[Blindtlk] Guide Dog then Came

[Marty James]

I lost my sight in 2004 but I lost my left leg at the same time. I have a 
prosthetic but I have no balance with it. I can not walk outside of a known 
building without being on a lead. I am having problems with my prosthetic 
now and am in a chair most of the time. I had to fight a long battle to get 
a power chair. The insurance and Medicare didn't think a blind person could 
use a power chair, but I won. Now, due to neuropathy in my hands, cane 
sensitivity is not so good. I am in the process of getting a dog for 
mobility with a power chair.
Marty

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Graves, Diane" <dgraves at icrc.IN.gov>
To: "Blind Talk Mailing List" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, June 02, 2009 7:09 AM
Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] Guide Dog then Came


> Good Morning to All,
>
> I don't mean to shift the focus at all.  Please continue to submit
> answers to Anthony's question, but I would also be interested in
> reversing that question. I do know this is a touchy subject for some, so
> please understand that my interest is genuine, and I'm asking solely for
> my own informational purposes and mobility considerations.,
>
> I am wondering what types of things have prompted someone to go from
> cane use, to dog use, and why it is that they have come to prefer the
> dog  method.  What is it that you get from a dog that you don't feel you
> get from a cane?
>
> I have considered the switch before, and my main reason was the barrier
> I thought it might put between myself and all the crazies out here who
> are  up to no good.  Of course, we all know that these dogs are not
> trained as attack dogs or anything remotely like that.  But most of the
> uneducated sighted public doesn't know that.  Most people think that
> they are. So I thought it might offer some protection in that realm.
>
> But of course, we would probably also agree that things get a little
> more complicated when you have to deal with the responsibility of, and
> the introduction of a dog into your life, and the lives of others and so
> forth, so I  have always elected not to take the plunge.  But I'm just
> wondering, from a mobility standpoint, what do you all see as the
> advantages, or, disadvantages of a dog versus a cane.
>
>
>
> Diane Graves
> Civil Rights Specialist
> Indiana Civil Rights Commission
> Alternative Dispute Resolutions Unit
> 317-232-2647
>
> "IT is service that measures success."
> George Washington Carver
>
>
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> -----Original Message-----
> From: blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org]
> On Behalf Of Anthony N. Colon
> Sent: Monday, June 01, 2009 6:59 PM
> To: NFBnet Blind Talk Mailing List
> Subject: [Blindtlk] Guide Dog then Came
>
> Hi, has anyone out there gone from using a guide dog to just using the
> white
> cane?  If you have would you share your reason for doing so?
>
> Thanks,
> Tony
>
>
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