# best and worst

Category: Let's talk

## Post 1 by blw1978 (I'll have the last word, thank you!) on Thursday, 11-Nov-2010 16:25:51

Hi everyone. Which states do you think have the best Voc Rehab programs, and which have the worst, and why. Please, if possible, keep your answers fairly brief.

## Post 2 by LeoGuardian (You mean there is something outside of this room with my computer in it?) on Thursday, 11-Nov-2010 19:47:35

Oregon seems not to have much funds for blind folks. I always wrote it off as blindness doesn't have the sex appeal that some other groups do, but now that I know a few blind people, they can't believe what we got, or didn't get, out here, even in the late eighties and early nineties.
Live by your wits, I say, as you're the only one can lose those.

## Post 3 by Shadow_Cat (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Thursday, 11-Nov-2010 20:02:29

I'd say the two best agencies are Iowa and Nebraska. One of the worst is Colorado, and I've heard Missouri is pretty bad, too.

## Post 4 by blw1978 (I'll have the last word, thank you!) on Thursday, 11-Nov-2010 23:17:51

Oh great, I'm from CO. I'm thinking about grad school, and just wanted others' input. Do you think the Denver area has a better system then we do here on the Western Slope? I've thought about moving to the area, but will consider all my options. I'm not gonna move somewhere where job and school prospects suck! I had heard th Mo had a good setup, but haven't experienced it myself.

## Post 5 by Shadow_Cat (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Friday, 12-Nov-2010 8:51:17

No, I haven't experienced Missouri's set-up either, just going by what I've heard from friends. Have worked mostly with Iowa and Nebraska myself.
Hmmm, I guess since I'm not sure how the service is where you are, I can't make a comparison to how it is here in Denver. Of course, so much of it depends on who your counselor is. As long as it's not a woman named Lin, you should be fine. Grin.

## Post 6 by blw1978 (I'll have the last word, thank you!) on Friday, 12-Nov-2010 13:11:55

Haha, my former counselor and I didn't get along so well. Now I have a different one. Yeah, I thought of your point after I'd asked the question. What's so great about IA and Neb? I have family in Neb, and visited them last year.
We have a Business Outreach Specialist out here who seems pretty good. What are job prospects like in that area? I'd really like to work at least a couple years before grad school. The thought of graduating with major amounts of debt is definitely not appealing. Thanks for your input.

## Post 7 by Shadow_Cat (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Tuesday, 16-Nov-2010 0:04:04

The thing that was nice about Iowa and Nebraska was that they were very supportive when it came to paying for stuff. They both were very good about updating my technology, paying for the maintenance agreements as well, and so on. When I lived in Iowa and got a job in Nebraska, Iowa payed my relocation expenses. they also paid my full tuition when I chose to go to an out of state school. Most rehab agencies will not do that.
Both were also good about helping me look for work. The counselors actually took time to help me research for jobs, and they passed on job leads to me when they got them. When I got an intership work,ing for the Red Cross, Iowa actually paid me for it, under the clause of on the job training. Nebraska is doing the same thing for a good friend of mine.
that's way, way more than I've gotten out here in Colorado. They will not repair my BrailleNote even though it needs it, upgrade my JAWS, or anything. My counselor has not passed on one single job lead to me in the three years I've worked with her. I know more about using a computer than she does, so she is useless at helping me research job leads when we have met. She also is not supportive of me going back to school for my Master's degree, and says she is doubtful rehab will pay for it. I am actually considering moving back to Iowa to go back to school, because at least there I know I can get it covered.
I had a friend who, even though she wanted to move out here to Denver, stayed in Nebraska when she went to school specifically because of their rehab agency. She was right to do it; full tuition was covered, they bought her a Victor Stream, as well as a brand-new BrailleSense, etc. There's no way she'd have gotten all that out here.
Job prospects aren't the greatest here in Denver, but, if you think about it, they're not really all that great for anyone anywhere in the country at this point. That makes it doubly hard for us as blind people to find work, unfortunately.
Anyway, hope that answers your question about why I like Iowa and Nebraska.

## Post 8 by CrystalSapphire (Uzuri uongo ndani) on Tuesday, 16-Nov-2010 8:45:01

WV has been good for me so far, but I just started working with them so. lol