[nfbmi-talk] this is inforinformative

Thu Sep 9 15:23:22 UTC 2010

I think it is a shame that there was not an opportunity for this reporter to
speak with any blind staff person at the Commission.  I also note phrases
like "possible to live a "reasonably" normal life", 

The emphasis here is all on students being trained, rather than on their
learning or discovering.  It is passive on the part of the students, they
are trained like animals.  Everything comes from the generous hand of the
state.  Articles in the past were written from the standpoint of the student
taking back the control of their own lives.

-----Original Message-----
From: nfbmi-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfbmi-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org]
On Behalf Of joe harcz Comcast
Sent: Wednesday, September 08, 2010 11:00 AM
To: nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org
Subject: [nfbmi-talk] this is inforinformative

FYI, below is the link and complete text of yesterday's Kalamazoo Gazette
article about MCB Training Center student Ron Molles and his experience at
the MCBTC.  The article includes quotes from Mr. Molles, MCBTC Director
Sherri Heibeck, and MCBTC instructor Barb Wile.  (This article will also be
posted on the MCB website's Press Room page.)

Susan Turney

Communications & Outreach Coordinator

Michigan Commission for the Blind

Michigan Department of Energy, Labor & Economic Growth

direct line:  517-241-8631

fax:  517-335-5140

MCB toll-free: 1-800-292-4200

201 N. Washington Square, Second Floor

P.O. Box 30652

Lansing, MI 48909

www.michigan.gov/mcb
http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2010/09/regaining_hope_after_l
osing_vi.html

Regaining hope after losing vision: Educator gains skills, inspiration at
Michigan Commission for the Blind Training Center

Published: Tuesday, September 07, 2010, 11:30 AM

Rebecca Roe, Special to the Kalamazoo Gazette

Molles1.jpg

[Photo]  John A. Lacko / Special to the Gazette.  Facing challenges: Ron
Molles, a 41-year-old student at the Michigan Commission for the Blind
Training Center, rides a bus back to the center after completing an
assignment Thursday to practice his mobility skills in downtown Kalamazoo.

KALAMAZOO - At 41, Ron Molles has become a student again.

He's not studying history, art or economics, but he is undergoing training
at the Michigan Commission for the Blind Training Center in Kalamazoo in an
attempt to regain some normalcy in his life.

Molles, who is from Waterford, north of Detroit, worked in K-12 education
for the Oakland Intermediate School District. His own education involved
attending art school in California.

"My background was very visual so it was quite devastating when I started
having issues with my vision," he said.

Glaucoma in his left eye led to surgery in September 2009, but major
complications resulted in the complete loss of sight in the eye.

"That was actually my best seeing eye because I have another condition in my
right eye called keratoconous, which causes very distorted vision," he said.

"I was just going to doctors appointments and sitting in my basement. I was
kind of in limbo. I basically wasn't living." - Ron Molles

Molles is now legally blind.

Although he had intended to return to work, it was apparent by January that
he wouldn't be able to.

"I was just going to doctors appointments and sitting in my basement. I was
kind of in limbo," he said. "I basically wasn't living."

It was then that a counselor suggested Molles consider enrolling at the
training center to help him adjust.

"The motto of the Commission for the Blind is 'Changing lives, changing
attitudes,'" said Sherri Heibeck, director of the center. "I think the
training center is one of the places that exemplifies that motto the best."

About 250 people are served by the training center annually. They include
vocational-rehabilitation clients looking to secure employment, as well as
individuals who want to learn to live independently in their homes,
according to Heibeck.

Molles2.jpg

[Photo] John A. Lacko / Special to the Gazette.  Traveling a new path: Ron
Molles heads out of the downtown Kalamazoo bus and train station as he
practices his mobility skills.

A multitude of programs are available at the training center. Students
undergo mobility training, which involves things like traveling with a cane,
using the public transportation system, taking a taxi and going grocery
shopping.

Technology is also a major component of training at the center, and the
building will undergo an extensive technological upgrade in December.

"To me, technology has leveled the playing field for blind individuals more
in the last 10 or 15 years than I think just about anything else," Heibeck
said.

Students are trained to use devices such as screen readers, talking GPS
devices and electronic books. They're taught how to e-mail, surf the
Internet and do word processing.

The center also features an adaptive kitchen where students can learn to
cook meals.
The length of stay at the center varies by student, in part because of the
variety of programs offered.

Molles is attending the personal-adjustment program. He began his stay on
May 2, and his time at the center has been extended to Oct. 1 because of his
mobility training.
"Students don't leave the center until they're ready," he said.

Although legally blind, Molles still has some sight and chose to do his
mobility training "under the blindfold."

"Basically what that means is when I go on mobility (training), I wear a
blindfold that takes away my remaining vision so I'm traveling under
complete darkness, which is absolutely terrifying," he said.

In the long term, the training should be beneficial.

"You have visions of being hit by a car or walking into a hole. It's just
scary," Molles said. "But I have to say, doing the training under the
blindfold has given me a different perspective. It has given me a lot of
confidence when I have to travel because now I can travel at night in the
dark."

Just a few months ago, Molles thought his life was over.

"I couldn't go back to work, he said. "I couldn't play sports. (He thought,)
'What am I going to do for the rest of my life? I'm only 41.'"

But now he says the center has shown him there are many opportunities and
possibilities for him to live a reasonably normal life.

Molles and some other students attended a kayaking event on a local lake.
"We can do this stuff," he said. "We can go kayaking, we can go skiing, we
can go dancing, we can do just about ... anything out there."

Mollrd said he gets inspiration from other students facing similar
challenges.

"There's the fear and then there's anxiety, but then there's also the hope,
and you're inspired by the people you meet," Molles said.

Barbara Wile, who has been an instructor for 37 years, agreed that students
gain a lot by meeting other students.

"Students ... find out that there are other individuals who are in the same
situation that they are," she said. "There's a lot of bonding that goes on
amongst the students, and friendships are formed that last lifetimes. And
that's a very important component of the training center. It's not just
teachers imparting independent-living skills."

Molles isn't certain what will happen once his program ends. He may try to
go back to school or work part time while volunteering, in order to ease
back into a normal routine. But one thing's for sure - he'll face whatever
comes with a positive attitude.

"I feel that there are possibilities," he said. "I don't feel so hopeless."

###

_______________________________________________
nfbmi-talk mailing list
nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbmi-talk_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
nfbmi-talk:
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfbmi-talk_nfbnet.org/christine_boone%
40comcast.net