[nagdu] Critical blind people

Wed Aug 4 17:48:27 UTC 2010

Cathryn,

/lol/  Ain't it, though?  Mitzi has learned to block me from overwalking her
when we come to stairs, just to make sure I don't go sailing on down them.
She knows me and knows when she needs to protect me from myself!

Glad your TSE experience was good, and that Abby knows when to pay
attention! /grin/

Tami Smith-Kinney

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Cathryn Bonnette
Sent: Wednesday, August 04, 2010 10:27 AM
To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Critical blind people

Hey, Tami-

I'm backtracking this list to pick up messages I missed, so just read this-
and that's me exactly!lol I absolutely hate flights of steps going down. So,
when I went to Se, they put me on the third floor- or was it the fourth?
Anyway, I had to go down 3 flights to get to the main floor for meals etc.,
and 6 flights to do laundry! They let me tiptoe up to the top of the stairs
a few days, since I'd gotten used to helping my almost 14 year old Shepherd-
Heidi. Then I got some clues on how to do it right!  Meanwhile Abby knows
enough to really pay attention around steps and even down escalators. 
Doing this blind thing is a trip!

Best,

Cathryn (& Abby)
-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Tamara Smith-Kinney
Sent: Tuesday, August 03, 2010 6:25 PM
To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Critical blind people

Lyn,

That's funny!  I tell people the same thing.  I can see just enough to be
dangerous!  Mostly to myself, when I forget to not pay attention to what I
think I can see and walk past my dog who stopped for a flight of stairs...
Or keep walking straight when she zigs to the side and walk into that
tree/car/dumpster...  Down flights of stairs are what I fear more than
anything.  Lions, tigers and bears?  No problem!  Stair cases...  Ooooh!

Then there are the zillion and once just embarrassingly stupid things I do
because I look instead of using my adaptive skills.  I guess it's true, old
habits are hard to break!  /grin/

It's really funny with Mitzi, because she really does use exactly the
techniques on me when I miss a curb or run into something she's tried to
take me around that I used to use on her for the same things.  She just
stands there and ignores me and waits for me to figure it out and come back
into proper position so we can do it again the right way.  Then we go on as
if nothing ever happened.

When people are trying to wrap their heads around the whole "progressive
vision loss" concept, and drawl out, "So, you're not really blind, only..."
I will put on a mock defensive attitude and, "I'm getting there, all right?
Just don't rush me!"  They seem to think it's funny and don't worry about it
so much.

Tami Smith-Kinney

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Lyn Gwizdak
Sent: Tuesday, August 03, 2010 11:06 AM
To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Critical blind people

Tami,
Use what you have as long as you can!  People don't understand the "grey" of

our lives. Sometimes, I just let people think I can't see anything! (grin!) 
I tell people that I can see enough to be dangerous!  That usually elicits a

laugh from them and they learn something - that life isn't all black and 
white and no grey!

Being "dangerous" means that sometimes I do get into trouble by using my low

vision - like a missed flight of steps and I stupidly didn't use my dog! 
UUGGHH!  I'm too old for that!

Lyn and Landon
----- 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: Monday, August 02, 2010 12:39 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Critical blind people

> Lyn,
>
> Most of my stupids seem to come from being partial and forgetting not to
> look around to see stuff.  Sigh.  I'll get it licked, then I lose more
> vision, and the response of my brain seems to be to insist on trying to 
> see
> everything while I feel around vaguely not having a clue.  So then I have 
> to
> back step and retrain the stupid thing to accept that we're blind now and 
> it
> needs to use the *other* senses...
>
> At least I don't get completely hopeless confuddled anymore, but I can't
> wait 'til I can just finish gling blind and be done with it! /smile/  I 
> have
> a feeling Mitzi feels the same way.  When I remember to ignore whatever 
> may
> or not be going on in front of my face, her job is much easier.
>
> Tami Smith-Kinney
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
> Of Linda Gwizdak
> Sent: Sunday, August 01, 2010 10:11 AM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Critical blind people
>
> Hi Dan,
> Yes, us partial vision guys have the same problem as you do as a partial
> hearing person. It seems that people can only think in black and white
> without the grey areas!
>
> I also have problems in hearing, especially in noisey areas.  Too many ear
> infections! LOL!
>
> Lyn and Landon
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Dan Weiner" <dcwein at dcwein.cnc.net>
> To: "'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'"
> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Saturday, July 31, 2010 4:28 PM
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Critical blind people
>
>
>> Well, Rox, I give you a lot of credit.
>> I suppose I can understand people saying can you hear the fountain and 
>> all
>> that, but their reactions when I say that I hear it but I don't know 
>> where
>> it is t is can be rather tiring.
>> I'd say that's the most tiring thing for me about getting around myself,
>> that you can on such occasions feel rather alone, then my feet start
>> hurting
>> from walking around trying to find something--lol.
>>
>> We can continue this either on or off list, it's up to you.
>>
>> I would be interested in your methods for achieving consistent "find"
>> command results.
>> My last doggie, Evan, got very great at it but I worked a lot on it until
>> a
>> sort of light bulb went on in his head and he then just knew I needed
>> this.
>>
>> Results with the Carter Barter are mixed, but it's one day at a time and 
>> I
>> do love him.
>> I generally do think I would benefit from a dog who takes a lot of
>> initiative on things like this, but it does seem to me that guide dog
>> school  people don't really understand what my situation is.
>> All right, GEB and Leader have had both very good programs for deaf-blind
>> and they do understand that.
>> For someone with hearing limitations, however, no one seems to get it.
>> It's
>> either all or nothing. Perhaps that's what partially sighted people go
>> through, the all or nothing generalizations, either "you see" or you
>> don't,
>> with hearing either you ear or you don't, no in-between.
>> I'm not saying that people should automatically know what to do to help,
>> I'm
>> saying people are judgmental, but we've already established that--smile.
>>
>> If you know of people who do get it, schools, trainers, etc. let me know
>> off
>> list or on as it's good to know this for the future.
>>
>> An example, one way a guide dog helps is that, most blind people I know
>> will
>> leave a meeting or room by hearing where the door is, people talking, 
>> etc.
>> That does absolutely nothing for me, even though I may hear them--smile.
>>
>>
>>
>> Dan Dan the man and Carter Barter the dog
>>
>>
>>
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>
>
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