[nagdu] Man's dog in a McDonald's results in Taser use

[Pickrell, Rebecca M (IS)]

Agree totally with Sarah's post. 
They can also have the cops or other emergency response folks *know*
that the person is not really having a seizure, they are abusing drugs
and/or looking to start a fight. 
 

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Sarah and Loretta
Sent: Saturday, May 30, 2009 2:03 PM
To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Man's dog in a McDonald's results in Taser use

Marion,

I disagree regarding the idea that he was seeking confrontation. This is
really a situation where we as blind people need to understand the
mindset of people with other disabilities. You and I may experience
denials from time to time, but they are stupid denials from people who
should know better. Our dogs wear harnesses, and it is obvious that they
perform a service. Of course, it is reasonable for the police to ask him
to step outside to discuss the situation. But from his point of view, he
probably gets questioned a lot more often than you and I do because you
cannot see seizures. If it was a bad day and he expected the police to
be on his side, he may have interpreted their request as an indicator
that they weren't. 
Unfortunately their behavior just reinforced it.

People with seizures go through a great deal of mistreatment and
misunderstanding, and it grates on their nerves tremendously. They are
forced into hospitals because other people think that a seizure might be
a medical emergency and do not trust their family members or friends.
They are physically removed from public places and denied employment
because seizures are disruptive. They can develop fear of going out in
public because of this. To then be denied access to a place because one
uses a dog to alert to an oncoming seizure is a further slap in the
face. It is something worth understanding.

Sarah J. Blake
Personal email: sjblake at growingstrong.org http://www.growingstrong.org 


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