[nagdu] Ability versus perception

[Marion & Martin]

Jenine,
    I'm not sure you are accurately reporting what i have stated here! 
however, this discussion wearies me, as it is a matter of opinion, 
perspective, and philosophy. I will continue to advise those who ask to 
choose a school that has enough confidence in a blind person so as to grant 
that person ownership upon graduation. It is my opinion that anything else 
reflects a school's fundamental belief about a blind person's capabilities.

Fraternally,
marion


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jenine Stanley" <jeninems at wowway.com>
To: "'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Sunday, May 17, 2009 5:36 PM
Subject: [nagdu] Ability versus perception


> Mike put it well in his message about perceived abuse versus
> misunderstanding.
>
> To add to this debate, just putting myself in the shoes of those receiving
> the dreaded health reports for an instance.
>
> Marion notes that if a school contacts someone based on something staff 
> see
> in a submitted health report, this assumes that person cannot care for the
> dog due to blindness.
>
> I'd assert, based on how I've seen staff tackle this both at my current
> employer and other schools, that it can go two ways. Yes, there are staff
> who might make assumptions about one's ability based on what they know 
> about
> blindness and blindness skill levels.
>
> I can say though that if something is indeed mentioned by a staff member
> about the dog's health report, it's usually done from the perspective of a
> teacher remonstrating a former pupil.
>
> Either that or we discover from gathering this data that over half of the
> dogs that graduate from our program gain over 10 pounds during their 
> working
> lives. Hmmm, what are we doing to breed such characteristics in our dogs?
>
> The thought process might look something like: ""We taught you while you
> were here that anything more than a weight gain of X number of pounds is
> cause for concern as an overweight dog is just waiting for all kinds of
> health problems. Blindness has nothing to do with your ability to feed or
> not feed your dog and we taught you how to monitor its weight without 
> using
> your sight. We want you to have that dog as a working guide for as long as
> you  can so we feel it prudent to warn you about the weight gain we see in
> your report."
>
> Now, reality says that some staff take this a little too far. I won't deny
> that. I think they do get frustrated when seeing things that can be 
> avoided
> in health reports, like weight gain that is unchecked, etc. They know the
> training we receive and that it is geared to take into account our 
> blindness
> so that it's not an issue in dog care.
>
> If you buy a dog for breeding or showing, you often sign a contract with
> various stipulations. I've heard about breeders who will indeed rake you
> over the coals if they see your dog is out of condition, or if they do not
> receive required reports. Those are legally binding contracts between
> individuals with all levels of skill and physical characteristics, 
> sighted,
> blind, hearing impaired, etc., and everyone gets the same treatment.
>
> Just something to consider.
> Jenine Stanley
> jeninems at wowway.com
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> nagdu mailing list
> nagdu at nfbnet.org
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for 
> nagdu:
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/swampfox1833%40verizon.net