[nagdu] cane skills as prerequisite for guide dog

Sat Apr 3 22:30:17 UTC 2010

Yeah, from what I hear, too many parents have to work really hard for their
little blind kids to use canes!  I had no idea!  Don't know how many still
have to fight the school systems or even the legislature to have laws to use
to fight the school system these days, but apparently there's a way to go
there.  Probably depends a lot still on where you live.

To me it seems to nonsensical to deprive children of canes, since their
brains are developing still and doing it so quickly that the tool obviously
becomes second nature to them.  /smile/  I still have to really concentrate,
if not as much as I used to, to walk around a crowded convention hall or
dining room with my cane and stay oriented.  While a group of little kids,
one or two with canes, all of them laughing and shrieking, will whiz right
on by, around the adults and their canes and the dogs and purses on the
floor and you name it that I just spent five minutes walking 10 feet past,
without touching a hair of anyone or anything.  Born total, but baby, she
was born to run!  Love it!

Tami Smith-Kinney

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Albert J Rizzi
Sent: Friday, April 02, 2010 1:20 PM
To: 'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
Subject: Re: [nagdu] cane skills as prerequisite for guide dog

You have never been on the parents division chat line, many are precluded
from using canes  while in school and it disturbs me. the nfb is one place
in the blind movement where that is an option for kids. Not enough mobility
instructors or TVI's think that way, at least that is what I hear when
listening to parents. 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 cheryl echevarria
Sent: Friday, April 02, 2010 3:57 PM
To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
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
>
>
>
>
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