Re: Training Centers
Thought I'd throw in my 2 cents here, for what it's worth. I, too, have not faired too well as of late when it comes to formal orientation&mobility instruction. Apparently the voc/rehab agency here in the Land of Lincoln thinks that one would need a good paying job in order to receive any formal O&M instruction from them. A few years ago I did get an O&M instructor out here, but she was only able to give me a few lessons which--now that I've had time to think things through--were not very effective. I ended up going through my state's Client Assistance Program in order to get her out here. The CAP representative assigned to me was actually very sympathetic and she understood where I was coming from. But other than that, I have had no formal O&M instruction for several years. In fact I believe the last instructor who worked with me, prior to a few years ago, was when I attended a local community college not long after graduating high school. I graduated high school in 1994, so this was probably in about 1996. That instructor was quite good, but he was only able to work with me briefly. So now whenever I need to get somewhere that isn't within walking distance of my building and that requires a street crossing, I take ADA paratransit. The paratransit service here has greatly improved from what it used to be, but still it is not perfect. Although the hours for the reservation lines have been extended, they are still only taken just 1 day in advance and it can get rather difficult to secure a trip reservation. The service has limited hours on weekends, and there are frequently activities which I want to attend outside my building. A lot of times nobody will be available to drive me or their schedules are so tight that it is a bit inconvenient for them. I've been told I can't take the trains by myself due to balance issues. This hasn't happened much thus far, but occasionally I've had drivers who got a bit lost taking me to my destinations. Nevermind that I lack the skills to tell them how to get unlost. Nobody seems to be too concerned about that except for yours truly. I have a cell phone and take it with me on these paratransit trips in the unlikely event that I do get dropped off at a wrong location. I do have a life-skills tutor who has gone places with me, but he also works with others in my building. Plus he has another job now in addition to this one, and his truck bit the bullet not long ago. Another area in which I've had absolutely no formal instruction is cooking, so my tutor does that for me. Luckily he is a great cook and doesn't mind doing it, but the VR agency has offered little if any assistance in this regard. I believe I've mentioned that funding here in Illinois is sorely lacking, and nothing is being done about it.
For right now, all I really need out of a blindness center is cane travel/mobility, and lots of it. I seriously would be content waking up and spending all day, every day, for a few months, just working on mobility cane travel, since my skills are seriously that bad. A combination of bad instructors for a few years, followed by no instruction for a few years, followed by more bad instruction leaves me in a pretty bad place. I have no idea how, for instance, public transportation works around here, or anywhere, for that matter. Don't ask me how to cross a street safely, because I don't know. As you can tell, serious issues, and I have no idea what to do about it.
I figured a center could also help me with other blindness skills, too, like general stuff to do around your house, cooking, etc. Since I already know braille inside and out, I figured I could learn print – that might prove useful. But I have no idea what center to go to, I'd prefer something for as long as possible, like the 9-month NFB ones...But as you say, there's no real information. And nobody around here even listens to what I have to say. Interrupt college for some blindness bullshit? No way! Even though this "blindness bullshit" as they call it is really damn important and useful.
URL: http://forum.audiogames.net/viewtopic.php?pid=167722#p167722
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