[Nfbf-l] changing your DBS counselor

[David Evans]

Dear  Tara,

There is a person , in Tallahassee, called "The Consumer Advocate," that you 
should be able to turn to for help if you feel that DBS has treated you 
unfairly.  This person's name is Sam Atwood.  I do not know if Sam is still 
in the same position now, but he was in that position in the past.
I am sure that if you contact him and tell him the situation, he can give 
you some guidance.
I know that you can not just let your DBS Countseller be the "Boss" of 
everything you do.
They are there to serve you, the client, not the other way around.
You do have some responsibility, but it must be tempered with reason by both 
sides.
She should be there to help guide you and not boss you.  It is your life and 
not her's.
  Certain things need to come in an order.
Which was the most important, attending classes or a Job fair.  There will 
always be another job fair, but the classes missed, only come along once .
If you have been taught to use a cane, in the past, having someone from the 
Lighthouse  to come and fit you is a waste.  You know already how to use one 
and the only decision is what type and how long you want it.
The Lighthouse always measures from the floor up to the top of the Brest 
bone, which is to short for most use.
This goes back to the days of the sheltered work shops, where the sighted 
supervisors did not want the workers tripping them and so ordered the canes 
shorten to only reach one step ahead.
Most NFB canes and members use a cane that reaches 2 or 3 steps ahead..  I 
use 3 canes, depending on where I might go, but mostly I use a cane that 
comes up to my eye brows.
I always carry my cane with me, even though I use a guide dog named Jack now 
too.
There is nothing wrong with using the free canes from the NFB, but DBS gets 
funds from the RSA to help them with the purchase of equipment and a good 
cane is basic equipment for any Blind person.  I use a NFB telescoping cane 
and love it.
You can tell your counselor that you want to work with her, but you will 
make the decisions about your life.  Document everything you do with her and 
keep them in a file, with dates, times, summaries and such as to what was 
said and done.    This will protect you.
I had a countseller like this some years ago and I got rid of her too.  My 
case is closed now, as I am working, but if I need to it can be reopened. 
The counselor I have is great and helpful and honest with me.  DBS could use 
more like her.  There are some in her office that are not worth the 
gunpowder it would take to blow them to hell.

Anyway, good luck.

David Evans, NFBF and GD Jack.
MV Transit Consumer Advocate.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Sherri" <flmom2006 at gmail.com>
To: "NFB of Florida Internet Mailing List" <nfbf-l at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, May 12, 2011 1:17 AM
Subject: Re: [Nfbf-l] changing your DBS counselor


> Tara, there's a program called the Client Assistance Program. I don't know 
> the number, but I can try to find it out. You can let them know your 
> situation and then go from there. The only way I have ever changed 
> counselors is to let the DBS supervisor know.
>
> Sherri
> Have you visited my personal page at
> http://www.raceforindependence.org/goto/Sherri.Brun
> If so, Thank you for changing what it means to be blind.
> If not, please go there now!
> Thank you.
> flmom2006 at gmail.com
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "TaraPrakash" <taraprakash at gmail.com>
> To: "NFB of Florida Internet Mailing List" <nfbf-l at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Wednesday, May 11, 2011 3:58 PM
> Subject: [Nfbf-l] changing your DBS counselor
>
>
>> Dear all. What is the procedure for having one's dbs rehab counselor 
>> replaced? This person has made my life hell on account of a cane. This 
>> person would like me to be measured by a Lighthouse "expert" before 
>> getting me a cane. Or she would like me to order a free cane from NFB 
>> because "DBS is not a charity organization."
>> She threatened that she would close my plan if I didn't attend Lighthouse 
>> job fair even if I had to skip my classes for it. Well, there is so much 
>> more.
>> This person is new to DBS and I don't really want any negative appraisal 
>> from her supervisor. Is there any other way of getting a different 
>> counselor without having to complain to her superiors? Anyone can read 
>> contradictions in her emails if I send all her emails.
>>
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Nfbf-l mailing list
>> Nfbf-l at nfbnet.org
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbf-l_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for 
>> Nfbf-l:
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfbf-l_nfbnet.org/flmom2006%40gmail.com
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Nfbf-l mailing list
> Nfbf-l at nfbnet.org
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbf-l_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for 
> Nfbf-l:
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfbf-l_nfbnet.org/drevans%40bellsouth.net