[nabs-l] When A Personal Choice Becomes Personal.

[Darian Smith]

Hi all,
  I think I can certainly relate to what kaiti shares here.
 I think we have  certain ideas of what a “independent traveler” looks like, how fast they must travel, what tools they use,etc.
 I think that  as is the case for most things in life, we are impacted  the strongest by what we see around us  the most, and  can get certain ideas in our head based upon those experiences. 
 Take for example the fact that   my first few  instances of  seeing blind people with canes  honestly  seemed to discourage me. The people I saw seemed very  dependent upon the nearest sighted person or the closest blind  person that so happened to have any sort of vision they could use or  seemed to  stumble their way around even with a cane.   After seeing enough people who did this, I decided that  I didn’t believe that  lifestyle was for me.
    Similarly, I encountered blind  folks with  guide dogs, and even though the belief somehow caught me that one would be better off as a traveler, I came to realize that if one   doesn’t have the  basic orientation and mobility skills, that they are going to be just as likely to be dependent at the end of the day.
   As I’ve lived longer I’ve come to  understand  that not  simply the possession of  cane or dog fixes mobility issues, but the foundation of at least solid skill with a cane and equally solid foundation in orientation and mobility allows one to  make the best decision for themselves when it comes to applying for a  guide  or  going  with a cane.
   How many of you can think of conversations between sighted peers  when it comes to cars?  Do you remember  the discussion of stick shifts vs automatics?
 some learned one way and some learned the other way, some eventually learned both and those who  learned both  seemed to have a better time of it when  it came to  situations when they had to use both.  The point is that it will eventually come down to  personal  choice, and  hopefully it isn’t a  choice based upon pressure, or a lack of balanced facts/information.
  Hopefully we can see  the  the choice one makes as simply a choice one makes, much like the  choice to  grow out one’s hair or cut one’s hair short;nothing more, nothing less.
            
             
   
               
 		
> On Mar 24, 2015, at 8:32 PM, Kaiti Shelton via nabs-l <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Hi,
> 
> I've always wondered about this.  I've heard negative things said
> about both cane and dog users.  "He uses a cane because he has enough
> trouble knowing how to get himself around, he'd never be able to
> navigate with a dog."  "She uses a dog because her mobility skills
> aren't that great with a cane and her own spatial awareness."  I've
> certainly encountered those who were a little turned around with a
> cane and were easily confused with directions, but I've also known dog
> users who did not have the directional skills to propperly work with a
> guide dog in order to get from point A to the desired point B.  Once
> at a camp I attended one of the staff got turned around and veered off
> the path with her dog and another camper found her confused and had to
> help her find her way back onto the road because she didn't even know
> which command to give to her dog.
> 
> However, just as certainly as what I've just said I've met some great
> travelers from both camps.  I've seen a number of phenomenal guide dog
> teams, as well as extremely competent cane users who have never used a
> dog before.
> 
> For me a cane is the best decision for the time being.  I do like the
> extra get up and go feeling that I've gotten from when I've taken
> "test drives" with guide dogs (and by that I mean held the harness and
> walked around a little bit), but at this point in my life I am
> comfortable with a cane.  I think sometimes the stereotypes we work so
> hard as a collective group of blind people to shirk off get in our own
> way.  I'm guilty of this too---I know in the past that I've gotten
> annoyed with other blind people for being slow, or for not learning
> routes or being able to follow directions as well as others, and I've
> learned that you aren't automatically more independent because you
> have a guide dog, but it really is a matter of personal choice and
> that's all it is.  I think we complicate it way too much.  Both are
> valid options for navigating and both have their advantages and
> disadvantages.
> 
> On 3/23/15, Roanna Bacchus via nabs-l <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> Hi Darian this is an interesting post.  For me it is my personal
>> peference to use a cane.  I preier not to travel under
>> sleepshades because Ih ne" traveled with them before.  For me
>> personal choice becomes personal preference when I have done the
>> choice for a long time.
>> 
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> 
> 
> -- 
> Kaiti
> 
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