[NFBMO] Question on additional independent living training as a full-time working blind adult

[Walker (US), Michael E]

Hi,

In the state of Missouri, how common is it for blind people to need additional independent living training while they are working full-time? Say I move into a different apartment to be closer to my job. If I found out I needed more O and M training, would I contact St. Louis Society for the Blind and Visually Impaired first, or RSB? Do blind people usually take vacation to accommodate the training conflicting with work hours? Can an O and M specialist help on recommendations regarding which apartments are good from that perspective, during the search, or is it best to go through conventional channels like apartments.com?

My other question on independent living is: What are the different ways in which blind people deal with mail? On another mailing list, I heard about the optacon, but would like to learn more about my options. Is OCR more common? For large stacks of mail, is it possible to get a reader? How does one find a reader?

Thank you,
Mike