[nagdu] PBS program link

[GARY STEEVES]

Hi:

Well this leads me to a question which is very relevant  to me around how do schools do their matching? I'm off to school in I guess about 10 days and I'm curious how they do the match at the school? I know this will  change a bit from people's past experiences at different schools but all comments should prove to be interesting.

Thanks
Gary

----- Original Message -----
From: Linda Gwizdak <linda.gwizdak at cox.net>
Date: Friday, April 23, 2010 11:22 am
Subject: Re: [nagdu] PBS program link
To: "NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users" <nagdu at nfbnet.org>

> Yeah, Julie, I saw that comment at the end of the show - missed 
> the 
> beginning.  I thought, "Well, if a dog gets you a job - 
> hey, where's my 
> job!!" Hahaha!
> 
> It seems that everything about disabled and dogs have this 
> component of 
> "AAAAAHHH! How warm and fuzzy!"  And how we disabled have 
> no lives unless we 
> are partnered with a dog. They NEVER show us living our lives as 
> normal 
> people and that the dogs do enhance what is already there in our 
> lives. Not 
> create our lives.  So many times people will tell me that 
> it's great I have 
> such a neat "best friend" as if I had no friends other than 
> Landon. I smile 
> and tell them that he is my best CANINE friend - to assume I 
> have best HUMAN 
> friends!
> 
> This all happens because it's the NON blind or disabled people 
> who make 
> these films and NOT us who live with the blindness or 
> disability.  I wish 
> our communities had the money to make films about our own lives 
> from the 
> viewpoint of a blind or disabled person. Without the warm fuzzy 
> stuff that 
> generates money to the programs.
> 
> It all seemed strange with all the people and dogs running 
> around in that 
> room.  I saw toddlers running around as well. It seemed 
> like alot of 
> distraction there and how could they really make the best 
> matches of dog and 
> person?
> 
> I like how we get matched at guide dog school.
> 
> Lyn and Landon
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Julie J" <julielj at windstream.net>
> To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog 
> Users" 
> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Friday, April 23, 2010 5:53 AM
> Subject: [nagdu] PBS program link
> 
> 
> > Here's the link to the PBS program
> >
> > http://video.pbs.org/video/1475527358
> >
> > When I went to that link the video started playing 
> automatically.   No 
> > clue if that's just my settings or if it will do that for everyone.
> >
> > My thoughts on the program...
> > I'm with Tracy, that bit at the beginning about how the dogs 
> give the 
> > person their life and happiness was disturbing.  I also 
> noticed that they 
> > used, "confined to a wheelchair" which is generally not 
> accepted among 
> > disability groups.  I was also very, very not impressed 
> by a statement 
> > toward the end of the program about the people not being 
> normal, then they 
> > get the dogs and can have a life and a job.
> >
> > this particular service dog program seems to place a lot of 
> dogs with 
> > young children.  The video mentions 5 kids and only one 
> adult.  It was 
> > interesting to see how much the parents and other family 
> members were 
> > involved in the process.
> >
> > I liked the trainer, Chris.  He uses positive training 
> methods, mainly 
> > luring.  It was really cool to see how he could use eye 
> movement to cue 
> > the dog, very useful for nonverbal people.
> >
> > The program focuses a lot on the emotional aspects of service 
> dogs. 
> > Probably 95% of what they talked about were bonding and 
> partnership 
> > aspects and very little in actual tasks.
> >
> > The matching process was very, very different from what is 
> typical in 
> > guide dog programs.  It seemed to me that they let all 
> the dogs and people 
> > mingle in one big room.  The dogs and people picked each 
> other.  I'm not 
> > sure how big the class was, but there were two dog switches, 
> one during 
> > class and another a few weeks after returning home.  I 
> like the concept of 
> > choosing your own dog, to a point. I don't know that a free 
> for all 
> > matching process is the best way to go though.
> >
> > JMO
> > Julie
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