[Blindtlk] Fidelco Guide Dogs: Dreams of Independent Travel Become Nightmares of Sorrow

[RJ Sandefur]

I've heard from some one who got trained from South eastern, and they said 
they had problems once the dog was brought  home. However, could it also be 
argued that the orientation and mobility skills could come into play here? 
For example, How much does the school place an emphasis upon orientation and 
mobility? What does the seeing eye require concerning orientation and 
mobility? What about the girl in the article? How were her orientation and 
mobility skills? Could the school argue her skills were lacking, so they had 
to take the dog back? Sincerely, RJ
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Marion Gwizdala" <blind411 at verizon.net>
To: "Blind Talk Mailing List" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Sunday, April 17, 2011 5:48 AM
Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] Fidelco Guide Dogs: Dreams of Independent Travel 
Become Nightmares of Sorrow


> R.J.,
>    Every program will have its share of unsatisfied consumers. However, 
> most will not rise to the level of disrespect and questionable behavior as 
> Fidelco. My best advice to anyone, in light of what has happened at 
> Fidelco, is to read, understand, and really agree to the conditions of 
> your written agreements with the training program. As I asserted when I 
> was advocating for Southeastern Guide Dogs' ownership policy, this is not 
> necessarily about the current status of the organization. An agreement is 
> binding between you and the training program, not the individuals who run 
> it! As we have seen with both Fidelco and Southeastern, when the 
> administration changes, the agreements remain the same. I felt confident 
> that my outspoken advocacy could not impact my ownership of my SEGDI dog.
>    I am of the opinion that there is no valid argument for not transfering 
> ownership upon completion of the program. It only serves to demonstrate a 
> foundation of paternalism. The training programs that transfer ownership 
> to the consumer upon completion of training - Guide Dogs of America, Guide 
> Dog Foundation, and The Seeing Eye (if there are others, I would like to 
> see this from them in writing) - seem to provide as high or higher quality 
> training, support, and follow-up as those who retain ownership for any 
> period of time after training. Each have measures in place to deal with 
> abuse, maltreatment, or neglect, so the protection of the dog is not a 
> valid argument, either!
>    I predict that we will see a shift in the ownership policies over the 
> next few years as the result of our advocacy on this issue. The best 
> agreements are those that protect both parties and that is what we are 
> proposing.
>
> Fraternally yours,
> Marion Gwizdala
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "RJ Sandefur" <joltingjacksandefur at gmail.com>
> To: "Blind Talk Mailing List" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Saturday, April 16, 2011 5:17 PM
> Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] Fidelco Guide Dogs: Dreams of Independent Travel 
> Become Nightmares of Sorrow
>
>
>> Marion, Have you had any problems with Freedom guide dogs? RJ
>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>> From: "Marion Gwizdala" <blind411 at verizon.net>
>> To: "NAGDU List" <nagdu at nfbnet.org>; <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Saturday, April 16, 2011 5:10 PM
>> Subject: [Blindtlk] Fidelco Guide Dogs: Dreams of Independent Travel 
>> Become Nightmares of Sorrow
>>
>>
>>> Dear All,
>>>    When I first circulated my Open Letter to Fidelco Consumers, I 
>>> promised a more detailed account of the issues that triggered this 
>>> correspondence. An article I wrote for the Braille Monitor is available 
>>> at
>>>
>>> http://www.nfb.org/images/nfb/Publications/bm/bm11/bm1104/bm110402.htm
>>>
>>> Fraternally yours,
>>> Marion Gwizdala, President
>>> National Association of Guide Dog Users (NAGDU)
>>> National Federation of the Blind
>>> 813-626-2789
>>> President at NAGDU.ORG
>>> HTTP://WWW.NAGDU.ORG
>>> _______________________________________________
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>>> blindtlk at nfbnet.org
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>>> blindtlk:
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>>
>>
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>
>
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