primarily be done in the home area.
There may be times when it is better to do the assessments here such as if
transportation in the home area is difficult. Also, if you have a client
who needs a more comprehensive assessment, including observation of the
client in a wider variety of settings, you may want us to provide the
assessment.
This is not all inclusive. These are the more frequently used codes. Other
situations and evaluations which call for additional codes can be worked out
with the client, the VR counselor and our case managers.
When we receive your referral memo, we will send your client an inform
packet which will contain a copy of the Center's Student Handbook, Medical
Insurance Questionnaire Form and a stamped, self-addressed envelope for the
client to return the signed Handbook signature form and completed Medical
Questionnaire. We also enclose the Center's Physician's Statement of
Client's Health Form which the personal physician is requested to complete
with medical information no more than one year old and fax to the number
conveniently noted at the bottom of the form. Once the medical report is
received, we will then send the entire file over to our medical staff for
review.
It should be emphasized that no referral is added to the waiting list UNTIL
the medical form is completed and sent to us. Referrals are generally put
on the list in the order the medical is received, regardless of how long it
has been since you have referred the client.
For specific questions, please contact Mary Dixon directly: 386.254.3838
CASE MANAGEMENT
Students are assigned to case managers based on the program. One case
manager has responsibility for the Independent Living Skills (ILS) program,
the other for the Vocational programs
The primary role of the case manager is to coordinate all aspects of the
student's training, as well as to maintain involvement with the referring
counselor.
Clients are assigned a center case manager before they start the program.
The case manager calls the student at home shortly after they are invited.
The case manager talks with the student, gaining information about their
background and center expectations. The information gathered is distributed
to staff who will be working with the student.
On the first Monday the student is here, the case manager meets with him or
her to orient the student to what will happen during the first two weeks and
to complete a thorough social history.
The case manager works with the student throughout their training program to
plan, link and monitor the delivery of services, to conduct and facilitate
staff meetings with the student and referring counselor and to help direct
the focus of the training so that everyone is working together to help the
student reach his or her goals.
For specific information, please contact Renea Keough 386.254.3843
RESIDENTIAL FACILITY:
The Residential Training Facility at the Rehabilitation Center for the Blind
and Visually Impaired is located at 1132 Willis Avenue, Daytona Beach FL
32114. The facility offers dormitory suite-style living and is offered to
students who do not live in the Daytona Beach area and plan to attend the
school for rehabilitation. The facility also serves as a training site for
apartment living.
The Residential Training Facility consists of three stories. The second and
third floors are student rooms/suites with the second floor designated for
the ladies and the third floor designated for the men. There are 10 double
occupancy rooms, 16 single occupancy rooms and 4 apartments. One single
suite, as well as one apartment suite is designated as ADA. All suites
include a bedroom, bathroom, living room and kitchenette area, but not set
up for cooking. Also located on the second floor, are the training
apartments which also include a bedroom, bathroom, living room and
kitchenette area and are equipped with a fully functional oven/stove,
microwave oven and a full size refrigerator for training purposes. Only the
Independent Living Skills students are eligible for the apartment program.
Students are graduated into these apartments only after they have
demonstrated the skills through their Home and Personal Management classes.
The instructors for these classes determine when the student is ready for
apartment training. Once the student enters the apartment training program,
he/she will work with the instructor(s) on the overall experience, to
include addressing any outstanding needs areas.
The first floor includes staff administration and lobby areas, as well as a
student common area which offers: a theatre, fitness room (treadmill,
stationary bike, elliptical, nautilus, and free weights), common/reading
room, & small café which offer students continental breakfast on weekends
and simple snacks 24 hours per day. In addition, there are soda and snack
machines located in each elevator lobby on the second and third floors.
Students are issued a key card which will gain them access to their assigned
room/suites, all campus gates and the main doors of the dormitory after
hours. There is a smoking patio out behind the dormitory with picnic tables
throughout the area for student time off and recreation. Students have
access to these areas 24 hours a day.
Residential staff are available 24 hours a day, 7 days per week. A nurse is
available on-site for students Monday through Friday, 7a-11p with on-call
coverage provided for overnight and weekend coverage. The purpose of the
nurse is to provide assessment for the student and determine whether or not
the student requires emergency care. If the student requires emergency
care, he/she is transported to Halifax Hospital Emergency Room which is
located near the Center. The nurse will then follow up with the student's
primary care physician, if applicable.
The Dining Facility is located just North of the Dormitory and connected by
a covered walkway. All meals are served cafeteria style. There is a beverage
counter available which offers coffee, hot tea, iced tea, juice, ice and
water. Students are offered three meals per day, Monday through Friday with
lunch and dinner service offered on Saturday and Sunday. Breakfast on these
days is served continental style in the Dormitory Café. Fruit and snacks are
available to students 24 hours per day with an additional snack time nightly
at 8:30p.
Recreation and shopping trips are scheduled throughout the week with
residential staff. A weekly trip to Wal-Mart is built into the schedule on
Wednesday nights. This trip is provided, so that the student may purchase
any personal need items. A trip to DeLeon Springs is scheduled twice per
year usually in late May and early September where students can enjoy
swimming in the springs, canoe and paddle boat rides. Other trips are
scheduled as permitted.
For specific information, please contact: Deb Dirmeir, Residential
Supervisor 386.254.3860
INDEPENDENT LIVING SKILLS (ILS):
When a student comes to the center for ILS training, they first participate
in a two week evaluation in the core curriculum areas. When the two week
evaluation is completed, center staff meet with the student to discuss what
we see as their needs to reach their goals. The student's agreement with
the recommendations and estimated time in the program constitutes the
Individualized Center Plan (ICP). The student does not have to return home
to wait for a start date. They begin their training on the following
Monday. Progress staffings are held every six weeks after that to review
the progress over the past six weeks, to make sure the goals are still clear
to all of us and to more closely estimate how long the student will be here.
An exit staffing is held at the end of the program to review progress and to
help direct the student toward their next step. Whenever possible, the home
counselor joins the staffings via telephone.
The Independent Living Skills Program's core curriculum of classes include
Home and Personal Management, Mobility, Employment Skills and Adaptive
Technology. Classes including Braille, Crafts, Effective Communications,
College Prep, Home Maintenance, Devices, Handwriting, Talking Calculator,
and Life Skills are offered as electives; however, these classes may be
recommended for students by instructors. As students complete areas, they
are allowed an independent study hour. During that time, students may
enroll in personal enrichment courses available through Hadley School for
the Blind. These courses could involve students signing up for the Hadley
High School Diploma program, or Adult Continuing Education program.
Hadley's adult Continuing Education Program offers classes relevant to
visually impaired and blind adults and their families.
The Access Technology Program, also known as Adaptive Technology is
two-fold: First, it is available to clients who either have immediate
vocational or educational goals. Second, this program is available to
clients/students interested in learning to use the computer (and adaptive
software) for personal use or in preparation for a vocation. This class
involves a full day of computer classes and with a time-frame of one week to
three months or above. This program requires a separate referral.
For more details, please contact Doug Hall at 386.254.3846
ADAPTIVE TECHNOLOGY or ACCESS TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM (AT)
The approach to Adaptive Technology training at the center has been modified
to accommodate more individuals. When a student finishes their core classes
in the ILS Program, they can now stay for computer training. Also, a client
can be referred just for computer training. Please keep in mind the
following priorities: The top priority is for a student who is currently
working or in school. The second priority is for a student who has been
promised a job or is accepted to school. The last priority is for computer
knowledge for personal enrichment.
For more details, please call Cynthia Slater, supervisor of instruction
386.254.3833
BUREAU OF BUSINESS ENTERPRISES PROGRAM (BBE)
The BBE (Bureau of Business Enterprises) Program relies on field counselors
to identify likely candidates who have the interest, basic skills and drive
to independently manage a food service facility.
Once the client, who is interested in becoming a successful Business
Enterprise manager, completes the necessary documentation and one-week work
experience, the General Services Manager (GSM) in the BBE state office,
approves referral to the Rehabilitation Center for the Blind and Visually
Impaired in Daytona Beach for a two to three week assessment and evaluation.
Upon receipt of the referral from the GSM and/or Home Counselor, The
Center's Rehabilitation Technician (RT) sends the candidate a packet of
forms to complete and information about the Center. Once the completed
forms are returned and reviewed, the Center's Referral Committee schedules a
start date and the candidate is invited by the RT.
While at the Center, the candidate is given a battery of tests, including
vocational interest, aptitude and psychological assessment, and the person's
independent living (Home and Personal Management), mobility, communications
and adaptive technology skills are assessed.
At the end of the evaluation period, an exit/transfer staffing is held, with
the candidate, Center case manager, instructors and Home Counselor, to
review and discuss needs and plans. This information is then provided to
the Bureau of Business Enterprise which will make the final determination on
the candidate's request to enter the training program.
If significant needs are indicated, the student may enroll in a program of
remedial instruction, either at the Center or in his/her home area.
BBE class:
Generally, no more than five students are accepted and scheduled into each
session of BBE training classes. The course consists of six modules
(Vending Machines; Food Safety and Sanitation; Food Service and Cafeteria;
Record Keeping and Business Forms; Business Start Up; and Business
Management), Excel and Computer Instruction, and Business Math. At the end
of each of the six modules, the student's knowledge and understanding is
tested. (Note: the student has two tries to achieve a passing score, but if
he/she fails to obtain at least a 75, he/she is out of the program.) Once
the client successfully completes the BBE coursework, he/she participates in
an on-the-job training to obtain advanced skills, prior to receiving a food
service license and applying for a food service facility.
For more details, please contact Harry McEwen, MA, CVE, CRC at 386.254.3853
CONTRACT MANAGEMENT (CM)
Lighthouse Central Florida (LHCF) has received funding to establish a
program to assess and provide basic training for candidates who wish to
become Contract Managers. Counselors who have clients who wish to enroll in
this program, should contact Light House Central Florida (LHCF) with
inquiries and referrals. If LHCF wishes, The Rehabilitation Center may
provide an approximate two-week assessment and evaluation for candidates for
that project. Areas of assessment include vocational interest, aptitude
and psychological testing, in addition to the Center's usual Adaptive
Technology (computer skills), Orientation and Mobility, Communications and
Independent Living (Personal and Home Management) Skills. At the end of the
two-week evaluation, an evaluation staffing is held to review the student's
performance in the necessary areas. Attending the staffing (in addition to
the client) are Center staff, the client's home counselor and
representatives from LHCF. The student may be accepted to advance to the
next phase of the training at LHCF or be enrolled for additional training at
the Center to obtain necessary basic skills. When the student and Center's
instructors feel that the student has obtained sufficient skills, another
staffing is held to acquaint LHCF with the progress.
Conclusion:
All our programs are designed to help the client become as independent as
possible in their living, learning and working environments. To achieve
this goal, we work with not only the client, but also with their available
support, which includes their family whenever possible and always their home
or referring DBS counselor. If we can provide more information, please do
not hesitate to contact us.
Now, here's the resulution I am proposing.
Resolution concerning the creation of an NFB center in
Florida
Where as in 2006, Craig Kiser, former director implemented
positive changes at the rehabilitation center in Daytona beach in order to
foster independence, and where as these policies have been discontinued by
the corrent director, and where as the national federation of the blind of
Florida was not consulted concerning these proposed changes in policy by the
courent director, Now Therefor Be it resolved by the National federation of
the Blind of Florida That the President of this organization along with
Craig Kiser former director of the Florida division of blind services shall
consult with the directors of the three NFB training centers concerning the
creation of an NFB center, and how to go about establishing an NFB center in
this state and be it further resolved, that Craig Kiser, shall be involved
in all meetings concerning its creation.
RJ
_______________________________________________
Nfbf-l mailing list
Nfbf-l at nfbnet.org
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbf-l_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
Nfbf-l:
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfbf-l_nfbnet.org/glorianfb%40irescue-
tax.com
_______________________________________________
Nfbf-l mailing list
Nfbf-l at nfbnet.org
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbf-l_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
Nfbf-l:
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfbf-l_nfbnet.org/joltingjacksandefur%40gmail.com
More information about the NFBF-L
mailing list