[Ct-nfb] Article: Blind Woman Denied Guide Dog

[Justin Salisbury]

Fellow Federationists:

I write with some great news!

If we act now, we can prevent this article from ever being published. We can do it by preventing the problem itself.

Senate Bill 234 still hasn't passed yet. If we all call our state senators and state representatives, which is a quick and easy thing to do, we can stop this from happening.

On the other hand, we could relax, hope other people take care of this, and watch this article get published...only, it won't talk about Sarah Kennedy. It will talk about someone we know and love.

Like Beth.
Or Barb.
Or Tammy.
Or Rob.
Or Maryanne.
Or Steve.
Or Kate.
Or you!

Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help you stand up for us all!

Always yours,

Justin Salisbury

Justin Salisbury - Running Thunder Phoenix
Graduate Student
Professional Development and Research Institute on Blindness
Louisiana Tech University
Email: President at Alumni.ECU.edu<mailto:President at Alumni.ECU.edu>
Twitter: @SalisburyJustin

First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out-
Because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out-
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out-
Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me-and there was no one left to speak for me.

Martin Niemöller

From: Ct-nfb [mailto:ct-nfb-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Justin Salisbury via Ct-nfb
Sent: Sunday, April 26, 2015 11:21 PM
To: 'ct-nfb at nfbnet.org'
Subject: [Ct-nfb] Article: Blind Woman Denied Guide Dog

Blind Woman Denied Guide Dog
By George Fritz

Stamford, Connecticut - Yesterday, Sarah Kennedy, 27, of Stamford, learned that her request for a guide dog was denied by her health insurance provider, which will remain unnamed. Kennedy, who is totally blind, works as a part-time massage therapist and is a full-time mother to her two-year-old daughter Peyton.

She needs to retire her current guide dog, Nugget, so she applied for a new guide dog. "I need a guide dog to continue going to work," she says. "Two nights per week, my husband comes home, and I go work a few hours. I like my job and want to stay fresh."

Kennedy doesn't only use her guide dog to go to work. She goes grocery shopping, runs errands, and even takes her daughter Peyton to the park during the day just like other moms.

It used to be that guide dogs came at little to no cost to their handlers, and no doctor or health insurance company had to approve people to get one. "I would just pay for the dog myself, but I don't have that kind of money," says Kennedy.

What might even be the most surprising is the reason she was denied. "The health insurance company said I couldn't have a new guide dog because it might be a threat to my daughter. It's a guide dog, not some stray animal." In fact, guide dog schools spend tens of thousands of dollars training dogs, which is what makes them so expensive, and dogs that pose any threat of aggression are removed from the program. "Health insurance companies just don't understand guide dogs and shouldn't decline a request that they don't understand."

While some may say this sounds illegal, it is all thanks to Senate Bill 234, a bill passed by the Connecticut General Assembly on the same day her daughter was born. Blind people in Connecticut used to be able to make their own decisions about whether or not to get a guide dog. Guide dogs were funded by philanthropic donations, but, after guide dogs became funded by health insurance, the donors disappeared.

Kennedy is stuck. She is considering starting an organization for blind people in Connecticut to advocate for themselves and dreams of the day when the guide dog system returns to the good old days.

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