[Flagdu] An Open Letter to Fidelco Consumers

[alexis collins]

dear Marion this makes me feer that i might louse my dog i dont know what i 
would do without him ... this makes me live in  feer for my freedom my guide is 
my freedom thanks david




________________________________
From: Marion Gwizdala <blind411 at verizon.net>
To: NAGDU List <nagdu at nfbnet.org>; blindtlk at nfbnet.org; FLAGDU List 
<FLAGDU at NFBNET.ORG>; nyagdu <nyagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tue, February 22, 2011 9:20:13 AM
Subject: [Flagdu] An Open Letter to Fidelco Consumers

For your convenience, the folloing information is attached to this message as a 
Word document.

An Open Letter to Fidelco Consumers



February 21, 2011



Dear Fidelco Consumers,

            My name is Marion Gwizdala. I am the president of the National 
Association of Guide Dog Users (NAGDU), a division of the National Federation of 
the Blind. I know most of you are aware that NAGDU has been attempting to 
mediate an issue between one of your fellow consumers and Fidelco Guide Dogs. I 
have heard from some of you expressing concern about our efforts and I have 
shared some information with you individually. I am also aware that there has 
been some discussion on this and other lists questioning why NAGDU and the NFB 
are involved. I also know that those who have expressed such concerns most 
likely represent only a fraction of those who have questions. I am writing to 
you in an effort to help you understand our role and to make you aware of what 
we have done thus far. 


            In mid November, I was contacted by a Fidelco consumer because her 
guide dog was repossessed by Fidelco on October 21, 2010, in spite of the fact 
that she had signed an ownership agreement with Fidelco on April 5, 2010 that 
transferred ownership after six months. (The six month period ended sixteen days 
before the repossession occurred.) The consumer reported to me that her guide 
dog had several behavioral issues when it was received and the training staff at 
Fidelco was aware of these issues; none of these issues posed any safety risks 
to the handler and, by following the instructions from the trainers, they were 
being resolved. 


            At one point during her work, she passed by a neighborhood property 
that has automatic sprinklers that activated just as they were passing by, 
startling the dog. The dog began exhibiting apprehension when approaching and 
passing this property. The dog also began to generalize this apprehension to 
other places where sprinklers were running, as well as to fountains and infinity 
pools. The consumer made several calls to Fidelco seeking direction and 
assistance but the issue persisted. Fidelco trainers finally decided to visit 
the consumer and promised they would work with her in her community for five 
days. If the issue was not resolved during this 5-day period, they indicated 
they might need to bring the dog back to Fidelco for more intensive training. 


            The follow-up training began on October 20. When the instructor 
arrived for the second day of training, she leashed up the dog, put it in the 
car, and drove away.

            Since October 21, the consumer has made numerous attempts to get 
information about her guide dog. She has written to Eliot Russman, Fidelco's 
Chief Executive Officer, and has received no reply. She has telephoned Mr. 
Russman on numerous occasions. Each time she called, she was told "he is in a 
meeting". Frustrated with Fidelco's lack of response, she contacted the National 
Center for the blind in Baltimore and was referred to me.

            I secured a written and signed release of information form from her 
authorizing Fidelco to speak with me and share information from her file. I made 
three telephone calls to Eliot Russman at various times of the day over a 
three-week period and each time I was told "he is in a meeting". I left voice 
mail messages for him on each call and received email confirmations from him. 
The first message advised me of the terrible weather they were expecting and 
that Fidelco would be shut down. In the second message he asserted he "would not 
and could not discuss any student, past, present, or future" with me. The third 
message offered me two dates and times we could meet via telephone.

            I met with Eliot Russman via telephone on January 24, 2011. Julie 
Gamble, Fidelco's Chief Operating Officer listened in on the call. As I began 
discussing the issue with Mr. Russman, he advised me he could not discuss the 
issue due to "privacy and confidentiality". I asked if he had the copy of the 
Release of Information form the consumer had signed and he advised me it was not 
adequate, since it was not witnessed nor notarized. I asked if he would discuss 
the issue if he had such a witnessed, notarized form and he did not answer. I 
asked if Fidelco had a form that was appropriate and acceptable and again he did 
not answer, repeatedly asserting issues of privacy and confidentiality. I am 
certain Mr. Russman had no doubt the consumer had authorized Fidelco to discuss 
this with me, in light of her numerous attempts to do so herself, and that there 
are a number of forms in her file bearing her signature and accepted by Fidelco 
as authentic, none of which were witnessed and notarized.

            Mr. Russman asked me if I had read the Fidelco ownership agreement. 
I replied that I had read the agreement and, though I was not an attorney, did 
not consider it an "ownership agreement". He referred me to "section d, like 
dog" (his words) that states "Fidelco may repossess the dog in the event I do 
not comply with this agreement . . . or for any other reason as determined by 
Fidelco in its sole and absolute discretion." 


            Rather than detail the entire telephone meeting, Suffice it to say 
that my effort to amicably resolve the situation between this consumer and 
Fidelco was met with avoidance, red herrings, outright fabrications, and was 
unfruitful. I will also let you know that I received an email message the 
following day from Mr. Russman in an apparent attempt to create a less than 
factual account of the meeting. I replied to him, objecting to his attempt to 
revise the facts. I wrote to him on January 26, 2011 and stated, "Your 
unwillingness to discuss {this consumer's} case with me in 

spite of her signed release giving you permission to do so only causes me to 
wonder what you are hiding and your motivation for doing so."

            On January 29, I disseminated a message seeking other consumers who 
had been treated in a similarly arbitrary, unjust manner. Within 12 hours of 
sending this message, I was contacted by three people with similar stories. On 
February 17, I received a telephone call from someone advising me that she knew 
of two more people in Florida. In each case, Fidelco removed a guide dog 
arbitrarily, unjustly, and with no explanation. A more detailed account of all 
of these issues will appear in the April issue of the Braille Monitor, the 
magazine of the National Federation of the Blind.

            I have received several calls from Fidelco consumers in defense of 
Fidelco. One caller told me he received his second Fidelco guide dog in 2005 and 
had nothing but praise for them.  I replied that the Fidelco of 2005 is not the 
Fidelco with which we are dealing today! 


            I want to assure all Fidelco consumers that this is not an anti 
Fidelco initiative; it is a pro consumer concern. No matter which training 
program blind people choose, we should have the expectation we will be treated 
with dignity and respect. If, for some reason, the program needs to take action 
in respect to a consumer, it should not be arbitrary and "at the sole and 
absolute discretion" of the agency! I agree that there are cases in which a dog 
needs to be removed due to neglect, abuse, or safety issues; however, this 
decision should be based upon objective, real evidence of such issues, not upon 
conjecture, unfounded concerns, or the whim of someone with no expertise and no 
accountability.

            I appreciate your dedication to Fidelco. I, too, am very dedicated 
to the program from which I received my guide dog. At the same time, if I heard 
they were treating consumers the way Mr. Russman is treating you, I would be the 
first to stand up and demand a reasonable explanation and accountability for 
their actions. I feel I have this right as a consumer.

            I believe the time of custodial and paternalistic treatment of the 
blind in the guide dog movement has long passed. We have the right to direct our 
lives and be free of the type of intimidation we are experiencing from Mr. 
Russman. I am of the opinion that he is a bully, creating fear in consumers by 
holding his "sole and absolute discretion" over your heads in the hope you will 
be too afraid to stand up to him. However, through the power of collective 
action, we are a strong force that can stand up to his intimidation.

            There was a time when Fidelco was well respected as an innovator in 
the guide dog movement. This respect is rapidly eroding. As Fidelco consumers 
you are their primary stakeholders. As such, you have the right to demand 
accountability and the power to shape their future. I urge you to join us in 
resisting the regressive policies and practices that are being employed by the 
current administration and are contradictory to the vision of Charles and 
Roberta Kaman, while compromising the confidence of the blind consumer. 


            The National Association of Guide Dog Users will continue to 
advocate on behalf of the consumers who have requested our assistance. We urge 
you to join with us, making our voice louder and strengthening our ability to 
forge a positive direction. I believe the result will be a return to the quality 
services and sound reputation for which Fidelco is known, while creating 
progress toward its future growth. If you have any comments, please feel free to 
write to me. My email address is below my signature. 




Fraternally yours,

Marion Gwizdala, President

National Association of Guide Dog Users

National Federation of the Blind

President at NAGDU.ORG