[nagdu] cane skills as prerequisite for guide dog

Fri Apr 2 20:52:36 UTC 2010

Wonderful :)

Cheryl Echevarria
Independent Travel Consultant
http://Echevarriatravel.com
1-866-580-5574

http://blog.echevarriatravel.com
Reservations at echevarriatravel.com
Affiliated as an Independent Contractor with Montrose Travel CST-1018299-10


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Albert J Rizzi" <albert at myblindspot.org>
To: "'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, April 02, 2010 4:57 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] cane skills as prerequisite for guide dog


> Thanks some very well made points.
>
>
> Albert J. Rizzi, M.Ed.
> CEO/Founder
> My Blind Spot, Inc.
> 90 Broad Street - 18th Fl.
> New York, New York  10004
> www.myblindspot.org
> PH: 917-553-0347
> Fax: 212-858-5759
> "The person who says it cannot be done, shouldn't interrupt the one who is
> doing it."
>
>
> Visit us on Facebook LinkedIn
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
> Of Julie J
> Sent: Friday, April 02, 2010 4:42 PM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] cane skills as prerequisite for guide dog
>
> Albert,
>
> The rationale, or my interpretation of it anyway, is that if you have no
> clue where you are, where you want to go and no clue about the bit in
> between, how are you going to direct the dog?  I mean you don't get a 
> guide
> dog and tell them, "post office" and they take you there.  You have to 
> know
> when to tell the dog, left, right etc.
>
> So my interpretation is that the cane part isn't as crucial as what the
> mental process of getting someplace is.  However reading minds isn't
> something that is very scientific at this point, so the guide dog programs
> have to rely on observations of blind people using canes.  Maybe Jeanine
> will weigh in on this too.  But I doubt if the guide dog programs are very
> interested to see if your cane arc is even or that you have a proper grip.
> I'm theorizing that the bigger issues of knowing where you are and being
> able to mentally map a route to where you want to go, determining when 
> it's
> safe to cross a street, your general pace and that sort of thing are more
> important.
>
> anyway my take is the O in O&M is what the guide dog schools are really
> interested in.
>
> As for why some professionals don't give canes to young children...I have 
> no
>
> idea.  Personally I think it's teetering on abuse not to give a child the
> tools they need to be able to live a full life.
>
>  just my .02
> Julie
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "cheryl echevarria" <cherylandmaxx at hotmail.com>
> To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users"
> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Friday, April 02, 2010 2:57 PM
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] cane skills as prerequisite for guide dog
>
>
> > Albert you have never been to a convention, there are tons of blind kids
> > using canes.
> >
> > Cheryl Echevarria
> > Independent Travel Consultant
> > http://Echevarriatravel.com
> > 1-866-580-5574
> >
> > http://blog.echevarriatravel.com
> > Reservations at echevarriatravel.com
> > Affiliated as an Independent Contractor with Montrose Travel
> > CST-1018299-10
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message ----- 
> > From: "Albert J Rizzi" <albert at myblindspot.org>
> > To: "'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'"
> > <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> > Sent: Friday, April 02, 2010 4:02 PM
> > Subject: Re: [nagdu] cane skills as prerequisite for guide dog
> >
> >
> >> Why is it a requirement for being considered getting a guide dog 
> >> anyway?
> >> I
> >> would like to understand the rationale. I am not agreeing or 
> >> disagreeing
> >> just wondering about the reasons. Then too, if cane mobility is so
> >> integral
> >> to independence, why are there some schools of thought on not 
> >> introducing
> >> the cane to toddlers or blind youth as soon as they can hold one?
> >>
> >> Albert J. Rizzi, M.Ed.
> >> CEO/Founder
> >> My Blind Spot, Inc.
> >> 90 Broad Street - 18th Fl.
> >> New York, New York  10004
> >> www.myblindspot.org
> >> PH: 917-553-0347
> >> Fax: 212-858-5759
> >> "The person who says it cannot be done, shouldn't interrupt the one who
> >> is
> >> doing it."
> >>
> >>
> >> Visit us on Facebook LinkedIn
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> -----Original Message-----
> >> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> >> Behalf
> >> Of Tracy Carcione
> >> Sent: Friday, April 02, 2010 2:33 PM
> >> To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> >> Subject: [nagdu] cane skills as prerequisite for guide dog
> >>
> >> Marion, I don't necessarily agree that good cane skills should be a
> >> prerequisite for getting a guide dog.  It's a nice theory.  It would
> >> certainly be helpful.  But I know too many people who don't have
> >> spectacular cane skills, but do great with a dog.  Some of them are 
> >> older
> >> people, who started getting dogs when cane training was not very
> >> available.  Some of them are from places where services for blind 
> >> people
> >> are not very good.  Some of them went blind as senior citizens, and 
> >> quite
> >> a few agencies don't serve that population very well, since they won't 
> >> be
> >> employed.  Should we tell these people they have to wait until they can
> >> somehow get cane training?  I don't think so. I've met enough people 
> >> for
> >> whom the dog was the thing that got them back out, living their lives,
> >> and
> >> I think getting out and living one's life is a great thing. I'm not
> >> willing to stand in someone's way over whether or not their cane skills
> >> measure up to some philosophical mark.
> >>
> >> Should we take good orientation as good enough?  Or should the guide 
> >> dog
> >> schools offer cane training to prospective applicants who they feel
> >> should
> >> have it? They seem like reasonable approaches to me, and I believe they
> >> are
> >> the ones being carried out. Encouraging good cane skills is fine, but I
> >> wouldn't make it a prerequisite for a guide dog.
> >> Tracy
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> _______________________________________________
> >> 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/albert%40myblindspot.
> >> org
> >>
> >>
> >> _______________________________________________
> >> 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/cherylandmaxx%40hotma
> il.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/julielj%40windstream.
> net
> >
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> 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/albert%40myblindspot.
> org
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> 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/cherylandmaxx%40hotmail.com
>