[nagdu] presentation about blindness

Wed Mar 17 15:52:38 UTC 2010

Julie,

That was a good description.  And I agree about learning good cane travel
and other adaptive skills first!  I confess I complained and moaned and
groaned about the inconveniences of cane travel and rhapsodized to myself
about how wonderful a dog would be when the time came, but...  I know that I
needed the cane travel to learn and solidify my O&M skills and to learn to
process my environment nonvisually.  Learning to listen to what the cane was
telling me while also learning to listen and smell and feel what everything
else was telling me was really hard, but really necessary.  Then, of course,
I had to re-adjust to having my dog take me around things I used to find and
figure out with my cane.  /lol/

I guess I've been doing it long enough that neither feels like all the work
it used to, and I just go out with my cane now and then to keep up my
skills.  I definitely prefer dog.

I'm still a little surprised when someone says something that reminds me
they assume my dog takes care of me.  /lol/  I mean, I think she's a pretty
amazing critter, but even she has her limits!

I'm interesting in hearing about your presentation to the Lion's Club about
owner-training.  Will you share your presentation when you have it done?  

Tami Smith-Kinney

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Julie J
Sent: Tuesday, March 16, 2010 12:27 PM
To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Subject: Re: [nagdu] presentation about blindness

Mark,

My impressions of sighted people's take on cane vs. dog is probably not very

accurate, but I'll give it a go.

I think sighted folks view the dog as taking care of the person.  this is 
very reassuring to many people.  It's not true, but I think it's the reason 
why so many newly blind adults are encouraged to get a dog very soon after 
loosing their vision.   I cannot count the number of times I have told newly

blind people that they really need to take some time to learn some skills 
before getting a dog.  Because a dog isn't going to help you match your 
clothes, balance your checkbook or tell you when the chicken is done.  the 
dog will add on additional responsibilities that the person just can't cope 
with at that time.  An example...if you haven't figured out how to brush 
your teeth, how are you going to brush the dog?  Kind of a harsh reality 
check.

I also think that sighted people don't understand the fundamental difference

between using a cane vs. a dog.  With a cane you need to make contact with 
your environment to figure it out.  With a dog you figure out the 
environment by what the dog avoids.  When the cane taps something you know 
it's there, but the dog will stop or move around the object.  Both work 
fine, but sighted people are used to no contact, so to them the dog appears 
to be the preferred method of mobility.

Interesting stuff.  I'm looking forward to hearing how your presentation 
goes.  I am talking about owner training to the local Lions club next week. 
I'm glad you brought up the topic.  It's helping me prepare for my 
presentation too!

Julie

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mark J. Cadigan" <kramc11 at gmail.com>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, March 16, 2010 7:14 AM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] presentation about blindness

>I am not currently a guide dog user. I am in the application process. But 
>guide dogs were one of the things they were interested in. another thing 
>is, I was curious about the sighted impressions of cane users verses dog 
>users.
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Jennifer L Finley" <jenniferfinley at embarqmail.com>
> To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Tuesday, March 16, 2010 3:18 AM
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] presentation about blindness
>
>
>> Mark when do you have to give the presentation?  Maby you can show them 
>> how you use both the cane and the dog.  I use to talk to a pree school 
>> class, and I got all kinds of questions.  I had a lot of people ask me if

>> I could drive.  I showed them how I use my cane, and they wanted to try 
>> it.
>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>> From: "Mark J. Cadigan" <kramc11 at gmail.com>
>> To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
>> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Monday, March 15, 2010 6:11 PM
>> Subject: [nagdu] presentation about blindness
>>
>>
>>> Does anyone recognize a difference in the way people act towards you 
>>> when you have a cane verses a dog? What about when you have no blindness

>>> mobility devices with you? I have to give a presentation about blindness

>>> to a class of 5th graders, and I was wondering how to make them 
>>> understand that someone with a mobility device is no different than 
>>> anyone else. I think they are more afraid of the fact that I carry a 
>>> cane, than the fact that I am blind.
>>>
>>> PS why are people so afraid of blindness?
>>>
>>>
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>>
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