Re: Training Centers
[ a-t ] CAE_Jones
I have never heard of research stating that sleepshades can further vision loss, but I would be interested in getting my hands on it. I did see mention made of such research in the Wikipedia article for National federation of the Blind, but it was never cited. Another user even pointed this out in the article. (Also, there are so many inaccuracies in that article that I don't even know where to begin.) Nevertheless, I would be very interested in reading any research on the harm caused by sleepshades.
I think the best advice I could give you has already been given. Take a tour or have a call and decide for yourself if you're interested. All 3 centers have a marketing/outreach director that would be happy to talk to you. You can decide for yourself what is spin and what is real and then make your choice.
If I can help, please don't hesitate to reach out. I can only speak from my own experiences, but I solemnly swear not to BS you.
I'm sorry you can't get away from your conception that sleepshades are a way for totally blind people to feel better about themselves. If you feel this despite the fact that I aspouse them with my limited vision and despite the fact that other instructors, who are themselves not totally blind, require their use, I don't know what to tell you. Certainly there are blind people who have sight envy, but I can assure you that sleepshades are not, nor have they ever been, about making totally blind people feel better. There are even articles and discussions, available on the internet, in which members talk about the inherent usefulness of sight.
Let me reiterate yet again that sleepshades are also not about helping people with degenerative conditions, regardless of what the Wikipedia entry says. Certainly they can help with that, but that's not their purpose.
Solely for the sake of illustration, let's say I wanted to teach a blind person to deep-fry food in hot oil. Given the propensity for some of my past students with low vision to lean close to their work to see it better, I would want them to use sleepshades, if for no other reason than to protect them from burning themselves. I would teach them to feel for the food with a spatula and show them exactly how deep-frying can be done easily and safely with no vision. If they go home and attempt the same task with their sleepshades off, and if they find they can see the food in the oil without having to use a spatula as a guide, more power to them. If you have vision, and you can use it safely, use it. Far too often, though, people who use their vision do so to avoid the stigma of blindness, and no small amount of heartache and physical injury can result from that.
I unfortunately don't know how to quote posts directly like CAE did above, so excuse the sloppiness. Parenthetically, I'd love to know how.
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To me at least, wood working would o nly be of value as a confidence boost if it were something that the individual themselves had a deep desire to do and a conviction that they could not without vision, rather the same way I had an issue with my acting ability.
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Sometimes the desire isn't present because the fear is so high. You have an interest in acting because it's something you want to do. Some people, though, sell themselves out of an activity because they think they can't, or they're afraid they can't. Wood shop is a catch all for those people.
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Myself, if I were etting up some sort of training course, I'd have those sorts of courses as options, not as requirements, and stick them along side other things that Vi people don't traditionally do such as martial arts, dance, extreme sports or electronics.
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All good things for blind people to do, but as I said above, centers just don't have the resources for that. I would al so make the argument that, if one has the skills and confidence, that person should go out into the community to learn those skills. Why would anyone need a blindness organization to teach dance, theater, or martial arts?
Wood shop is not about teaching a marketable skill--though some people turn it into that. It's about overcoming fears and misconceptions in a highly visible, public way. I cannot tell you how many people have been absolutely blown away by the six-foot, two-hundred pound, solid oak China hutch sitting in my living room when they realize my wife built it completely without sight. Those conversations are rife with the opportunity for public education, and they can help the public to realize that blind people can do the exact same things the sighted do.
With home management class the goal on the table is never about catering. It's about learning the skills of home management, including cooking and cleaning, so that people can practice them in their daily lives. The big meal, which takes place at the end of the student's training, is a chance for them to show off their newfound skills to their peers. Again, it's not about learning a marketable skill; it's about instilling confidence. If you can cook for forty people, you can have the neighbors over for dinner.
Building a 13-drawer desk, carving an ice sculpture with a chainsaw, frying chicken for 40 people, walking 5.6 miles through downtown Minneapolis, carving the body of an acoustic guitar--these things are about pushing limits and breaking down barriers. They're about the mental aspect of blindness rather than the physical one. They're about helping people to chip down the 500-pound rock of blindness into something more manageable.
URL: http://forum.audiogames.net/viewtopic.php?pid=167129#p167129
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