[Blindtlk] fw: MIRA Foundation

Mon Dec 12 12:52:49 UTC 2011

Peter,
    I agree with you that Dining in the Dark events could be used to help 
the public better understand the capacity of the blind if conducted 
correctly. by this, I mean that teaching others how we function as blind 
people by training them in the use of alternative techniques could further 
our goals. The challenge, however, is that most organizations conducting 
these sorts of fund raisers are more interested in fund raising than 
education. More funds can be raised by giving the false impression that the 
simulated experience of blinded sighted people is the experience of the 
blind. From this standpoint, these organizations play upon the pity of those 
who participate and find the experience difficult or impossible, telling 
them that the services of the beneficiary of the fund raiser can help 
improve the lot of the blind.
    The reality of what they tend to do is further the misconception that 
the blind cannot even perform the most basic of daily activities, like 
eating, with out the professional help they offer. Many of those who attend 
such events are in a position to make a real difference in the lives of the 
blind by providing gainful employment; however, if the blind have difficulty 
eating, how can they perform the jobs they offer?

Fraternally yours,
Marion Gwizdala


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Peter Donahue" <pdonahue2 at satx.rr.com>
To: "Blind Talk Mailing List" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Sunday, December 11, 2011 8:23 PM
Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] fw: MIRA Foundation


> Hello Marion and everyone,
>
>    Several NFB chapters have conducted Dining in the Dark events. Our 
> chapter plans to hold one next spring unless we decide otherwise. Although 
> I believe such an event could be a positive thing if done right I'm not 
> completely sure this is a good sort of fundraising activity our 
> organization should conduct due to the false views of blindness such 
> events tend to promote.
>
> Peter Donahue
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Marion Gwizdala" <blind411 at verizon.net>
> To: "Blind Talk Mailing List" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Sunday, December 11, 2011 5:37 PM
> Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] fw: MIRA Foundation
>
>
>> Chris,
>>    In my opinion, Dining in the Dark events are not positive examples of 
>> the capacity of the blind. Quite the contrary, they tend to focus upon 
>> the challenges of being blind. AAfter all, how challenging is a blind 
>> person's life when they have such problems eating? And, if they get our 
>> services, we can help them overcome these incredible challenges.
>>    As for the MIRA Foundation, I am of the opinion that giving guide dogs 
>> to children is not a wise practice. I feel most children lack the 
>> discipline and maturity to take on the level of responsibility required 
>> to be a successful guide dog handler. This foundation seems to not 
>> require sound O&M training prior to getting a guide dog, causing me to 
>> question even further their understanding of the role of a guide dog in a 
>> blind person's life.
>>
>> 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
>>
>>
>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>> From: "Chris Nusbaum" <dotkid.nusbaum at gmail.com>
>> To: "Blind Talk list" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>; "NFB NABS list" 
>> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>; "Mom" <wendynusbaum at yahoo.com>; "Dad" 
>> <wmnusbaum at live.com>; <sepatt at gmail.com>; <jsotwel at carrollk12.org>; 
>> <gary.legates at comcast.net>; <ruthh at mdschblind.org>
>> Sent: Sunday, December 11, 2011 4:06 PM
>> Subject: [Blindtlk] fw: MIRA Foundation
>>
>>
>>> This is very interesting! Sounds like a good foundation! For the I 
>>> C.A.N. Foundation board members: as you will read in the article, their 
>>> main fundraiser is Dining in the Dark, and there are some details about 
>>> their fundraiser in the article which might help us with our DITD.  I'll 
>>> see if I can get some kind of contact info for them if we're interested 
>>> in contacting them to get more info on their DITD.
>>>
>>> Chris
>>>
>>> ---- Original Message ------
>>> From: "Deb" <dacaldbeck at yahoo.com
>>> Subject:  MIRA FOUNDATION
>>> Date sent: Thu, 1 Dec 2011 22:06:07 -0600
>>>
>>> This came from my Iowa Council of The United Blind Fall Bulletin.  Was 
>>> not
>>> aware of this organization.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> MIRA FOUNDATION
>>>
>>> (Retrieved from the MCB Listserv, November 5, 2011.)
>>>
>>> MIRA Foundation USA is a national nonprofit based in Aberdeen, NC.  It 
>>> is
>>> unique in that it is the only organization in the United States 
>>> dedicated to
>>> providing guide dogs to blind children and youth between the ages of 
>>> 11-17,
>>> and they do so at no charge to the recipient.
>>>
>>> MIRA was founded in 2009 by Robert and Elaine Baillie after Bob became
>>> totally blind following complications from coronary bypass surgery. 
>>> Although
>>> he initially felt great despair at the sudden turn of events in his 
>>> life,
>>> close friends convinced Bob to travel to MIRA Canada where he was paired
>>> with his magnificent Bernese Mountain guide dog, Devon.  Both Bob and 
>>> Elaine
>>> quickly realized that Devon was the key to Bob's adaptation to life with 
>>> his
>>> new challenges, and they decided that they wanted to provide this
>>> opportunity to the underserved population of blind children and youth.
>>>
>>> Today, two years after its inception, MIRA USA is a young but vital
>>> organization that can be very proud of the work they have accomplished. 
>>> In
>>> 2010, in only the first full year of operation,
>>>
>>> MIRA paired two dogs with students: one an eleven year old girl from the 
>>> San
>>> Diego, CA area, and the other a young man from Durham, NC who is now a
>>> student at Stanford University.  The girl became the youngest person in 
>>> the
>>> US to ever have received a guide dog, and just over a year later she and 
>>> her
>>> dog are thriving.  She is an honors student, speaks three languages, 
>>> plays
>>> three musical instruments, and has won gold medals in mathematics and
>>> Braille competitions.  Even better, she is remarkably well adjusted and
>>> confident with her dog.  In fact, both students are thriving.
>>>
>>> Although MIRA USA is a separate legal entity from MIRA CA, we work 
>>> together
>>> in very close partnership, since our dogs and our students are trained 
>>> on
>>> the MIRA CA campus, and we benefit from the thirty year history MIRA CA 
>>> has
>>> with training guide and service dogs, including twenty of those years as 
>>> the
>>> only organization in the world dedicated to training guide dogs for
>>> children.  In the last twenty years they have paired approximately 200
>>> students with dogs and have never had a rejection.  This is a tribute to 
>>> MIRA
>>> CA's careful breeding, selection and training of dogs, as well as their
>>> meticulous assessment and training of student candidates.  MIRA's global
>>> reputation is undisputed and well earned.
>>>
>>> The staff at MIRA USA is not only responsible for searching out 
>>> potential
>>> MIRA guide dog recipients, but also ensuring that all paperwork is 
>>> completed
>>> and assembled on time, scheduling and overseeing assessments and follow 
>>> up
>>> visits, and of course, raising the necessary funds to make the pairings
>>> possible.  Our signature fundraising event, Dining in the Dark, is a
>>> semi-formal dinner that is held in a country club environment where the
>>> diners don blindfolds from the time they sit down to the main course 
>>> until
>>> dessert is served.  MIRA has held this event two successive years in the
>>> Sandhills, and once in Raleigh, with events scheduled for the Spring of 
>>> 2012
>>> in the Sandhills, Raleigh, and Charlotte.  Dining in the Dark is not 
>>> only a
>>> revealing event, it has also proven to be fun as people gain awareness 
>>> about
>>> the challenges of chasing cherry tomatoes around a salad plate or simply
>>> getting food to their mouths without dropping it everywhere when they 
>>> cannot
>>> see what they are doing.
>>>
>>> In July of 2011, MIRA USA sent six students to Canada for training in
>>> preparation for receiving a guide dog.  Two of the students were from 
>>> the
>>> Sandhills area of NC, two from Raleigh, one from Fayetteville, and one 
>>> from
>>> Aiken, SC.  All six students passed the month long session with flying
>>> colors, working eight hours per day, six days per week to master the
>>> necessary skills to navigate safely and confidently with their canine
>>> partners.  Since their return home, the students have had one follow-up
>>> training session at their home base with a MIRA trainer and will soon
>>> undergo a second session.  As safety is the paramount concern for both
>>> student and dog, MIRA does not cut any corners in assuring that every 
>>> pair
>>> develops a strong working partnership.  To this end, MIRA will conduct 
>>> as
>>> many follow-up sessions as necessary; however, this rarely exceeds 
>>> three.
>>>
>>> Future plans for MIRA USA include the establishment of a training center 
>>> in
>>> Moore County which will serve as a facility for training guide dogs and 
>>> the
>>> students being paired with them, as well as a center for all blind and
>>> severely visually impaired persons to access resources such as an audio
>>> library, appropriate job training, social activities, and whatever other
>>> needs are identified.  Obviously, the establishment of such a center 
>>> will be
>>> dictated once again by funding, either through a generous individual or
>>> corporation, or some other committed entity.  MIRA believes, however, 
>>> from
>>> our own research and the feedback from professionals in the field of 
>>> blind
>>> assistance that this facility represents a very real need in the area.
>>>
>>> Finally, MIRA will continue to educate the general population about the
>>> challenges faced by the blind and the ways in which a guide dog assists 
>>> in
>>> mitigating those challenges.  Over the last two years, Bob and Devon 
>>> have
>>> addressed over two thousand Moore County fourth graders in partnership 
>>> with
>>> the Moore County Pet responsibility group.  While Pet Responsibility 
>>> teaches
>>> children to advocate for their pets, MIRA teaches them about the ways in
>>> which a guide dog advocates for its owner.  They have also spoken to 
>>> dozens
>>> of civic, church, and general groups seeking to learn more about the 
>>> blind
>>> and guide dogs.  It is a never ending challenge, but one that Bob, and 
>>> MIRA,
>>> takes very seriously.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Exercise daily.  Walk with the Lord!
>>>
>>> Deb and Banff
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
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>>
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