[nagdu] loss of vision was speaking too soon

Sat Nov 7 14:50:23 UTC 2009

    Tami,

I think O&M instruction under blindfold would be really helpful for you. 
You'd only have to learn one skill set that could be applied no matter what 
your vision does.   I think it might relieve a lot of the stress you are 
experiencing when your vision changes.  that is stressful enough without 
having to learn new skills each time.

Anyway I found sleepshade training to be very beneficial.  I do still use my 
vision when I feel it would be helpful or entertaining, but I have the 
security of knowing I have other skills to fall back on.   In the beginning 
it was a bit more challenging to flip back and forth, I had to consciously 
think about what would work best in what situation.  Now, though it's all 
very intuitive and very easy.    I have very, very limited vision though, so 
your mileage may vary.  In any case I think sleepshade training wouldn't 
hurt.

JMHO a'course
Julie

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Tamara Smith-Kinney" <tamara.8024 at comcast.net>
To: "'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Saturday, November 07, 2009 1:29 AM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] speaking too soon

> Loray,
>
> Yay!  Progress!  It may start with small steps, but it sounds like you're
> doing something that is helpful to him.
>
> Wow!  You are putting a whole lot of work into this dog.  High mantenance
> indeed!  You're taking a hard road, which you shouldn't have to, and there
> are no guarantees.  But it's good to see signs that your kiddo is gaining
> some confidence.
>
> Id on't know if I ever mentioned this.  One of the most useful articles I
> read when I was starting to think seriously about owner-trainer was by a
> trainer from the Seeing Eye -- I think it was Lukas Frank, even, but I 
> have
> long since lost the link.  It was a great article about guide dog 
> training,
> and one thing he said really stuck with me:
>
> The difference between a fairly average dog that graduates and goes on to 
> a
> successful career and a really bright one who doesn't is precisely this:
> Confidence!
>
> Okay, so I took that so much to heart that my once shy and apparently 
> timid
> poodle pup is now convinced that the world was invented to give her a 
> place
> to play soccer.  /smile/  Guiding me around is just something she does to
> keep her busy when she's not playing soccer.  In case anyone is 
> interested,
> playing soccer with a poodle is great for one's overall O&M.  If you 
> wonder
> why, get yourself a nice squeaky ball and a dog.  Try it!  /grin/  I'm 
> going
> through another phase of vision loss right now and am for no good reason
> stupid as a stump and clueless as to where I am relation to the world. 
> This
> happens every time, and it blows my adaptive skills all to bits for some
> reason.  Makes me crazy, but at least I think I've learned how to work
> through it so that it's not a months' long disaster.  Anyway, the physical
> and neurological propcesses involved in kicking a tennis-ball sized rubber
> squeaky ball you can't see are essentially those used in walking in around
> when you can't see where you're going.  Why the bit where I can't see 
> where
> I'm going even matters anymore is beyond me, but there it is.  Anyway, the
> kind of squeaky ball I use also makes a nice sound when it bounces, so I 
> can
> kick it around surprisingly well even in the pitch dark.  Mitiz poodle has
> figured this out and is really creative about giving me sound and other
> clues to help out.
>
> Anyway, I'm still absorbing everything I learned from training Mitzi, but
> I'm pretty sure that article was right.  Confidence is key.
>
> Sounds like Trice is beginning to get some.
>
> Okay, so I can't type, spell or use English.  Past my bedtime?  Apparently
> so!
>
> Tami Smith-Kinney
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
> Of Lora
> Sent: Friday, November 06, 2009 5:52 PM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] speaking too soon
>
> AnnaLisa
> He is doing a little better. Sometimes he is still scared of traffic even
> when he can see it. He still startles just not as badly nor as often.
>
> On Fri, Nov 6, 2009 at 7:24 PM, AnnaLisa Anderson
> <annalisa at sector14.net>wrote:
>
>> Lora,
>>
>> Man, I'm sorry this keeps happening and that you got such a high
>> maintenance
>> dog.  How's it going with walking on the other side of the road?  Is he
>> doing better with that?  I sure hope so for your sake.  Good luck trying
> to
>> figure out the latest thing.  My thoughts are with you.
>>
>> AnnaLisa and Sundance
>>
>>
>>
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>
>
>
> -- 
> Lora and Trice
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