Re: What do You Guys Want to See in an Independence Training Center
Yeah, the speeches are pretty over the top. In my favorite one of all, note the sarcasm, one person tries to lay out in a neat little package the stages a blind person goes through in order to become truly independent.
https://nfb.org/Images/nfb/Publications … dres93.htm
TLDR: First, every blind person who hasn't attended an NFB training center is meek, passive, and basically worthless. Then, as they start training, they get a chip the size of California on their shoulder, not wanting or needing any help from anyone. By the end of their 6 to 9 month stay, however, they magically become well-adjusted, integrated members of society. Do I even need to explain how stupid this is? Plus, it's offensive. It would be sort of alright if it was made clear that this is a model that some students of the training centers tend to follow, but it's strongly implied, if not outright stated, that not only is this what all students do, it's a desirable outcome. That's not how human psychology works, and if it does at these places, it's not healthy. Even the five stages of grief is just a standard, it's freely acknowledged and well-known that not everyone grieves the same way, and that no one's experience of it is the same, so what the hell gives this guy the right to make such sweeping generalizations? I think this speech, among others, but I personally find this one the most heinous, is why some people believe the NFB has cultlike tendencies. While I've softened my stance on that over the years, I do have to admit that reading things like that doesn't help their case, not even a little bit.
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