The contents of this column reflect the letters we had received by the time we went to press, June 3, 2011. Letters are limited to 300 words or fewer. All submissions must include the author's name and location. Opinions expressed are those of the authors.
Thoughts on Rehabilitation
Here are some thoughts about vocational rehab past, present, and future! I was born in South Dakota in 1953. I was one of the RLFers and went to the South Dakota School for the Blind and Visually Impaired from kindergarten through my junior year of high school. Then I transferred to Tulare High School, where I graduated in 1971. I attended Dakota Wesleyan University for 2 years and the University of South Dakota for 4.5 years to receive my bachelor's and master's degrees. In those days I had an ACTUAL vocational rehabilitation counselor who actually counseled. He did slip up sometimes, like when he sent me to a job- seeking workshop and forgot to have me prepare a resume.
Recently I went to a rehab counselor to talk about working from home because of health reasons. The counselor recommended medical transcription. That's really idiotic since everybody is going electronic! Today a person of any age who wants to work must decide what vocation he/she truly wants to pursue and find out if he/she REALLY can do it!
My advice is to do your research and then forge ahead and never stop!
-- Dan Marshall, Baton Rouge, La.