[nabs-l] Over Night College Visit

[Julie McGinnity]

Hi Lizzy,

I agree with what most everyone has said.  You should bring the dog.
Here are my reasons:

People need to get used to you having the dog, and you should get used
to their reactions: You may do other college visits, interviews,
retreats, etc in your life, and you may be concerned about reactions
to the dog.  It is good to get into the habbit of taking the dog to
these things so that you and the dog can work on navigating new
environments together.  She(or he) is your mobility tool, and people
need to understand that.  You also should know that throughout your
life as a guide dog user, you will encounter people who don't like you
correcting your dog.  It has happened to me, and it will probably
happen again.  As long as you correct quietly, give lots of praise
when it's earned, and use positive reinforcement when you can, I think
you will be fine.

You have a new dog.  People should understand this.  If the dog does
something bad(sniffing, going after food), just smile, and say that
the dog is new and likes to test you.  That is quite normal, and most
sighted people think it's funny or cute.  But seriously, for the most
part, that is what your dog is probably doing.  You need to give
him/her the boundaries she/he needs to sement your bond together.  So
I think it would help you to take the dog to help your bond as a team.

Like others have said, if this is your top choice school, you might
want to see how they react to the dog before you make your choice to
go there.  I wouldn't want to go to a school where all my professors
were uncomfortable with me having a dog in the classroom, for example.
 I doubt this would happen, but you never know.

Finally, in terms of accomidations, I would talk to the people with
whom you will be interviewing and working, just in case they have
handouts.  You should do this for two reasons: to see how they react
to accomidating you(Do they promise to give you things and then never
deliver?  Do they refuse completely, send you to disability services
and refuse to work with you themselves?).  You want to know how
willing people at this university are to work with you.  Also, this
place will be where you spend the next four years of your life.  You
don't want to be left out of any information given.  You should be as
prepared as everyone else is to make your decision.

Hope this helps, and feel free to email me off list with other questions.

On 11/10/13, Bobbi Pompey <pompey2010 at yahoo.com> wrote:
> Lizzy,
>
> Hello, I think everyone is giving you the right advice. But I don't have a
> guide dog so I can't participate in that part of the conversation. But I
> definitely think you should ask for accommodations because you never know
> what kind of materials they are going to provide that you will need to
> access so you can learn more about your school.
>
> Bobbi A. L. Pompey
> (336) 988-6375
> pompey2010 at yahoo.com
> http://pompey2050.wix.com/bobbi-pompey
>
>> On Nov 10, 2013, at 10:44 AM, lizzy <lizzym0827 at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> Hi All,
>> I usually just read the outstanding advice given on this list, but now I
>> am in need of some help.  I am currently a senior in high school going not
>> for my first college visit, but to my first over night visit and it is at
>> my number one choice school.  To all of the guide dog users, I've had my
>> lab for about three and a half months now but I'm still undecided about if
>> it would be fair and easier to take her with me on this trip.  My reasons
>> are that I don't know the campus and so she would probably be doing a lot
>> of following (which I know everyone has their own opinions about).  I've
>> taught her things using the cane but it has usually been pretty simple (a
>> specific doorway, bus stop etc) so I'm not sure if it'll work for this or
>> not (since I'll be all over campus).  Also, her behavior is slightly
>> unpredictable (typically she is very excited around new people and she is
>> very sniffy in new places which interferes with her work and doesn't make
>> her look like a trained dog).  I will be sitting in on a class, doing an
>> interview, meeting with the department chair and rooming with a current
>> student and I'm afraid she might offend someone who doesn't like dogs or
>> vice versa someone may see me give a correction and be upset by it.  I
>> haven't requested any accommodations because I don't really think I'll
>> need any since I'll be there for less than twenty-four hours.  But is
>> there anything I'm forgetting? Should I tell them ahead of time about the
>> dog (if I decide to take her)? Any tips you all could give would be
>> greatly appreciated.
>> Thanks,
>> Lizzy
>>
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-- 
Julie McG
National Association of Guide dog Users board member,  National
Federation of the Blind performing arts division secretary,
Missouri Association of Guide dog Users President,
and Guiding Eyes for the Blind graduate 2008
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that
everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal
life."
John 3:16