Blind and Visually Impaired Community
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I'm helping my blind friend financially get a mobility coach to prepare for getting a guide dog. What should I consider? (self.Blind)
submitted by coolestnameavailable
Hi, my fraternity raised a sum of money to help a blind student on our campus pay for the related expenses of owning a guide dog. He has been able to get a guide dog twice now, but both times had to return the dog to the respective school just a few weeks after completing training because he has had issues navigating with the dog safely on a busy college campus.
The CA dept of rehab is no longer going to pay for my friend's mobility coach sessions and we are considering dipping into the money we raised for the guide dog to pay for his mobility sessions. The rate will be $170 for each two-hour session and the instructor recommends 6 sessions.
Does this sound reasonable to all of you? My friend became blind from a car accident and still suffers from PTSD and difficulty with spatial awareness.
The CA dept of rehab is no longer going to pay for my friend's mobility coach sessions and we are considering dipping into the money we raised for the guide dog to pay for his mobility sessions. The rate will be $170 for each two-hour session and the instructor recommends 6 sessions.
Does this sound reasonable to all of you? My friend became blind from a car accident and still suffers from PTSD and difficulty with spatial awareness.
jrs12 1 points 7y ago
O&M specialist here. The rate sounds on par if not a little low, but there are other options as well. Leader Dogs for the Blind has an excellent accelerated mobility training program provided free of charge including room and board. This above all else: the training will do NOTHING if your friend does not have a chance to practice the skills he learns. Once he has gotten more O&M, practice practice practice with a friend nearby for safety. This doesn't mean stop your friend from making mistakes. This means help make sure he is safe while he makes and learns from his mistakes. Good luck!
coolestnameavailable [OP] 1 points 7y ago
Do you know of any organizations that do free o&m training in southern california
jrs12 1 points 7y ago
Leader Dog pays to fly their clients to Michigan. As far as in house training that is free, OVR is your best bet.
fcarm12345 1 points 7y ago
California O&M here. Many nonprofits provide O&M training for free. Also Leader Dogs provides O&M plus Dog Guide training. Many Dog Guide schools are free as well. Do research before paying. If you send me your area I can let you know where to go.
coolestnameavailable [OP] 1 points 7y ago
I am in southern califorbia. How do I contact this organizations with free o&m?
fcarm12345 1 points 7y ago
You have the Braille Institute in LA, Orange County, and San Diego.
coolestnameavailable [OP] 1 points 7y ago
According to my friend, the Braille Institute facilitates O&M training through funding from the department of rehab, which has recently defunded o&m training statewide. So he says that students are now on their own to pay for their own training.
fcarm12345 1 points 7y ago
Sorry but it's not true DOR has not defunded O&M training. A client who is a Homemaker case is open for 1 year of training a Vocational case is open until training is complete and the client has secured a job. Braille Institute in San Diego is not funded by DOR. I don't know if DOR finds classes in Orange County but you can call and check. Please let me know if you have any more questions I can try to answer them for you.
the_blackcloud 1 points 7y ago
here in Bay Area, CA, both Lions Center for Blind and Lighthouse provide some mobility training. I believe it's free
geoffisblind 1 points 7y ago
I don't know which city you are in but I would seriously recommend checking out any local non-profits in your area. I don't really know what is considered an acceptable rate for an O&M, all of my training has been handled through the state and non-profits and I never see the bills but I do know that there is probably a non-profit which might be able to take over free of charge. It's worth checking out before spending over $1000 out of pocket.
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