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shel90

shel90

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I heard that Vocational Rehab wont pay for the first year of college until the students show proof that they are serious about college with good grades during the first year. Then, after that proof, VR may review the students' case. My friend told me that the reason for this is because VR is becoming strict about supporting deaf students' college costs. My friend said someone else told her that.

Is that true?
 
Fuck VR. I got my entire tuition waived by the state of Texas so I don't have to depend on VR for financing my tuition and school supplies. And with my entire tuition being waived by Texas, there's no "you gotta have a 2.5 gpa or I won't pay your tuition" crap anymore, thank goodness.

Which reminds me, I have to file a CAP against the VR in Minnesota today (I no longer live there anymore but their VR has screwed me over so much, and they have a horrible attitude). I want that bitch fired. She didn't understand that I needed more accommodations than just the usual asl interpreter and a crappy student notetaker, and just simply didn't care. And even though she is deaf/hoh, her signing skills are so shite, that the communication just really sucked.
 
I've dealt with VR for many years and received adequate services. I think alot of the effectiveness of VR depends on the state in which you live as well as the counselor. After I lost my hearing I had a wonderful VR counselor who understood my needs as a deafblind person. Never once did she complain about the high cost of DB-related equipment -- she always provided what I needed without question. My current counselor is okay...When I requested a BrailleNote (PDA for the blind) for use with realtime captioning, she came close to refusing until I told her how much more expensive it would be to provide me with a tactile interpreter. That convinced her. I very rarely make requests for purchase anymore because I'm forever hearing about how expensive DB equipment is. Sorry, but that isn't my fault. After all, I didn't ask to be deafblind. :) Okay, off my soapbox for now.

As far as VR not paying for school unless someone shows serious interest in college, I was told that some students apply for college, take VR's money and run and subsequently drop classes without notifying VR. I don't agree with this policy, but this is the way it was explained to me.
 
It usually depends on the counselor, agency, or location.

My VR in Texas only gave me half support for my first quarter here. I negotiated with my counselor and asked if I could get full support if I proved myself. She agreed. That first quarter, I made the dean's list. From that point on, I got full support. :)
 
Does VR only pay tuition for state schools, or can you get partial funding if you go to a private school (i.e., similar amounts to what you'd get if you went to a state school)?

I met with a VR person when I was a senior in high school, and the message I got was that because I was living independently and moving out of my parents' house, I wasn't eligible for any help with hearing aids, equipment, etc (including my new wheelchair).
 
ismi said:
Does VR only pay tuition for state schools, or can you get partial funding if you go to a private school (i.e., similar amounts to what you'd get if you went to a state school)?

I met with a VR person when I was a senior in high school, and the message I got was that because I was living independently and moving out of my parents' house, I wasn't eligible for any help with hearing aids, equipment, etc (including my new wheelchair).
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Here in Wisconsin, a friend of mine was able to attend a private college and receive partial support from VR.

As for VR not purchasing items if you are of independent status, that may also depend on the state in which you live. My case with VR was opened when I was 18. I was living on my own at the time and did not experience any problems with VR funding the equipment I needed (university tuition, Alertmaster signaling system, Comtek FM system, TeleBraille, etc.).
 
ismi said:
Does VR only pay tuition for state schools, or can you get partial funding if you go to a private school (i.e., similar amounts to what you'd get if you went to a state school)?
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Depends. I know that VR in Minnesota would give you some support if you went to a private university and full support for state/public university.

I currently live in Texas so I do not need financial support from VR here for tuition, as it is completely waived by the state, and I am free to go to any college/university anywhere in Texas, private or state/public, all tuition is completely waived.

I met with a VR person when I was a senior in high school, and the message I got was that because I was living independently and moving out of my parents' house, I wasn't eligible for any help with hearing aids, equipment, etc (including my new wheelchair).
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When was this? If this was a long ago, then I am sure things have changed a lot since then. I have ALWAYS lived on my own since the age of 18 (1998) and I have never been denied help from VR just because I live in my own apartment.
 
Hear Again said:
Here in Wisconsin, a friend of mine was able to attend a private college and receive partial support from VR.

As for VR not purchasing items if you are of independent status, that may also depend on the state in which you live. My case with VR was opened when I was 18. I was living on my own at the time and did not experience any problems with VR funding the equipment I needed (university tuition, Alertmaster signaling system, Comtek FM system, TeleBraille, etc.).
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That's right, when I turned 18 my case was opened, and they got me a TTY, doorbell, phone, Alertmaster signaling system, all equipment for the deaf/dhh, etc and I didn't have to pay a penny. Unfortunately, now all my equipment are old (over 8 years old!) and have gone on the fritz and the doorbell was stolen 2 years ago...I am planning to ask the VR here for help in covering a new Alertmaster system and doorbell. I am not going to get another TTY because I almost never use it, and I hate it, so I am getting a voucher from the state of Texas for a new Sidekick instead, I feel I will benefit more from a Sidekick than with a TTY. Plus I have a VP anyway, so fuck the TTY! Besides, I can get a cheap used TTY off of ebay.
 
LOL Lucia! I know alot of people who are no longer using TTYs. With the availability of VP, there is really no need.

My Alertmaster is 10 years old and on its last leg. I'm afraid to ask VR for funding because I don't want to hear my counselor b*tch and moan about how expensive equipment is. (When you've heard it 1,000 times it gets old REAL fast!)

I also have an 11 year old TeleBraille III (Braille TTY) that still works perfectly -- although now that I have CIs, I'd love to get a phone which would allow me to use my audio input cords binaurally.

I currently have a Dialogue XL-50 phone that I purchased last year. Since it has been more than 3 years that I've applied for Wisconsin's Telephone Assistance Program, I might submit an application so I can obtain a second phone (for my field placement next semester). I may also request an updated version of NexTalk for my computer since I prefer to use relay for business calls.
 
LuciaDisturbed said:
Depends. I know that VR in Minnesota would give you some support if you went to a private university and full support for state/public university.
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I should definitely look into this.

When was this? If this was a long ago, then I am sure things have changed a lot since then. I have ALWAYS lived on my own since the age of 18 (1998) and I have never been denied help from VR just because I live in my own apartment.
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Just 2-3 years ago. The vibe I got was not so much about being a dependent of my parents (I was unclear before), it was more that I was not already involved with state programs. Sort of an attitude that, hey, he's making it without state assistance, so why bother spending the money? The VR rep I met with seemed to have some personal gripe about me, too, although I could just be reading too much into the situation. Still - different state now, so maybe I should try again.
 
ismi said:
I should definitely look into this.



Just 2-3 years ago. The vibe I got was not so much about being a dependent of my parents (I was unclear before), it was more that I was not already involved with state programs. Sort of an attitude that, hey, he's making it without state assistance, so why bother spending the money? The VR rep I met with seemed to have some personal gripe about me, too, although I could just be reading too much into the situation. Still - different state now, so maybe I should try again.
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Wow. Hm. Maybe the reason I was able to get support so easily was because I grew up in foster care and needed help getting out on my own when I turned 18. But definitely try again - I have had friends who lived with their parents til the age of 18 and sometimes even beyond that and some haven't moved out on their own and some have, and they were able to get VR support. And maybe you should get a different VP rep. I've heard stories of how some reps can be rude or just won't help you while other reps are more than happy to help you. Good luck! :)
 
I can only speak for the university where I work, but we have two deaf students whose tuition and books are covered by VR and have been since their first freshman quarter. As everyone else says, I think it depends on the counselor, the state, and if there is anyone willing to help you with advocacy.
 
a crappy student notetaker
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OT, but Lucia.......I hate notetakers. It's like their notes just are like" were we in the same class?" I MUCH prefer C-Print.
 
deafdyke said:
OT, but Lucia.......I hate notetakers. It's like their notes just are like" were we in the same class?" I MUCH prefer C-Print.
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I hate to check out when notetaker that write so mess up and hard to read.

Same here, I prefer to read in print, also nice word.
 
I am paid my own pocket money to part time college. :)
 
deafdyke said:
OT, but Lucia.......I hate notetakers. It's like their notes just are like" were we in the same class?" I MUCH prefer C-Print.
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YEAH! I was SO annoyed with ALL of my notetakers! Most of the time, their notes are SO incomplete, and they usually don't turn their notes in to be copied til the DAY BEFORE THE TEST or even THE DAY OF THE TEST! How the fuck am I supposed to study?! That affected my grades severely, and I had NEVER heard of CART, nobody told me!!!:eek3:

I only learned of CART last spring while reading about it in AllDeaf and damn, wish I had known of it 5 years ago! I'm going back to school either this spring or this fall, and I am going to DEMAND CART along with a sign language interpreter!
 
Pacman said:
I hate to check out when notetaker that write so mess up and hard to read.

Same here, I prefer to read in print, also nice word.
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I've used notetakers in class in conjunction with a tactile interpreter, CART or C-Print. I request that my notetaker type my class notes on the computer and send them to me via e-mail. My university's disability office pays an extra stipend to the notetaker for the extra time it takes to transcribe the notes. So far it has worked out great -- although every now and then I need to remind my notetakers to send notes to me on time so I have enough time to prepare for exams.

As for CART and C-Print, I don't know how I would have survived 2-3 hour lectures without this accommodation!
 
I am in the process of developing a training class for notetakers to try and alleviate some of the problems that we have had with student volunteer notetakers in the past. I'd appreciate any suggestions that you people with bad experiences could give me. It certainly would help to know what your problems have been so that I can try to develop a program that addresses them. I can email you a copy of my powerpoint to date, if you are interested in seeing it so you can make suggestions. As most of you already know, I'm a firm believer in asking the deaf what they need rather than telling them what I think they need, so I truly would appreciate your input.
 
I don't know if it's the same everywhere, but at least 2 states that I know of won't support students with VR if they don't get SSI. Sucks for my friends who can't get SSI.
 
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