AmandaOT

School update

I haven't posted much since school started, because frankly, I've been busy. Here's a little info about my classmates. There are 5 of us total. I appear to be the old one of the group. There is David from Columbus, OH. He has lived in CA for about 5 years, and recently came back from working in Hawaii for 7 months. He has an undergrad degree is some form of education. Katie is from San Diego. She has a degree in English and Asian studies. Jess is from Pennsylvania. She is a Penn St grad in education. She moved to LA about 7 months ago. Kristina is from New York. She has been living in Colorado near Wyoming until about 1 1/2 months ago. He fiancee just got out of the Air Force and moved with her. She also has a degree in education. I enjoy my classmates. They are smart and quick-witted. I have a good time with them. I think all of us a overwhelmed with the workload, and I know at least most of us, have a hard time organizing our load. There is a ton of knowledge to learn in a short amount of time, and a lot of paperwork. All of us eagerly await our refund checks and stipends.

Since the first day, we have learned how to guide someone up and down stairs (with and without a railing). We took our human guide techniques outside and tooled around campus. We tried elevators, stairs of different heights and lengths, crowded cafeterias, the library, the bookstore, and lecture halls. We also learned how to trail a wall with no device using upper and lower body protective techniques. We used constant and selective trailing. I say there is nothing harder than trying to stay oriented to where you are in a hallway with no device and no vision. I, and a couple others, got disoriented and lost. We also started to learn how to write a route and describe it to a person with no or low vision. We were introduced to white canes yesterday. We learned how to teach someone to carry a cane not in use, the 3 grasps, diagonal technique, constant trailing with a cane and selective trailing with the cane. I have no idea if that is all I learned. That is all I remember.

Our lectures are a mix of review for me and new knowledge. We learned about optical devices today. Next week is diabetes. There is just so much reading, that I am not sure I am absorbing it. For the most part, it hasn't been too dry. Today's reading makes me want to stab my eyes out, but that has been the only one thus far. Tomorrow I have to make phone calls to set up observations on my 'free time'. I need 20 hours in 2 quarters with 7 of them being before the end of the sememster. I'm hoping to get a good chunk done soon. We'll see. That's all for now. It is late and I am tired.

posted by amanda @ 1:26 AM