[nfbmi-talk] this is inforinformative

Elizabeth lizmohnke at hotmail.com
Thu Sep 9 18:03:17 UTC 2010


Hi Christine,
 
I think you bring up some good points about this article. But I’m curious, what to you think is the difference between receiving training and learning? I think I might understand what you are trying to say here, but I am wondering if you might be able to expand upon what you have already said.
 
Thanks,
Elizabeth
 
 > From: Christine_Boone at comcast.net
> To: nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org
> Date: Thu, 9 Sep 2010 11:23:22 -0400
> Subject: Re: [nfbmi-talk] this is inforinformative
> 
> 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."
> 
> ###
> 
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