[nagdu] A disaster of an SD program here in Kansas

Linda Gwizdak linda.gwizdak at cox.net
Fri Jun 25 21:53:07 UTC 2010


Oyevey!!!

Lyn and Landon
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Marion Gwizdala" <blind411 at verizon.net>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, June 25, 2010 5:29 AM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] A disaster of an SD program here in Kansas


> steve,
>    Unfortunately, I find that some of the blind people from which CILs get 
> their advice and guidance are nearly as clueless as the person making the 
> inquiry, present company excluded. For instance, I know of a blind person 
> who works for a CIL who believes that a blind person cannot independently 
> use public transportation and needs all sorts of special assistance to do 
> even the simplest of tasks. I once attended an ADA celebration where the 
> meal was served cafeteria style. Blind people were told to stay where they 
> were sitting and someone would bring them their food. Over their 
> objections, I went through the line like everyone else!
>
> fraternally yours,
> Marion
>
>
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Steve Johnson" <stevencjohnson at centurytel.net>
> To: "'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'" 
> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Thursday, June 24, 2010 7:02 AM
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] A disaster of an SD program here in Kansas
>
>
>> Gail,
>>
>> I am going to express a personal opinion here regarding the ILC's.  I 
>> used
>> to work for one, and it is my experience that their knowledge and
>> understanding of disability related issues is very broad, not specific.
>> With this in mind, they are not required to have any level of 
>> certification,
>> but just simply 51% of their staff and board need to be comprised of 
>> persons
>> with disabilities meaning that that they *have been there done that*
>> attitude leaving one to believe that they understand your situation.  My
>> employment with the ILC was for 11 years, and I saw a lot, but they 
>> always
>> came to the blind guy to get blind info.  Says a lot.  Honestly, your
>> connection to the NFB and NAGDU, through peer contact and communication 
>> will
>> probably move you to a higher level of independence than where you might 
>> be
>> heading now with the ILC.
>>
>> Again, this is just my opinion, and if you have other questions, feel 
>> free
>> to write me off list at stevencjohnson at centurytel.net
>>
>> specifically, blindness.
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On 
>> Behalf
>> Of Gail
>> Sent: Wednesday, June 23, 2010 6:14 PM
>> To: nagdu at nfbnet.org
>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] A disaster of an SD program here in Kansas
>>
>> Yes, I have several-PTSD, Asperger's Syndrome, Meneries' Disease,and a 
>> few
>> other things. But this caseworker is from our Independent Living Center,
>> over a town or two, and they are *supposed* to have someone help me with
>> things around the house I cant manage, but there is never anyone who will
>> work for what the ILC pays. At least they were able to help out with the
>> situation with our autistic son, to be something of a represinitive for 
>> him
>> in the meetings with school, school board and such, though the woman knew
>> nothing at all about autism, AS, or service dogs for the autistic.
>>
>> Gail
>>
>> -------Original Message------- 
>>
>> From: Cheryl echevarria
>> Date: 6/23/2010 6:01:08 PM
>> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] A disaster of an SD program here in Kansas
>>
>> Gail:
>>
>> Am I missing something, do you have other disabilities other than 
>> blindness,
>>
>> Been out of the loop a little bit.
>>
>> Cheryl Echevarria
>> Independent Travel Consultant
>> C10-10646
>>
>> 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: "Gail" <deerskin at oct.net>
>> To: <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Wednesday, June 23, 2010 6:52 PM
>> Subject: [nagdu] A disaster of an SD program here in Kansas
>>
>>
>>> Hello!
>>>
>>> Just got a call from my new IL caseworker, who wants to come tomorrow to
>>> do
>>> the usual yearly onceover. When I asked if she had found any O&M
>>> instructor
>>> for me (I had called there a couple weeks ago, asking if they could 
>>> help,
>>> and thought this was a response), she goes, 'oh, I know a wonderful
>>> program
>>> where you can get a guide dog in just a week or so!' My jaw
>>> dropped....there
>>> is only one reputable program in Kansas, and I knew it wasnt in 
>>> Concordia.
>>
>>> After I got off the phone, I looked up CARES 
>>> http://www.caresks.com/index
>>> htm and I was right. OMG, I wish I wasnt....
>>>
>>>
>>> I've known about this disaster since the time the SD laws were changed
>>> here
>>> in KS. The owner of this program raised a stink to get a new definition
>>> put
>>> in-"Professional Therapy Dog", and despite what you see on their site,
>>> these
>>> people *do not* know how to train either dogs or people. For years I've
>>> had
>>> their 'graduates' besiege me when I was out with my own service dogs,
>>> pleading for help. You see, CARES 'Professional Therapy Dog" is no more
>>> than
>>> a pound pup, with no temperament testing, no task training, and absolute
>>> minimum of obedience basics, that they hand out to kids with problems 
>>> like
>>
>>> autism. The training the handler gets is only for the Public Access 
>>> Test,
>>> and only a week or so at that, max. By law, a TD is supposed to be 
>>> handled
>>
>>> by an adult trainer, for the benefit of others. If it is working for one
>>> person, it is no longer a TD, but some kind of halfbaked SD at best. One
>>> of
>>> the Board of Directors is a person who was thrown out and banned for 
>>> life
>>> by
>>> the American Kennel Club, for abuse of her dogs. The owner and head of
>>> CARES
>>> is a person I spoke to several times at the time of the hearings, who 
>>> was
>>> trying to pump me for info on how to train dogs! Several members of my 
>>> own
>>
>>> SD group got dogs from there, and all returned the dogs, and trained 
>>> their
>>
>>> own, because the dogs were problems from the start, with no task 
>>> training
>>> whatsoever.
>>>
>>>
>>> I was shocked when my caseworker told me so cheeirly, "oh, we can get 
>>> you
>>> a
>>> guide dog from Concordia! I have a blind gentleman who is in a 
>>> wheelchair,
>>
>>> who has a dog from there. And you dont need to bother with a cane, to 
>>> get
>>> a
>>> dog from there." Yeah, uh huh. I look at the site....no where have I 
>>> found
>>
>>> that they even list training guides...but they sure train for a lot of
>>> other
>>> junk, supposedly even bomb and narc dogs.
>>>
>>>
>>> Guess I'm going to be doing a lot of reeducating of this caseworker
>>> tomorrow
>>> ....d***, I had hoped that place had gone belly up years go, and here it
>>> still is.
>>>
>>> I'm hotter about this than the weather outside, I can tell you!
>>>
>>> Gail
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
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>> org/cherylandmaxx at hotmail.com
>>>
>>
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>
>
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