[Blindtlk] The Infinet Loop of Help Frustration

Mon Jan 23 19:05:39 UTC 2017

Amen! Mary Amen! I find myself in the same dilemma trying to find
housing. Called my city, no the list is closed but we are going back
to 2013 for section8. Did you call New Iberia. NI, no we're closed.
Now I have other people teling me to travel even further. What a
tragedy! I am speechless and dumbfounded how difficult it is to
accurately and fruitfully access these services. And the only way one
can really know when the services are available is to know someone
already receiving them. Seems to me only certain people are privileged
though like you say. And I don't understand why churches have this
such attitude as well. It makes me feel like people are just waiting
for my health to deteriorate to the point their attitudes are
confirmed and validated, and then I will get the help they felt I
needed when I actually and in truth, did not

On 1/23/17, Mary Donahue via blindtlk <blindtlk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> Hello Liz and everyone,
>
> 	We're really getting tired of this infinite loop!! If other agencies
> and organizations of the blind can point blind consumers to various
> resources that may assist a blind person with their needs guide dog schools
> should do likewise. This is in no way undermining the responsibility factor
> associated with owning a guide dog. The decision to retired a dog with a
> friend, members of a breedclub or rescue group or to seek veterinary
> assistance from such groups is still the responsibility of the graduate.
>
> 	We heard this same garbage when it came to finding volunteers to
> assist with reading, transportation, and other tasks. Down here we have a
> terrible problem with organizations including one of the largest churches
> in
> San Antonio holding the attitude that blind persons need to live in
> assistive living facilities when in truth they're very capable of living on
> their own. When we approached local agencies and organizations of the blind
> for assistance we found ourselves being used as tennis balls being referred
> from one entity to another and back again and infinet loop of frustration
> rapidly building to anger!
>
> Just as guide dog schools can point their graduates to possible sources of
> help perhaps the NFB Jernigan Institute could create a list of volunteer
> and
> even for hire agencies blind people may wish to use for assistance with
> daily living services when they feel it appropriate to do so. The only way
> we finally resolved this for ourselves was to have Visiting Angels come
> several times a month to help us with in-stor grocery shopping, reading
> snail mail and to assist us with other tasks when appropriate. One of
> Mary's
> co-workers is helping us with Johnny's needs. Johnny is my guide dog. It's
> time that the guide dog community demanded the creation of resource
> databases for their graduates to serve as a starting point for seeking help
> with issues in question. What happened to networking in the blind
> community?
> If I ran a blind agency anyone harboring such an attitude resulting in
> blind
> consumers being plunged into infinite loops of desperate searches for help
> with various issues only to experience frustration and unearthing horrible
> attitudes concerning the abilities of the blind being harbored by those
> they
> thought were their allies causing their frustrations to spill onto a list
> such as this would not be on our staff. This has happened to us over the
> past few years and we're tired of it!
>
> Peter and Mary Donahue
>
>
>
> 	
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Elizabeth Campbell [mailto:batescampbell at gmail.com]
> Sent: Monday, January 23, 2017 8:25 AM
> To: 'Blind Talk Mailing List'
> 		Cc: 'Mary Donahue'
> Subject: RE: [Blindtlk] Please Help a Friend and Fellow Grad/Handler If you
> Can!
>
> Hi Mary and others on this list.
>
> As Seeing Eye graduates, we are granted ownership of our dogs upon
> completion of our training. I believe it is my responsibility to plan for
> my
> dog's medical expenses as well as for retirement.
> I am very fortunate that I can keep my retired guide since I am a homeowner
> and have good neighbors to help walk him and so forth.
>
> I know there are circumstances where it isn't possible to keep our retired
> guides, but I also believe it is our responsibility to do our own research
> and vetting in terms of finding friends or others who are willing to give
> our dogs wonderful homes when they can no longer work.
> Rescue groups are fine organizations, but their primary responsibilities
> involve finding homes for dogs that have been abused or that were found
> roaming the streets, so to speak.
> I don't think we should be asking the school for this type of assistance.
>
> Best regards
>
> Liz
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: blindtlk [mailto:blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Mary
> Donahue via blindtlk
> Sent: Sunday, January 22, 2017 8:01 PM
> To: 'Blind Talk Mailing List' <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: Mary Donahue <braille at satx.rr.com>
> Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] Please Help a Friend and Fellow Grad/Handler If you
> Can!
>
> Good evening everyone,
>
> 	I sent a scathing message to SE last week concerning support for
> graduates retiring their dogs and for finding area resources to help with
> this and veterinary issues such as those your friend is facing. They need
> to
> partner with area breed clubs and rescue groups to assist graduates with
> such issues. Fortunately one of my wife's co-workers is helping us take
> care
> of some issues concerning Johnny. Se is holding a graduate phone conference
> later this week. We need to let them know that such support is needed and
> they need to do something about it so graduates in need can insure that
> their dogs receive the best veterinary care possible and can find suitable
> retirement homes for dogs no longer able to work.
>
> Peter Donahue
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: blindtlk [mailto:blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Danielle
> Ledet via blindtlk
> Sent: Sunday, January 22, 2017 11:40 AM
> To: nagdu at nfbnet.org; acb-l at acblists.org; blindtlk at nfbnet.org;
> GduiChatList at guidedogusersinc.org
> Cc: Danielle Ledet
> Subject: [Blindtlk] Please Help a Friend and Fellow Grad/Handler If you
> Can!
>
> Hello Listers,
>
> I have a friend and fellow TSE grad who is experiencing a health crisis
> with
> her dog. Her dog has a medical condition causing her to have difficulty
> walking and urinating issues. She also asks about doggie diapers, what to
> buy? See the link below to her GoFundMe page and do help if you can.
> On behalf of Irena and Darla, thank you!
>
> https://www.gofundme.com/save-my-seeing-eye-dog-darla
> --
> How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young,
> compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of
> the weak and strong. Because someday in your life you will have been all of
> these.
> George Washington Carver
> Email: singingmywayin at gmail.com
>
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>
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-- 
How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young,
compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and
tolerant of the weak and strong. Because someday in your life you will
have been all of these.
George Washington Carver
Email: singingmywayin at gmail.com