[nagdu] Accommodations specific to guide dog teams

Tue Mar 30 01:40:57 UTC 2010

That totally  counts.

Albert J. Rizzi, M.Ed.
CEO/Founder
My Blind Spot, Inc.
90 Broad Street - 18th Fl.
New York, New York  10004
www.myblindspot.org
PH: 917-553-0347
Fax: 212-858-5759
"The person who says it cannot be done, shouldn't interrupt the one who is
doing it."

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-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Tamara Smith-Kinney
Sent: Monday, March 29, 2010 8:22 PM
To: 'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Accommodations specific to guide dog teams

Albert,

The buses on the routes in my old neighborhood and in the routes I would
take downtown or in the surrounds had space to put the dog under right up
front, so I would just find the closest seat in the honored citizen section
and sit down and tell her to go under, which she would do with a great
display of being put upon and inconvenienced.

So out here, the first time I took the bus from the MAX (light rail)
station, I got on the bus, sat down in the first available seat in the front
section, reminded Mitzi to go under and then started checking to make sure
all my stuff was with me and where it should be, that nothing unexpected was
in the seat or that I hadn't accidentally sat on someone...  Why I check for
that, I do not know, but I did once come close to sitting on a tiny, tiny
child in a movie theater thinking she must be a stray purse...  So now for
some reason, I guess I check to make sure I have not sat down on top of a
tiny child.  /smile/

I noticed that Mitzi was not going under but was standing in the middle of
the aisle kinda of dancing and giving me an odd grin, not like the one she
does when she's mocking me, but I couldn't be sure.  "Under," told her
irritably, still feeling around absent-mindedly, having now become aware of
a high pitched whine beside me that caused new concern I had sat down on a
small child.  A woman's voice answered calmly from the other side of the
child, so I gave another under command and grabbed my dog's stubborn butt to
shove it under the seat since she was being so obstinate...  

Oh.  Guees what?  There *was* no under.  I noticed that the whining had
increased and that it had something to do with a doggy.  The mother remained
calm, explaining quietly to her child about the doggy, so I realized the
tiny child was, in fact, sitting right beside me and was terrifed of my
doggy, in particular.  The one I couldn't put under the seat and who was
stuck in the middle what seemed to be an extra-narrow aisle.  /lol/  That's
what I get for assuming the bus I get on is the same model as the ones I am
used to, I guess.  We were coming home from a very long day's trip, and I
wasn't feeling particularly in the mood for all this sudden confusing and
need for problem solving.  The bus was rolling now, so I didn't want to do a
lot of romping around in the process of finding a better place to sit, and
the bus was fairly deserted, so the only person I could ask for information
was busy calming her child about the doggy.  OMG!

So I decided to move to the other side of the narrow aisle and a couple of
seats down in case I found a place to put the dog there where she would not
be so terrifying.  /lol/  No luck, naturally, and my long, narrow dog was
still stuck in the middle of the aisle right in front of the kid.

I was still considering my next move, when the kid gasped so loudly I looked
to make sure the terrifying doggy had not, in fact, attacked him.  "MOMMY!"
he shrieked at the top of his lungs.  "The doggy has EYES!"  /rotfl/  "Yes,"
she replied calmly.  "The doggy does have eyes."  I have a feeling she spent
a lot of time with the tiny one saying things calmly.

"She's *soft*!" he exclaimed excitedly.

I looked at my dog, whom I could even see a little better because of the
change of light as the bus turned a corner.  I remembered that she was
definitely due for a trim and that, in fact, it was impossible for anyone to
see her nearly black poodle eyes in their nest of curly black poodle hair.
Which is, I admit, very soft.  I guess she had brushed his leg in passing
with a curl.  So now he loved her and had to pet her and, well, anyway, I
gave up trying to find a proper place where she could under the seat, since
we were the only ones on the bus anyway.

I'm not sure if any of that counts as "educating" about guide dogs to allay
fears, but it was really funny!  The kid was no less piping and loud when he
was excited in love as he has been in the grips of terror.  Apparently, he
was just naturally excitable.  /lol/

I now make it a practice to always sit at least several seats back from the
front of any TriMet bus, just in case it's one of the ones with no "under"
and with a shrieking child nearby.

Tami Smith-Kinney

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Albert J Rizzi
Sent: Saturday, March 27, 2010 4:41 AM
To: 'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Accommodations specific to guide dog teams

In new york city our seats at the very front of the bus have a great hiding
space for my dog. I always ask for that so he is out of the way and not at
risk of getting stepped  on. if there is a dseat for me fine, if not tthen I
ask the person sitting if my dog could crawl under and then I stand and
enjoy the ride. I only had one instance where a child became fearful and the
mother simply moved to the back of the bus.

Albert J. Rizzi, M.Ed.
CEO/Founder
My Blind Spot, Inc.
90 Broad Street - 18th Fl.
New York, New York  10004
www.myblindspot.org
PH: 917-553-0347
Fax: 212-858-5759
"The person who says it cannot be done, shouldn't interrupt the one who is
doing it."

Visit us on Facebook LinkedIn

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Jewel S.
Sent: Friday, March 26, 2010 10:19 PM
To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Subject: [nagdu] Accommodations specific to guide dog teams

We have talked about APPS, quiet cars, and the white cane laws. All of
these are important for blind people in general. I am curious now,
what sorts of accommodations do guide dog teams specifically feel are
important?

I have seen the need for a "relief area" in airports, at hotels, and
the like. What other accommodations do guide dog teams use
specifically? Do you have any trouble walking in certain areas with
your guide dog? What about using the restroom (do you use the large
stall so your dog can come in, too?) On the bus, do you ever need to
ask for an accommodation because there is no under-space? If someone
on the bus doesn't like your dog being there, do you require the
accommodation of being allowed to remain on, or do you just get off if
they go crazy about it?

I know this a broad topic, but I would love to see people's thoughts.
What would you like to see? It doesn't have to be something already in
place or already being fought for. What do *you* want/need?

Hoping for a better conversation (and some education),
Jewel

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