[nagdu] Does seeing-eye horse go too far?

[Lisa Belville]

Wow.  I have to say I was shocked when I read this was a full-sized horse. 
This is way different than using a miniature horse like Ann Edie does.

Hopefully the folks at the Guide Horse Foundation will step in and give the 
correct facts here, because I'm almost positive they only train miniature 
horses.



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ELECTRICITY, GAS AND OIL, THE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL HAS BEEN TURNED 
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Lisa Belville
missktlab1217 at verizon.net

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <craig.borne at dot.gov>
To: <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, March 25, 2009 10:10 AM
Subject: [nagdu] Does seeing-eye horse go too far?


> FYI - notice NAGDU was included with this article as a link resource.
>
> Craig
>
>
>
> http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/tv/stories/wfaa0903
> 24_wz_serviceanimalsfolo.67c58be1.html
>
> 3/20:
>
> Does seeing-eye horse go too far?
>
> LINK:
>
> ABC News story on this topic
>
> LINK:
>
> Rules for service animals
>
> LINK:
>
> Service animals Q&A
>
> LINK:
>
> Guide Horse Foundation
>
> LINK:
>
> Pony Talez Equine Services
>
> LINK:
>
> National Association of Guide Dog Users
>
> MORE:
>
> Stories about animals and pets
>
> list end
>
>
>
> Search Video:
>
>
>
>
>
> images/searchbtn
>
>
>
> FORT WORTH - What's a horse doing in the dairy aisle at Target?
>
>
>
> Last week we reported on an expanding list of service animals for the
> disabled, including ferrets, monkeys and horses. The story has ignited a
> controversy
>
> among some in the disabled community who say using a horse to get around
> in a grocery store goes too far.
>
>
>
> Trixie the seeing-eye pony knows Target like the back of her slip-proof
> pink boots. "She means the world to me," said Tabitha Darling, Trixie's
> owner. "Not
>
> just a working animal, but - well - my friend."
>
>
>
> Darling is legally blind, with a bone condition that she says can make
> walking painful.
>
>
>
> The Americans with Disabilities Act makes it illegal for stores to
> refuse entry to a service animal. But while Tabitha says Trixie is
> critical to her independence,
>
> she is now drawing fire from some, accused of abusing the system.
>
>
>
> "She doesn't need to be riding it around like Lady Godiva in a store,"
> said Carolyn Finefrock, who has far less vision than Darling and uses a
> more traditional
>
> seeing-eye dog and a wheelchair for mobility. Finefrock thinks licensing
> service animal users would eliminate abuse.
>
>
>
> "What about people who really can't walk? What about people who really
> can't see?" she asked.
>
>
>
> Lex Frieden, a professor at the University of Texas Health Science
> Center in Houston, helped develop the Americans with Disabilities Act.
> What does he think
>
> of going shopping with a horse?
>
>
>
> "There are other solutions besides that one that are more functional and
> more appropriate for her," Frieden said. "But consider this: It's her
> choice."
>
>
>
>
>
> Frieden has been using a wheelchair since he was injured in a car
> accident when he was a college student. He favors a case-by-case review
> of a person's
>
> disability. Any blanket solution, he says, is a step in the wrong
> direction.
>
>
>
> "We actually stop innovation; we stop discovery; and we actually provide
> a cap on what's possible," he said. "Who knows what's possible in the
> future?"
>
>
>
>
>
> Tabitha Darling says she is often asked why she insists on riding a
> horse inside a store when there are other options. Her answer?
>
>
>
> It's what works best for her.
>
>
>
> E-mail
>
> dschechter at wfaa.com
>
>
>
> Craig Borne, Esq.
>
> External Compliance Program Manager
>
> Disability Program Manager
>
>
>
> National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
>
> Office of Civil Rights
>
> 1200 New Jersey Avenue, Southeast
>
> Suite W43-321
>
> Washington, DC 20590
>
>
>
> Office : (202) 493-0627
>
> Fax: (202) 493-2990
>
> Email: craig.borne at dot.gov <mailto:craig.borne at dot.gov>
>
>
>
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