[rehab] Thanks to all; brief report

[Tamara Smith-Kinney]

I really do want to thank all of you for bearing with me and for the
excellent and helpful information you have provided.

 

My new counselor and I met Thursday as planned, and I found him to be very
pleasant, willing to listen to my rather long story and to ask questions to
clarify what I am seeking from voc rehab at this time.  He accepted the
paperwork I handed him, including my resume and references, as well as a
list of the equipment I have decided I need to meet my goals, which I have
priced out and prioritized.  That includes adaptive tech only, not study
materials for self-study to bring my skills back to current and to advance
them.  He did seem a little confused about what I meant when I said I wished
to return to my career at the level I had achieved before I originally
requested VR services in 2006.  As I mentioned in a previous post, the
majority of people just don't fully grasp what I do in general, let alone
specifically.  He had listened well enough that his first stab at
clarification was "programming."  I am not sure if I was successful in
communicating that I was a couple of rungs higher than that, since I was
designing and developing the projects to be programmed.  Depending on the
project and whether I'm flying solo or working with a team, I can do the
programming myself, naturally.  And I write programs to troubleshoot the
program and.  /smile/  But I much prefer the design/development part of the
projects I do, as well as the troubleshooting, analysis and refining once a
project is ready for that, over typing the gzillion lines of code needed to
make it work.  All of those words to describe tasks have layers and layers
of meaning for me and my ilk, of course.  Translating it all out of geek
into human speak is something I can occasionally manage, but I really have
to work at it.  /smile/

 

The counselor also listened to my report of what I have been doing the past
couple of years while I work to get back to full enough health that I can
consider doing something income-producing and allowed as to how I certainly
have not been sitting around doing nothing.  /smile/  What he thought of it
all, I'm not sure.  I did try to stress that much of what I did as my health
improved also dovetailed with my personal physical therapy program.  I used
the guide dog at my feet as an example - I need to get out and walk to aid
the healing process and to build fitness as I heal; a young dog needs to be
walked; a young guide dog prospect/guide dog in training, guide dog in team
building phase needs to be walked even more.  /smile/  Then there's all the
walking I do at the park while she runs like a maniac.  And plays soccer!
Yes, folks, I can kick a soccer ball or the smaller ball she adores, without
seeing it.  I decided not to belabor the point of how this not only takes
the place of hours of tedious floor exercises but also speeds up the process
of adapting to progressive vision loss in the areas of balance,
proprioception, independent mobility, etc.

 

As the meeting came to an end and he prepared to leave, he told me he would
present my information and request to his boss, the VR director.  In
response to that, I emphasized that I would do what I plan to do with or
without them but that I was requesting the resources necessary to continue
my work as a blind person.  The VR director is dreadfully predictable, so it
appears I simply have to wait to find out if my predictions of her response
is correct.  /grim smile/

 

I can only assume this will leave us at exactly the same impasse we were
before the meeting.  And yes, I was doing my part as a client before my case
was so baddly messed up, and I have done so since, more times than is
actually sane.

 

I do appreciate the reminders of my responsibilities, since I'm frustrated
enough to just want to throw a snit fit.  I also appreciate the
clarifications of how the system should work, as well as how it actually
does work at present.  I will greatly help me in ensuring my future requests
are in line with VR law and philosophy

Tami Smith-Kinney