[nagdu] convention 2010 ???

Jenine Stanley jeninems at wowway.com
Tue Sep 22 20:59:36 UTC 2009


Marion, 

I'm not sure at which ACB convention volunteers took anyone's guide dog out
for him or her but that's not a common practice at all. Having spilled
enough coffee over my hands for the past 20 years at such conventions, I'm
also not sure where you got a half-full cup because you were blind. My
coffee spilling had nothing to do with blindness btw, but walking too fast
and juggling too many items. <grin> 

I think devout members of both organizations have misconceptions and
stereotypes about the others based on outdated info, like the October '95
Braille Monitor that fueled the anti-guide dog debate as well as the article
you shared. Believe me, having attended both organizations' conventions now,
I heard equal amounts of "trash talking" from both sides. 

I will be honest and say that I was very nervous attending my first NFB
convention in 2008. Even though I did so in a professional capacity, most of
you know that I am a past president of Guide Dog Users, Inc, the ACB guide
dog affiliate, and currently hold office on ACB's Board of Publications. I
thought for sure these things would be brought up against me. 

Of course they were not and everyone was incredibly friendly, not mentioning
my other affiliations at all. I did appreciate the many activities of the
NFB national convention and would say that yes, despite the number of
socially oriented activities at the ACB convention, there are similar
workshops, seminars, etc. I think people need to compare for themselves. I
think both organizations have a great deal to offer and like the two major
political parties in this country, both will forever have members who find
it necessary to berate the other organization as part of their duty to their
own. 

I was part of the initial founding of the Coalition of Assistance Dog
Organizations and we made every effort to invite NAGDU but at that time your
president, Suzanne Whalen, was told that NAGDU could not participate because
of the ACB affiliation of GDUI. I still regret this and hope that some day,
if it hasn't happened already, NAGDU is at that table. 

I think the best of both worlds occurs when the conventions are staggered so
that people may attend both. Of course the best of both worlds would be that
we all had enough money to do so as well. 

Jenine Stanley
jeninems at wowway.com





More information about the NAGDU mailing list