[nabs-l] update on dog training career. need help!

Sun Aug 15 18:22:53 UTC 2010

Val!

Great attitude to have!  Never give up on the dream!
Great luck and yes please keep us all informed.

Justin

On 8/15/10, Valerie Gibson <valandkayla at gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> Well, just to be clear, this school does not train guide dogs. ittrains
> trainers to train your everyday house dog pet.
>
> Because graduation doesn't qualify you as a professional dog trainer in some
> dog trainer organizations, i plan to take a 250 question test that will
> qualify me as  a professional dog trainer.  After that, I do plan on
> training various service dogs.
>
> You are right in that, even though it's not a guide dog training school, the
> school shoudl consider: what if a blind person gets a confrontational pet
> dog.  Because it's not a guide dog, this is more likely to happen since
> around 2 million people rescue dogs a year in ameria.
>
> I love reading what you all have to say, and tomorrow i plan to contact the
> national headquarters.  I will keep you all posted.
>
> Thank you all so much for your support in this.  Right now, my own family is
> hesitant to support me, which shouldn't be suprising but is nevertheless.
> It helps to have the support from the NFB.
>
>
> Keep the comments coming, if you have any, and inthe mean time i'll kep you
> guys posted.  Who knows, there may be someone who's thought about becoming a
> dog trainer out there but hasn't due to their blindness.On Aug 15, 2010, at
> 11:33 AM, Arielle Silverman wrote:
>
>> Hi Val and all,
>>
>> I think it's pretty crazy that some of the worst discrimination we
>> face is from fields dedicated to improving the lives of blind people,
>> such as O&M teaching and guide dog training. The underlying attitude
>> is that blind people should be recipients of specialized services, but
>> cannot be the service providers. I think this battle is even more
>> important to fight because it is unacceptable in my mind that people
>> who train guide dogs for the blind feel the need to discriminate
>> against blind trainers. For that matter, how does this school expect
>> its blind students to defend themselves in situations where their dog
>> may be attacked by another animal that is "aggressive and
>> confrontational"?
>>
>> Arielle
>>
>> On 8/14/10, Beth <thebluesisloose at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> Val,
>>> I really love your attitude.  I'm not going to make people like me for
>>> what I want to do for women, so I'm just going to go to school and
>>> becomea social worker for women in battered women's shelters.  So what
>>> if people say I can't stqand a cowering woman and a big violent guy?
>>> I'm tiny, really tiny, and I think short people have pretty big
>>> brains, mind you.  This goes to show that it's all about one's
>>> attitude.
>>> Beth
>>>
>>> On 8/14/10, Valerie Gibson <valandkayla at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>> I also do not agree with cuting my losses to this school, simply bcause
>>>> of
>>>> the aftermath, for a couple of reasons.
>>>>
>>>> 1.  I've looked into other dog training schools, and this one seems to
>>>> be
>>>> the best. it offers hands-on training over a lot of subjects related to
>>>> dog
>>>> training as well as dog care such as neutrition, health problems in
>>>> breeds,
>>>> etc.
>>>>
>>>> 2.  If i asked a sighted person to find a carreer that they liked, then
>>>> find
>>>> a school that would help them achieve that job, then told them, "now
>>>> take
>>>> that school, and forget about it. find the second best.", they would
>>>> most
>>>> likely tell me to take a long walk off of a short peer.
>>>>
>>>> Sighted people have professors that may not like them in universities,
>>>> and
>>>> that does not mean that they should switch classes.
>>>>
>>>> Even after my schooling, i'm going to be faced with people who do not
>>>> approve of my job vhoice, and even more who will not allow me to train
>>>> their
>>>> dogs due to blindness. I might as well get used to it.
>>>>
>>>> I am going into the school to gain the knowledge and foundation that i
>>>> need
>>>> to become a successful dog trainer, and i'm not asking anyone to like me
>>>> for
>>>> it.
>>>> On Aug 14, 2010, at 8:49 PM, Joe Orozco wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Mark,
>>>>>
>>>>> I don't know that I completely agree with finding another school that
>>>>> might
>>>>> be more welcoming and allowing actions to speak for themselves.  It's a
>>>>> good
>>>>> thought if only because it will move along Valerie's career, but not
>>>>> fighting it simply because a victory might expose her to an awkward
>>>>> environment afterward is not good enough to let it go.  A few years ago
>>>>> I
>>>>> sued a Chinese bus carrier after they gave me a hard time about my
>>>>> guide
>>>>> dog
>>>>> on what became three consecutive occasions.  On the first two occasions
>>>>> the
>>>>> situation became a nuisance involving the police.  I fought it and
>>>>> successfully took my trips to and from New York from DC, but the
>>>>> traveling
>>>>> consisted of a lot of dirty looks and hateful muttering.  On the third
>>>>> attempt I was not even allowed to board the bus, but by then the case
>>>>> was
>>>>> already well on its way to federal court.  My point is that the current
>>>>> school will not learn from Valerie going away.  Finding another school
>>>>> while
>>>>> still pursuing action with the current campus is one option, but I hope
>>>>> something will become of this situation.  I do not know Valerie
>>>>> personally.
>>>>> I assume she meets all the other qualifications associated with
>>>>> enrollment
>>>>> and that the only reason enrollment is being denied is that she cannot
>>>>> see.
>>>>> If so, it's an issue that needs to be rectified if for no other reason
>>>>> than
>>>>> that the opportunity needs to exist for future blind applicants.  I
>>>>> don't
>>>>> know if my friendly little bus people would allow people to board their
>>>>> buses with service animals these days, but I know they'll at least
>>>>> think
>>>>> twice before saying "no."
>>>>>
>>>>> Best,
>>>>>
>>>>> Joe
>>>>>
>>>>> "Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their
>>>>> sleeves,
>>>>> some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all."--Sam Ewing
>>>>>
>>>>>
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>>>>
>>>>
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>>
>>
>> --
>> Arielle Silverman
>> President, National Association of Blind Students
>> Phone:  602-502-2255
>> Email:
>> nabs.president at gmail.com
>> Website:
>> www.nabslink.org
>>
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