[nagdu] new

[Katrin Andberg]

Thanks Tami for the words of welcome.  Flat Coats aren't called the "Peter
Pan of the retriever world" for nothing.  James certainly has a joie de
vivre.  He does know the difference between work and play, and takes his job
helping me very seriously but for him he does love his 'off time' and
swimming in the pond, playing with a toy, or wrestling with his house mates
are all good fun.

 

"As for how the schools would look at your condition in evaluating you for

admission, I can't begin to guess.  Functionally and perceptionally, it

makes no difference whether the blindness is in your brain or your eyeballs.

You can see or you can't, and if you can't see, you're blind.  I hope you

can find a program that will see it that way.  Do you have a good

neurologist or ophthamologist who can write a letter explaining your form of

blindness?  Do you know if your condition has enough recognition that you

can provide informational material to help the admissions staff grasp the

issue?"

 

I do have a great neurologist and at my next appt I plan to bring this issue
of my next working guide up with him.  He's supported my use of James since
the beginning, so I don't see it as being an issue.  My opthamoligist
already sent a supporting letter to GDF saying I use a dog not for a problem
with my eyes but for a problem with my senses.  I also have another dr who
works with me on my sensory processing issues who is very much in support of
my using a guide and has seen James work in a number of situations and is
going to write a supporting letter as well.

 

I'm lucky in that I've been a dog trainer for 13 years and knew about
service and guide dogs and what some of the things those dogs could do for
people, and at the time James was a puppy who wanted a job and seemed well
suited for what I needed so I started training him as my guide and it worked
out very well and has worked well for the past 6 years.  We're definitely a
team and I trust him completely.  I'm now going through O&M training,
through a private instructor, as I've come to realize that it could probably
help me out immensely as well should something happen to James before I get
my next guide.  And help me around my house when James isn't 'on duty'.

 

It's all very much trial and error when no one, the medical folks included,
really understands the disorder, especially how it affects adults, and how
everyone I know with a sensory processing disorder it manifests differently.
Even for me, I have some days where the effect is less and I can walk around
my house and not walk into stuff, and some days it's very difficult to
navigate and I give myself a concussion due to hitting solid objects as I
walk by too quickly and some days where it's in between.  

 

Katrin & James