[nagdu] Omnibus Message

[Elizabeth Rene]

Hi, everyone,

I have a couple of comments to make on subjects raised in June 16's post, so 
I thought I'd just put them in one message.

Jessica, I agree with those people encouraging you to be patient with the 
schools saying they'll take you but just don't have the right dog yet.  I 
went to the Seeing Eye last February when they offered me a quicker 
admission than GDA, and ended up going home without a dog because the right 
match wasn't there.  That cost everybody.  I had to wait until July to get 
Alvin from GDA, and he's been worth the wait.  If you can afford to do so, 
you might ask to visit the schools you want most, and talk with the training 
director about your hoped-for match.  GDA told me, admittedly a seasoned 
graduate, that I could have done this if I'd wanted to.

Gail, guide dog schools don't do their own eye examinations, as I 
inadvertently implied, but request that they be done.  You also get a chance 
to assess in writing your own functional vision, emphasizing your visual 
strengths and weaknesses to show why you needd a guide dog.  What you've 
written about your laborious and risky travels outdoors should convince 
anyone that you're eligible.

Lyn's suggestion that you report that dorky physician to the state medical 
licensing authority is a good one.  Most states enforce provisions of the 
Uniform Professional Licensing Disciplinary Act that specifically forbids 
discriminatory  behavior, and a medical quality assurance board might exist 
to enforce this provision in your state.

You might also want to see if there's a Lions club in your area that would 
help you pay for a privately funded eye examination or low vision screening 
to support your guide dog application.  Lions Clubs contribute heavily to 
guide  dog schools and to projects supporting blindness prevention and 
treatment.  Good luck.

Lyn, your story of the earthquake and your reflection on our living planet 
is a good reminder for emergency preparedness.  Since we all at least have 
dogs to care for, it's important to develop and implement plans for what to 
do in case of fire, flood, earthquake or storms, especially when we might 
not get help for more than a day.  I was in the Nisqually Earthquake of 
2001, and still remember the experience.

Elizabeth