[nagdu] guiding eyes application question

[Jenine Stanley]

Marion, 

Those are some pretty interesting dots to connect, not ones I'd necessarily
trace, but then again, good food for thought. 

GDF does not require that anyone provide insurance info. We do remind people
about the medical services available in the area and to please bring your
insurance cards and any other necessary paperwork just in case, but we don't
really need to know what it is. 

For the veterans who come through our Vet Dogs program, we ask that they
bring the VA medical cards, but again, we don't need to know anything more
than whether they have them or not. 

I can see, from an administrative point of view, why having this info, at
the very least a contact number for your insurance company, on file. If you
are hurt and are unconscious, whoever takes you to the hospital is going to
need that info at some point. I don't necessarily think collecting it with
the application is being paternalistic in that sense. The info can, however,
be gathered in other ways once at the facility. 

Remember, most schools have exit interviews. If you can be objective enough
at the end of your training to remember the things that bothered you and
why, that's a good time to give input. I believe, and please do correct me,
that the Guiding Eyes graduate council does the exit interviews. 

I note to try to be objective and remember things that bother you because
usually at the end of class, at least 2 of 3 things happen if doing the
standard residential class. 

1. You are exhausted. 

2. You are so grateful for the dog and training and flush with good feelings
about the school so you don't want to say anything bad.

Or: 

3. You've had such a horrific experience that nothing is right, good or
otherwise appropriate and you just want out. <grin> 

We do an interview 30 days to 3 months later, much the same as the exit
interview. It's purely voluntary and is done to ask you to rate certain
aspects of your experience. We're catching up on our interviews now so if
you're on this list, graduated from GDF between last May and now, and
haven't gotten a call, trust me, you will. <grin>