[nagdu] o/t Found this story on Blind, Inc.

[cheryl echevarria]

For those who do not know what Blind, Inc. is



BLIND, Incorporated is an adjustment to blindness training center. We teach 
the skills that blind people need to become independent and employable such 
as braille, home management, the use of the white cane, and computers with 
screen reading software, etc. But just as importantly, we instill in our 
students the confidence to put these skills into practice. We utilize the 
positive view of blindness of the National Federation of the Blind. We work 
from the premise that blindness doesn't have to be a tragedy. We know that, 
if given training and opportunity, blind people can live full and productive 
lives.

I have not been to any of the schools but definitely know the philosophy of 
the NFB that Blindness doesn't have to be a tragedy. I enjoy my life and 
want others to enjoy it as well.

Anywhere here is the link and the story.

http://www.blindinc.org/articles/dogs.html


BLIND, Inc., Goes to the Dogs

by Harry Hogue

 From the Editor: Last spring we received the following article from the 
staff of BLIND, Incorporated, the Minnesota affiliate's adult training 
center for the blind. It seemed appropriate to squirrel it away till cooler 
weather. Here it is, beginning with an introduction by BLIND, Inc.'s, 
assistant director, Dick Davis:

Most people think of Minneapolis, where Blindness: Learning In New 
Dimensions (BLIND), Inc., is located, as way up north. In fact it's on the 
edge of the agricultural southern quarter of the state, barely 100 miles 
from the Iowa border. But stretching 300 miles farther north to the Canadian 
border is a different land, a land of small towns, great distances, and 
wilderness areas populated by deer, bear, moose, and timberwolves (who 
ignore people).

It's a beautiful land of forests, glacier-sculpted hills and lakes, and low 
mountains like the Mesabi Iron Range, where a lot of the nation's iron ore 
is mined. It was settled by fur trappers, loggers, and miners, who used 
canoes, horses, and dogsleds to cover the miles between isolated villages. 
Those forms of transportation have been replaced by powerboats, SUVs, and 
snowmobiles, but some of the old ways still linger on.

We at BLIND, Inc., are always seeking over-the-top activities for our 
students to do that uniquely highlight Minnesota--like dogsledding. 
Dogsledding is still popular in northern Minnesota, although more as a sport 
than as a form of transportation (snowmobiles have taken its place). The 
annual John Beargrease Dogsled Race, which ends in Duluth, brings 
competitors from all over the country. Minnesota mushers travel north to 
Alaska to compete in the Iditarod, the famous Alaskan dogsled classic. 
People we know who've tried dogsledding have described it as a rush, so it 
seemed exactly what we were looking for.

After searching the Internet and making some phone calls, we discovered 
Krystal Kennels in Grand Rapids, 200 miles north of the Twin Cities. Joe and 
Robin Oberton, the owners, host a number of school, college, and corporate 
groups each winter. But would they let blind people drive the sleds? Sure! 
In fact they'd employed a blind dog handler, who now works in Fairbanks, 
Alaska. Joe said he'd stand on one runner, the student would stand on the 
other, and he'd describe the country they were passing through, give 
instructions, and tell when to turn and when to stop.

In fact he wanted our students involved in the complete experience: 
harnessing the dogs, holding them (they're strong) until the sled was ready 
to go, driving the sleds, and riding as passengers. It sounded like a good 
deal to us, so off we went to Grand Rapids, arriving at the Sawmill Inn 
about fifteen minutes before our orientation to dogsledding was to begin. We 
laughed when we saw the sign posted to the left of the door: "No Hockey 
Sticks Allowed." Welcome to Northern Minnesota.

Harry Hogue is a BLIND, Inc., student from Arkansas, a warmer place, where 
dogsledding is not a local phenomenon. We asked him to write an article for 
the Monitor, giving his impressions of the trip. This is what he wrote:

If someone were to ask me, "What one thing do you think you will do during 
your training at BLIND, Incorporated, that will surprise you?" I would never 
have thought to answer "dogsledding." Before the experience, like many other 
people, I really had no concept of what it involved. Only 10 percent of 
people have ever been dogsledding. All of the students, most of the staff, 
and the director went along for the fun, and everyone rode in and drove the 
sled. If the guides were nervous about having twenty-two blind people in 
control, they didn't show it. The only accommodation needed or provided was 
that one of the dog handlers stood behind us on the runners to provide 
directions and ensure that the dogs didn't lead any of us into trees, 
potholes, or snow banks.

Everyone had an incredible time; the only complaint was that it could have 
lasted longer. Because of the size of our group and the stamina of the dogs, 
we were outside for approximately three hours. This gave everyone at least 
one opportunity to ride and one opportunity to drive. Some people rode more 
than once.

I greatly enjoyed having the opportunity to drive the sled; the feeling of 
wind on your face is incredible, particularly considering that I had never 
before driven a vehicle under my own power. Everyone else expressed similar 
sentiments. Steve Decker, the computer instructor, said it was "an 
incredible experience!" Laura Oakgrove, Valerie Williams, Tavita 
Faasuamalie, and Jonathan McClung all agreed that it was "really nice," "a 
lot of fun," "really cool," and, in Jonathan's case, "It reminded me of 
Alaska."

So what happened before our sled rides? We started the adventure the day 
before with the drive to Grand Rapids in northern Minnesota, followed by an 
orientation to dogsledding immediately upon arrival at the hotel. Joe 
Oberton, the owner, with his wife Robin, of Krystal Kennels, led the 
orientation with energy and pride. He was enthusiastic about having blind 
people participate in riding and driving the sleds and showed clear pride in 
his dogs and their abilities.

At one point during his orientation, he said he was not unfamiliar with 
blindness. He remarked, in fact, that he had a legally blind dog handler 
work for him before she moved to Alaska. In addition he had a blind dog as 
part of the dog teams that we would meet the next day. After the orientation 
all of us enjoyed a nice dinner at the hotel restaurant, followed, for most 
of us, by an enjoyable swim in the indoor pool or a relaxing few minutes in 
the sauna. This relaxation was important, because, starting at 9:00 a.m. the 
next morning, we would be on our feet for the majority of the day.

Joe prepared us to meet the dogs by telling us that they would "scream" in 
eagerness to pull the sleds. It was a cacophony of noise with nearly forty 
dogs simultaneously vying for our attention. I found the dogs, despite my 
previous expectations, to be quite friendly.

After meeting the dogs, we followed Joe, Robin, and one of Joe's assistants 
to a local snowmobile trail that cut through the woods. While some students 
helped harness the dogs to prepare the team for the sleds, others discussed 
who would be first to ride or drive. Though some expressed nervousness 
initially about driving, once they had ridden, they were eager to try it.

I can't speak for everyone, but I found driving to be far more enjoyable 
than riding. It went deeper than a simple sled ride. It was a physical 
sensation of freedom that represented the fact that, despite blindness, I 
could do lots of things that I had previously thought impossible. The 
experience opened possibilities for employment, leisure activities, and so 
forth that I had never considered possible.

While none of us drove the sleds without a dog handler traveling behind us 
providing directions, this was the same as it would have been for anyone 
else. No one, blind or sighted, goes through life without accepting some 
form of assistance. Sighted people depend on directions in an unfamiliar 
city; blind people do the same. Sighted people depend on reading print to 
access materials; blind people depend on Braille.

Attitudes are the overarching determinant of success or failure for any 
individual in any stage of life. We would have had a different experience in 
Grand Rapids if Joe and Robin had not expressed their enthusiasm and 
confidence in blind people and if we had not been willing to find a way to 
participate in this activity. It is the same at BLIND, Incorporated. When I 
walk through the door each morning, I expect and receive a feeling of 
confidence from every instructor here. It is the attitude, "Of course you 
can. Why wouldn't you be able to?" This feeling-this attitude-naturally 
lends itself to success.

If you listen to something long enough, you will start to believe it. BLIND, 
Incorporated, is a six-to-nine-month adjustment-to-blindness training 
program for a reason: it takes much less time to acquire the skills of 
blindness than it does to acquire the positive attitudes that make those 
skills truly efficient and effective.

If someone hands me a piece of wood and says he or she would like me to make 
a project, I expect, because of my training, that I can. If someone gives me 
a recipe and requests that I prepare a meal, I expect, because of my 
training, that I can do so. If someone gives me directions to a place I have 
never been and asks me to bring something back, I expect, because of my 
training, that I can.

I do not worry about my performance; I will not worry about other people's 
perceptions of me. These days I worry only whether or not I am challenging 
myself. It seems to me that challenging yourself should be the goal of 
everyone, anywhere, regardless of life circumstances. As Harry Emerson 
Fosdick said, "The man who says it can't be done is generally interrupted by 
someone doing it."


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