[DSM-Iowa] Fwd: [Nfbnet-members-list] The Intersection of Guide Dog Use & Mental Health

Thu Jul 2 16:09:13 UTC 2020

On Thu, Jul 2, 2020 at 11:08 AM Mike Harvey via DSM-Iowa <
dsm-iowa at nfbnet.org> wrote:

>
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> Begin forwarded message:
>
> *From:* "Marion Gwizdala, President via NFBNet-Members-List" <
> nfbnet-members-list at nfbnet.org>
> *Date:* July 1, 2020 at 7:23:06 PM CDT
> *To:* NFBNet-Members-List at nfbnet.org
> *Subject:* *[Nfbnet-members-list] The Intersection of Guide Dog Use &
> Mental Health*
> *Reply-To:* "Marion Gwizdala, President" <president at nagdu.org>
>
> 
> Please circulate the following message as widely as appropriate.
>
>
> July 1, 2020
>
>                 The National Federation of the Blind is committed to
> securing the rights of all blind individuals, including those at the
> intersection of blindness and mental health. As a division of the National
> Federation of the Blind, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> represents the interests of those who choose to use a guide dog as one of
> their tools of independent mobility. When a blind person is denied training
> by a guide dog program due to a previous diagnosis of a mental illness, we
> feel obligated to Act!
>
>                 The National Association of Guide Dog Users has been
> contacted by two individuals screened out from training by Southeastern
> Guide Dogs due to their publicly published policy automatically
> disqualifying individuals from application due to a list of mental health
> conditions. One of these individuals is a licensed attorney who disclosed a
> previous diagnosis of bipolar disorder when applying to the state bar, was
> vetted by the bar, and deemed fit to practice law in the state. This person
> was preparing to retire a 12-year-old owner-trained guide dog and thought
> Southeastern Guide Dogs Would be a good fit because their parents live in
> Bradenton. The second is an office manager of a very busy three-office
> ophthalmology practice. After being denied training by Southeastern Guide
> Dogs due to a previous diagnosis of bipolar disorder, this person received
> a guide dog from Freedom Guide Dogs and has been working as a successful
> team for nearly three years.
>
>                 Just as I believe a guide dog may not be the best choice
> for every blind person, I also believe that there are mental health
> conditions that might preclude someone from being a good guide dog user.
> However, there are many factors to be considered when making that decision,
> a process known as an individualized assessment. (Please see the excerpt
> from federal law concerning this cited below.) This is very different than
> what Southeastern Guide Dogs calls automatic disqualification. This will
> likely be a topic for a future Braille Monitor article. You can view the
> entire list of disqualifying conditions on Southeastern’s official page
>
> (
> http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/309633/Southeastern-Guide-Dogs-Guide-Dog-Application
>
>                 Southeastern Guide Dogs is fully aware of our objection to
> this policy and our belief that this policy violates Title III of the
> Americans with Disabilities Act. On June 15, I sent an email message to
> Titus Herman, Southeastern Guide Dogs’  chief executive officer, citing
> specific sections of the Act. This message closed with the following
> statement:
>
> “The National Association of Guide Dog Users strongly urges Southeastern
> Guide Dogs to modify their policies, practices, and procedures
> automatically disqualifying blind individuals with mental health disorders
> from applying for and receiving a guide dog from your organization. Within
> our membership, we have experts on mental illness and the law who can help
> Southeastern Guide Dogs craft sound, effective policies that respect the
> dignity of the individual while complying with state and federal law should
> you need such expertise. I am open to discussing this issue further with
> you or your representative(s). We would appreciate a response to our
> concerns by June 30, 2020.”
>
>             As recently as June 22, we brought this up to Susan Wilburn,
> Southeastern Guide Dogs’ Director of Admissions and Graduate Services. Ms.
> Wilburn stated the disorders listed on their website had been reviewed by a
> psychiatrist. I mentioned our concern again and advised I had written to
> Mr. Herman and John Compton, Southeastern’s board secretary and an
> attorney. As of this writing, I have had no response.
>
>             Guide dog training programs are places of public accommodation
> as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Mental illness can
> be considered a disability under the Act. Discrimination is defined, in
> part, as “the imposition or application of eligibility criteria that
> screen out or tend to screen out an individual with a disability or any
> class of individuals with disabilities from fully and equally enjoying any
> goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, or accommodations,
> unless such criteria can be shown to be necessary for the provision of the
> goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, or accommodations
> being offered”. 42 USC 12182(b)(1)(i).
>
>                 If you or someone you know has been denied training by
> Southeastern Guide Dogs or any other guide dog training program due to a
> previous diagnosis of a mental health condition, we would like to hear from
> you. The information we receive will be kept strictly confidential in
> compliance with state law and codes of ethics. , so you will remain
> anonymous. Please contact us in whatever format you feel most comfortable
>
> Advocacy Help Line: (202) 573-8582
> Confidential Email: advocacy at nagdu.org
>
> National Association of Guide Dog Users Inc. (NAGDU)
> National Federation of the Blind
> (202) 573-8582
> Advocacy at NAGDU.ORG
> Visit our website <http://nagdu.org/>
> Follow us on Twitter <http://twitter.com/nagdu>
>
> The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the
> characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise
> expectations because low expectations create barriers between blind  people
> and our dreams. You can live the life you want! Blindness is not what holds
> you back.
>
>
>
> <http://www.avg.com/email-signature?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=emailclient> Virus-free.
> www.avg.com
> <http://www.avg.com/email-signature?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=emailclient>
> <#m_1982758977063108185_DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2>
> _______________________________________________
> NFBNet-Members-List mailing list
> NFBNet-Members-List at nfbnet.org
> List archives:  <
> http://www.nfbnet.org/pipermail/nfbnet-members-list_nfbnet.org>
> To unsubscribe from NFBNet-Members-List:
> goto
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfbnet-members-list_nfbnet.org/mike.harvey149%40gmail.com
>
> _______________________________________________
> DSM-Iowa mailing list
> DSM-Iowa at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/dsm-iowa_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> DSM-Iowa:
>
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/dsm-iowa_nfbnet.org/lisaortner925%40gmail.com
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/dsm-iowa_nfbnet.org/attachments/20200702/d469cdf8/attachment.html>