[nabs-l] Training centers

Fri Feb 11 20:25:21 UTC 2011

Hello,
I've been reading emails from this thread for a while and figured I would finally say something, without trying to offend anyone as always. In very general terms, I feel as though many times training centers are more useful to people who become blind as adults or even as children. This is because they must learn how to do things in ways they had never imagined before. It's true that I'm saying this basing myself on personal experiences alone, and without having too much knowledge about training centers. I was born totally blind and from the very beginning my parents made me find my own ways to do pretty much everything. They were told that me being blind didn't mean I couldn't do stuff, so even though they weren't necessarily sure how I was going to handle things, they let me try and fail over and over, which I guess is the equivalent of training :). We all know that blind people can do pretty much everything, but sometimes I feel like they tend to wait a little too much until training is given to them, when training might not be necessary. I received a very small amount of orientation and mobility training as a child, because at one point I saw that operating a cane wasn't all that complicated. Once I understood how traffic worked, my mom decided that I was going to go to school by myself every day. I live in a very large city so I had to take two busses to get there. I got lost many times, and I had to call home several times for someone to come and pick me up. But by age 11 I could navigate the city pretty confidently. That's actually earlier than any of my other siblings, because my mother was really obsessed about me being independent, to the point that the blind organization in Spain even suggested that she was being a little irresponsible. She also sent me to all kinds of random camps every summer in France and England (by myself, with no other blind people) because she thought that that would help me to be independent in all kinds of situations. This is just an example to say that in my particular case I don't feel like I need a training center because I never had the choice to let other people do things for me, so I had to learn how to do them. Still, I must say that sometimes I have doubts about this, especially after I attended the NFB national convention last year and saw that everyone was talking about these training centers that I had never heard about. After convention I thought about it for a while, and ended up coming to the conclusion that I don't really need training, but could I be wrong? I don't know what everybody thinks about this. I don't think I need the training, but what's true is that I am really not used to being around other blind people. This sometimes really bothers me because I am blind myself. My girlfriend is sighted, and so are all my friends. I spend most of the year playing concerts either by myself or with orchestras and conductors who are also sighted. At this point I probably wouldn't have time for training anyways, but I think the part of it which involves getting to know other blind individuals seems fun and interesting, just because I'm not used to it.

IC
On Feb 11, 2011, at 1:00 PM, Arielle Silverman wrote:

> Hi Antonio and all,
> 
> When I used the term "enlightened blind person" I was being satirical,
> and poking a little fun at the notion that a training center is
> magical or that training center graduates are inherently superior to
> non-graduates. I don't genuinely believe in the concept of an
> "enlightened blind person".
> 
> As for need and benefit, I would agree with what Sean said. I think we
> are always growing and can always gain a little more confidence and
> knowledge by spending some time with competent blind people, and a
> center is an excellent way to do that, but of course this must be
> weighed against the cost of taking time out of your life, as well as
> the cost to your rehab agency.
> 
> Arielle
> 
> On 2/11/11, bookwormahb at earthlink.net <bookwormahb at earthlink.net> wrote:
>> Al,
>> Good point; if you Need a training center experience you got to prove it and
>> link it to your vocational goal.
>> If you just want to or say Oh I can benefit from learning more of this or
>> that skill, that will not fly.
>> In these times of budget tightness and accountability, everything has to be
>> justified.
>> Glad you pointed that directive out; its very important to use for
>> justifications.
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Al Spooner
>> Sent: Friday, February 11, 2011 7:45 AM
>> To: 'National Association of Blind Students mailing list'
>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Training centers
>> 
>> Hi all,
>> 
>> I have not been able to follow every detail of this thread topic, so please
>> excuse me if I am repeating something that has already been mentioned.
>> 
>> To help you define "need," what you have to do is read a couple of sections
>> of our RSA regulations regarding informed choice.  In so many words, the
>> regulations state that you are the person that defines this need, and it
>> should be chosen to allow you to maximize your individual potential.
>> 
>> Below is a quote taken directly from a policy directive, RSA-PD-01-03 dated
>> January 17, 2001, written by Dr. Fred Schroeder, during his time as RSA
>> Commissioner.
>> Pay specific attention to the following verbiage "consistent with the
>> strengths, resources, priorities, concerns, abilities, capabilities,
>> interests, and informed choice"
>> 
>> Below are the two sections of this directive that I am referring too.
>> Beginning of quote:
>> "The 1998 amendments link the individual's employment outcome with the
>> informed choice of the individual.  Section 102(b)(3)(A) of the Act
>> specifies the description of the individual's chosen employment outcome as a
>> "mandatory component" of the IPE and stipulates that the  employment outcome
>> must be chosen by the individual and must be consistent with the strengths,
>> resources, priorities, concerns, abilities, capabilities, interests, and
>> informed choice of the individual.  The respective responsibilities of the
>> individual and the State VR agency in working toward the achievement of the
>> employment outcome must be described in the IPE  (Section 102(b)(3)(E)(i)
>> and (ii) of the Act)."
>> 
>> "The link between the employment outcome and informed choice is further
>> reinforced by the description of VR services in section 103(a) of the Act as
>> "any services described in an individualized plan for employment necessary
>> to assist an individual with a disability in preparing for, securing,
>> retaining, or regaining an employment outcome that is consistent with the
>> strengths, resources, priorities, concerns, abilities, capabilities,
>> interests, and informed choice of the individual."  This is a change from
>> the previous description of VR services as "any goods or services necessary
>> to render an individual with a disability employable."  These changes make
>> it clear that the cost, duration, or extent of vocational rehabilitation
>> services that an eligible individual may need to achieve a particular
>> employment goal should not be considered in identifying the goal.  Instead,
>> the employment outcome must be based only on what is consistent with the
>> strengths, resources, priorities, concerns, abilities, capabilities,
>> interests, and informed choice of the individual."
>> End of quote
>> 
>> Al Spooner
>> Assistant Director
>> Outreach and Marketing
>> Blindness Learning In New Dimensions, Incorporated (BLIND, Incorporated)
>> 100 East 22nd Street
>> Minneapolis, MN 55404
>> Office: 612-872-0100
>> Toll Free: 800-597-9558
>> Fax: 612-872-9358
>> Web Site: www.blindinc.org
>> Office E-mail: aspooner at blindinc.org
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
>> Of Sean Whalen
>> Sent: Friday, February 11, 2011 2:51 AM
>> To: nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Training centers
>> 
>> Antonio,
>> 
>> Is it justifiable to use financial resources to buy a student a laptop that
>> that student could benefit from but does not need?
>> 
>> What do we mean by "need?" None of us really need training, we could all sit
>> at home without skills or technology and collect SSI, right? A need is vague
>> and undefined until you put it in the context of an end to be achieved by
>> fulfillment of the need. I didn't need e-texts to complete classes in
>> school. I could have used readers. I did, however, need e-texts to perform
>> up to my potential in classes, as I very much struggle with retaining
>> information when it is read aloud to me. Needs are not what matter. The cost
>> of the things we need to achieve a goal weighed against the prospective
>> benefit to be gained by attainment of the goal are what matter.
>> 
>> I absolutely believe that any blind person could benefit from attending a
>> training center. This said, I certainly do not believe that all blind people
>> need to, or even should, attend a training center. I chose to do so because
>> I was never taught to read in school. I felt that the benefits to be gained
>> by learning Braille, plus whatever other useful computer tips, travel tricks
>> and life lessons that I might pick up along the way outweighed the cost of
>> my giving up 6 months of my life to undertake the training. I have no doubt
>> I could have been successful in life without spending time in Ruston, but I
>> definitely feel that I took more away from the experience than I gave up to
>> go. Each of us must make our own calculations based on cost/benefit analysis
>> to determine what is the best option for us as individuals.
>> 
>> Attending an NFB center is no guarantee of life success. Not attending a
>> center is no guarantee of failure. Plenty of people who attend centers won't
>> reach their true potential, and plenty of people who do not attend will do
>> so.
>> 
>> Saying that anybody could benefit is a far cry from claiming that everybody
>> ought to attend. Frankly, I think that people benefit in one way or another
>> from almost every experience each of us has. This might not make them good,
>> enjoyable or useful experiences, but there is still some benefit to be
>> gained in virtually all circumstances.
>> 
>> More to the point, whether, and how, to get training is a highly individual
>> choice and wholly dependent on the particulars of one's skill level, age,
>> family situation, employment status and prospects, and myriad other things.
>> Anybody who tells you that everybody should attend a center is being
>> doctrinaire, but anybody who cannot acknowledge the benefits, in many cases
>> vast benefits, that good training can yield is being equally rigid and
>> dogmatic.
>> 
>> By the way, I'm not claiming that you do this. I just found your post to be
>> a good jumping off point.
>> 
>> All the best,
>> 
>> Sean
>> 
>> 
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>> 
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> 
> 
> -- 
> Arielle Silverman
> President, National Association of Blind Students
> Phone:  602-502-2255
> Email:
> nabs.president at gmail.com
> Website:
> www.nabslink.org
> 
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