[nagdu] Jury finds IA Dept. for Blind'sguidedog policy does not discriminate

[Nicole B. Torcolini]

What exactly do you mean by "the cane is the ultimate symbol of blindness"?

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "David Andrews" <dandrews at visi.com>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Saturday, February 21, 2009 3:05 AM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Jury finds IA Dept. for Blind'sguidedog policy does not 
discriminate


Alysha:

As I have tried to say in another message, cane travel at NFB centers
is there in part to accomplish other goals besides just literally
teaching cane travel.  The cane is the ultimate symbol of blindness,
and learning to carry it with confidence is where the rubber hits the
road for most newly blind persons.

Most people think the dog does more than he/she does, but they think
it nonetheless.  I suspect some blind persons attribute more to the
dog then they should too.  So, they wouldn't be developing confidence
in their own skills.

People from the dog community should come together and start a
dog-oriented center I think!

Dave

At 07:07 PM 2/20/2009, you wrote:
>As others have mentioned in their posts, I think we need to consider
>that much more than just cane travel is offered at training centers.
>So say there's a guide dog user who is comfortable with mobility but
>who needs some work on cooking or technology or braille. Then, there
>doesn't seem to be a program out there this person could attend to
>learn the necessary skills without risking damage to their
>relationship with their dog. I do think that cane travel is quite
>important and that all guide dog users should be comfortable with
>it, but it seems like all the training centers I've heard about
>mandate it as the only means of mobility to be used during the time
>one is there. So I suppose I'm wondering why there are no programs
>(that I know of) that accommodate the potential needs of guide dog
>users instead of expecting them to essentially temporarily give up
>their chosen mobility aid. The important thing is that we can get
>around independently, not whether we do so with a dog or a cane. Why
>is it that people seem to link mobility classes only with cane
>travel? I think a guide dog user could still benefit from mobility
>lessons that aren't focused on the training of the dog. The problem
>solving and orientation skills taught in good mobility programs are
>useful to you no matter what mobility aid you use. So I think it is
>fair for a program to demand competency with a cane, but I do not
>think that it is right to restrict the choices of guide dog users to
>either doing without training in the myriad of skills taught at
>centers or giving up the use of their dogs for a significant
>fraction of the day.
>
>Alysha
>
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