I agree with Deja that it is assumed that students are hastily sent out with minimal instruction/gidence and made to figure everything out on their own. From: NOMC [mailto:nomc-bounces at lists.nbpcb.org] On Behalf Of d?j? Powell Sent: Thursday, October 5, 2017 11:03 PM To: Edward Bell <ebell at pdrib.com> Cc: NOMC List <nomc at lists.nbpcb.org> Subject: Re: [Nomc] quick poll I hear that we just send students out and make them figure everything out on their own. I have also heard that only students with blindness, as their singular disability, can be taught SDCT. These are two things I hear often. I?m not trying to toot my own horn by any means, but I did a podcast recently and Jonathan Mosen who interviewed me addressed a lot of these misconceptions about SDCT. His questions may help (hopefully I answered appropriately). I?ll post the link below if it can be helpful. Deja Powell http://theblindsidepodcast.podbean.com/e/the-blind-side-podcast-56-deja-powe... Sent from my iPhone On Oct 5, 2017, at 3:12 PM, Edward Bell > wrote: Hey guys, I have a quick poll or question for you all. I am working on a document and wanted to hear from you all what are some of the top misconceptions or assumptions that people make when you say that you teach structured discovery. What do people assume structured discovery is, or assume you are doing when you say structured discovery? Edward C. Bell, Ph.D., CRC, NOMC Director, Professional Development and Research Institute on Blindness Louisiana Tech University 210 Woodard Hall PO Box 3158 Ruston LA 71272 Office: 318.257.4554 Fax: 318.257.2259 (Fax) Skype: edwardbell2010 ebell at latech.edu www.pdrib.comhttp://www.pdrib.com ************************************************************** "I am somehow less interested in the weight and convolutions of Einstein's brain than in the near certainty that people of equal talent have lived and died in cotton fields and sweatshops." -- Stephen Jay Gould _______________________________________________ NOMC mailing list NOMC at lists.nbpcb.org http://lists.nbpcb.org/listinfo.cgi/nomc-nbpcb.org

Aloha everyone, Here?s my quick list, trying not to duplicate any others already said: * We only take the cream of the crop students, which is why we have such good results to report * SDCT is only for totally blind consumers or those who will become totally blind because of a degenerative eye condition * Instructors have to be blind * We make students wear sleepshades in order to show them how hard it?s going to be when they become totally blind * SDCT is based on a set of teaching techniques rather than a holistic belief in the normality and capacity of blind people * Anyone can teach SDCT if they just employ the right teaching techniques (the point here is that SDCT is a registered trademark of the NBPCB and can only be offered by properly credentialed instructors) * The goal of SDCT is to learn techniques for movement through space; if any emotional adjustment is a goal, that goal is secondary * We are trying to take away disability benefits from the blind community, such as SSDI * We have no compassion for blind people * We think we are better than blind people with training under the vision-centered approach (a term President Riccobono used in his banquet speech this year, which I absolutely love) * Metaphorically, we throw blind people in the water and tell them to swim, rather than giving them foundations they need before we put them up to a task * Students of SDCT do not learn about how to best use their residual vision (I think Jeff Altman?s article, ?When the Sleep-Shades Aren?t On,? covers this concept very well) * SDCT requires that students wear sleepshades and use NFB straight canes * Blind instructors or sighted instructors wearing sleepshades are not able to safely monitor our students and keep them safe * It is possible to believe in both vision-centered orientation and mobility and SDCT and offer both options side-by-side Lastly, I want to explain a dilemma in people?s understanding of Structured Discovery, and I think it goes beyond just talking about credentialing. There are, of course, six centers accredited by the NBPCB as operating according to the Structured Discovery model. There are a few training centers besides these six who advertise that they are Structured Discovery centers. I totally get that leadership at these centers want to get to that level, but it clouds the marketplace and makes it hard for consumers to understand what is happening and where. When we took our students to national convention, many of them were proud to say that they attended the Structured Discovery program at Ho`opono Services for the Blind, and they frequently found that NFB members scorned them as belonging to an inferior center. As I have been talking to people and trying to figure out what?s going on with that, I?ve heard that many people throughout our movements see all the conflicting messages and false advertising, making it hard for them to keep track of which center is accredited and which one is not. This appears to lead a lot of consumers to discredit any center that is not formally an NFB center. I don?t think that Ho`opono is concretely better than any other center, but I do think that there are a lot of confusing messages in the adjustment to blindness training marketplace because of the unaccredited centers that call themselves Structured Discovery centers. I don?t want to make it harder for startup centers to enter our network or make it harder for existing centers to convert, but I would like to see a reduction in the confusion in the marketplace. A hui ho, Justin Justin M. Salisbury, MA, NOMC, NCRTB, NCUEB Legislative Committee Chair Honolulu Chapter National Federation of the Blind of Hawaii Email: President at Alumni.ECU.edu LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-salisbury ?Once social change begins, it cannot be reversed. You cannot un-educate the person who has learned to read. You cannot humiliate the person who feels pride. You cannot oppress the people who are not afraid anymore.? Cesar Chavez From: NOMC [mailto:nomc-bounces at lists.nbpcb.org] On Behalf Of Jennifer Kennedy Sent: Saturday, October 07, 2017 3:45 PM To: Ron Brown <rb15 at iquest.net> Cc: NOMC List <nomc at lists.nbpcb.org> Subject: Re: [Nomc] quick poll Hello, In addition to what has already been listed, I have heard SDCT cannot be done using any residual vision. Another good one is that this type of instruction cannot be customized to work with students and different learning styles, nor with different age groups. Jennifer On Oct 6, 2017, at 11:17 AM, Ron Brown > wrote: Eddie, I think people hear the discovery part, and just think you are to fiqure out how to navigate on your own! They don?t hear that there is some structure in our lessons. I also get that most don?t know what it is. Yours in the Bond, Ron Brown MA/ NOMC From: NOMC [mailto:nomc-bounces at lists.nbpcb.org] On Behalf Of Edward Bell Sent: Thursday, October 05, 2017 5:12 PM To: NOMC List > Subject: [Nomc] quick poll Hey guys, I have a quick poll or question for you all. I am working on a document and wanted to hear from you all what are some of the top misconceptions or assumptions that people make when you say that you teach structured discovery. What do people assume structured discovery is, or assume you are doing when you say structured discovery? Edward C. Bell, Ph.D., CRC, NOMC Director, Professional Development and Research Institute on Blindness Louisiana Tech University 210 Woodard Hall PO Box 3158 Ruston LA 71272 Office: 318.257.4554 Fax: 318.257.2259 (Fax) Skype: edwardbell2010 ebell at latech.edu www.pdrib.comhttp://www.pdrib.com ************************************************************** "I am somehow less interested in the weight and convolutions of Einstein's brain than in the near certainty that people of equal talent have lived and died in cotton fields and sweatshops." -- Stephen Jay Gould _______________________________________________ NOMC mailing list NOMC at lists.nbpcb.org http://lists.nbpcb.org/listinfo.cgi/nomc-nbpcb.org