[nagdu] Man's dogs will set blind kids free

cheryl echevarria cherylandmaxx at hotmail.com
Fri May 14 17:29:43 UTC 2010


I was trying to state that but the wording wasn't there.

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: "Albert J Rizzi" <albert at myblindspot.org>
To: "'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, May 14, 2010 12:29 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Man's dogs will set blind kids free


> Well said.
>
> 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 Linda Gwizdak
> Sent: Friday, May 14, 2010 12:11 PM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Man's dogs will set blind kids free
>
> Hey guys,
> The important thing is that people get themselves around. NFB former
> president Ken Jernigan put it real clear in an article I think he wrote
> sometime in the 1980s - I saw it in the mid 1990s.  He said that there are
> many ways a person can be independent no matter what method they use.
> Sighted guide, dog, white cane. He said that independence is determined by 
> a
>
> person's ability to use whatever resource at whatever appropriate time the
> person chooses.  The article was written when someone criticized Jernigan
> for using a sighted guide while walking to a meeting during a convention.
> He knew how to use a white cane but he also needed to converse with the
> person while enroute to a meeting so he went sighted guide with the person
> so they could converse.
>
> I think too many people, myself included, tend to judge people when they 
> use
>
> another form of mobility than what we prefer for ourselves. The important
> thing is that people use what is at their disposal to accomplish a task.
>
> I have also seen and heard critisism of the members of NFB for some 
> members'
>
> intolerance of those whose skills are less than stellar.  People are
> individuals and have varied skill levels for whatever reason. Whether you
> get yourself around by sighted guide, paratransit, cane,or dog - the
> important thing is that the person is getting himself around, period.
>
> So, please, let's quit giving people a hard time about their skill levels 
> or
>
> mobility methods.  We all have bigger and better things to work on and we
> need to embrace all blind people as we all endure the same discrimination.
> BTW, I am not afraid to use my cane and leave my dog at home at times.
> (grin!)  I also go sighted guide at times as well when I deem it
> appropriate.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Lyn and Landon
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Albert J Rizzi" <albert at myblindspot.org>
> To: "'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'"
> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Friday, May 14, 2010 7:06 AM
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Man's dogs will set blind kids free
>
>
> > Here here
> >
> > 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 Pickrell, Rebecca M (TASC)
> > Sent: Friday, May 14, 2010 10:04 AM
> > To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> > Subject: Re: [nagdu] Man's dogs will set blind kids free
> >
> > Isn't it each individual's choice though? Why do you get to tell someone
> > he/she is less independent if they use assistance when you may not?
> > Assumming that they have actively chosen this method or that they do it
> > based on other circumstances, why is it your or anybody else's job to
> > tell them they are doing something wrong?
> > Aren't you doing the same thing as the reporter by saying that people
> > who choose to use other assistance when their dog is sick or retired are
> > helpless? They aren't helpless, they have used resources and decision
> > making processes to solve a problem differently then you would.
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> > Behalf Of cheryl echevarria
> > Sent: Friday, May 14, 2010 8:26 AM
> > To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> > Subject: Re: [nagdu] Man's dogs will set blind kids free
> >
> > Michelle:  Totally understand, some of us walk faster with a dog and
> > feel
> > more independent, but at the same time, what happens with those people
> > that
> > when there dog retires or gets sick, they can't leave the house or have
> > to
> > wait for someone.  I use my cane and always keep up my skills, I don't
> > always take the dog so that I can keep up my skills.
> >
> >
> > 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: "Michelle" <m-johnson at bigpond.com>
> > To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users"
> > <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> > Sent: Friday, May 14, 2010 7:56 PM
> > Subject: Re: [nagdu] Man's dogs will set blind kids free
> >
> >
> >> Sorry, but although I agree with some of the stuff you said, there are
> >
> >> other
> >> bits I disagree with. Without trying to be rude of offensive, sure
> > most
> >> blind people aren't pitiful, but some are. And excuse me, but I'm one
> > of
> >> the
> >> blind people, the few I might add, that despite being instructed by a
> >> professional instructor, getting around wasn't as good a deal as when
> > I
> >> got
> >> my guide dog. I had trouble with my white cane, it didn't stop me from
> >> bumping me into stuff most of the time, because as a total, how can I
> > know
> >> when to suddenly put my hands up to protect myself all of a sudden? My
> > dog
> >> prevents that and rarely lets me bump into things. Being blind isn't
> > so
> >> easy
> >> for some, and I don't like how some people on here have decided that
> > just
> >> because they get angry with the stuff in the article and the like,
> > they
> >> can
> >> say that blind people aren't so pitiful. As a whole they're probably
> > not,
> >> but please don't forget the ones who are having trouble, despite all
> > the
> >> help! (Stern but not intentionally rude and judgmental).
> >>
> >> Michelle
> >> ----- 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, May 14, 2010 1:44 AM
> >> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Man's dogs will set blind kids free
> >>
> >>
> >> >    I'm sorry, but this whole perception of the pitiful blind person
> >> > whose
> >> > life would be depressing and worthless without a guide dog only
> > serves
> >> > to
> >> > reinforce the assertion that such organizations as Mira Foundation
> > are
> >> > less
> >> > interested in disseminating accurate information about blindness and
> >
> >> > more
> >> > concerned with saying whatever they need to say in order to gain
> > support
> >> > for
> >> > their cause! I have never counted steps in my 30 years as a blind
> > person
> >> > and
> >> > can't even tell you if I know a blind person who does! And why did
> > this
> >> > guy
> >> > run into light poles? Perhaps because he had absolutely no O&M
> >> > instruction
> >> > before getting a guide dog!
> >> >    Such drivvle only serves to marginalize those blind people who do
> > not
> >> > use a guide dog, which happens to be the vast majority of the blind!
> >> > Furthermore, the schools that do not give guide dogs to young people
> > do
> >> > so
> >> > with very sound reasoning. However, one thing better than a poor
> > pitiful
> >> > blind man is a "poor pitiful blind child" to get donors to dig
> > deeply
> >> > into
> >> > their pockets! Ugh! JMHO!
> >> >
> >> > Fraternally yours,
> >> > Marion Gwizdala
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > ----- Original Message ----- 
> >> > From: "Ginger Kutsch" <gingerKutsch at yahoo.com>
> >> > To: "'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog
> > Users'"
> >> > <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> >> > Sent: Thursday, May 13, 2010 8:22 AM
> >> > Subject: [nagdu] Man's dogs will set blind kids free
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >> Man's dogs will set blind kids free
> >> >> Published Thu, May 13, 2010 05:02 AM
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >> SOUTHERN PINES -- As a blind man, Bob Baillie walks down busy
> >> >> Broad Street often enough to know it is 75 steps from the corner
> >> >> of Pennsylvania Avenue to the first dip in the sidewalk. When he
> >> >> hits the first crack, it's 60 steps to the corner.
> >> >>
> >> >> This intimacy with the concrete would be impossible without
> >> >> Devon, a 110-pound Bernese mountain dog who works for cookies and
> >> >> ear scratches. Before Devon, Baillie would knock into light
> >> >> poles, wander into traffic and curse the surgical accident that
> >> >> left him in the dark three years ago.
> >> >>
> >> >> Freed and inspired by his wet-nosed companion, Baillie, a
> >> >> Southern Pines businessman, decided to connect blind people
> >> >> nationwide with their own guide dogs, focusing on children as
> >> >> young as 11. In a little more than a year, his Aberdeen-based
> >> >> Mira Foundation USA has arranged trained animals for an
> >> >> 11-year-old girl and a 17-year-old boy, and five North Carolina
> >> >> teenagers wait in the pipeline.
> >> >>
> >> >> "I thought it was a wonderful idea," said Cricket Bidleman, the
> >> >> 11-year old, in San Diego. "I'll be a lot safer at school, and
> >> >> I'll have a friend to talk to at home."
> >> >>
> >> >> Baillie's work is expensive and uncommon. Guide dogs cost roughly
> >> >> $60,000 once training is complete, putting their help beyond the
> >> >> reach of many families. Also, guide dog groups often require that
> >> >> blind children be 16 or at least in high school before getting
> >> >> dogs, making rare exceptions.
> >> >>
> >> >> For Baillie, it's a chance to lift depression out of his own life
> >> >> and fill a gap for potentially hundreds more. He hopes his
> >> >> foundation will grow into a charity that places 30 dogs a year,
> >> >> one wagging tail at a time.
> >> >>
> >> >> "Very few of us get the opportunity to really do something for
> >> >> human beings," said Baillie, 66. "Just the fact that you can get
> >> >> up in the morning, grab your dog and go for a walk by yourself."
> >> >>
> >> >> In North Carolina, more than 200,000 people report visual loss, a
> >> >> definition that runs from total blindness to serious difficulty
> >> >> seeing even while wearing glasses, according to a 2008 report
> >> >> from the American Foundation for the Blind.
> >> >>
> >> >> Of that group, more than 11,000 are ages 5 to 17.
> >> >>
> >> >> Blind children aren't typically thought to be mature enough to
> >> >> handle a guide dog before they're 16, though exceptions have been
> >> >> made for 14-year-olds, said William Krol, spokesman for the New
> >> >> York-based Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind.
> >> >>
> >> >> "When you're a guide dog handler, you have a commitment not only
> >> >> to yourself, but also to your dog," he said.
> >> >>
> >> >> Sally Bidleman, Cricket's mom, argued that guide dogs should be
> >> >> provided according to need and ability rather than age. She tried
> >> >> every agency in the country, she said, before finding Mira.
> >> >> Cricket navigates the halls of her school, including the stairs,
> >> >> on her own each day. When her dog arrives this summer, the school
> >> >> will hold an assembly to orient Cricket's classmates on how to
> >> >> approach her companion.
> >> >>
> >> >> "It's like somebody getting eyes, almost," she said. "It's like
> >> >> getting another sense."
> >> >>
> >> >> 'You'd rather be dead'
> >> >>
> >> >> Baillie's blindness struck three years ago during what was
> >> >> supposed to be a simple bypass surgery. The incision cut an
> >> >> artery, he said, and he lost blood to his eyes while he bled. He
> >> >> knew the surgery might be fatal but never received any warning
> >> >> about blindness. To date, Baillie has received no compensation
> >> >> and believes he will have to fight to get any.
> >> >>
> >> >> "Taking a choice between croaking and being blind," Baillie said,
> >> >> "for the first couple of days, you'd rather be dead. Try crossing
> >> >> the street with your eyes closed."
> >> >>
> >> >> Before the surgery, Baillie worked in both dentistry and real
> >> >> estate. For the first year, he struggled with a cane, forcing
> >> >> himself to listen to traffic - a requirement, he said, for
> >> >> getting a dog.
> >> >>
> >> >> "He would just plow into things and he never slowed down," said
> >> >> Kathy Szyja, his director of operations at Mira. "He needed this
> >> >> dog to keep him safe."
> >> >>
> >> >> Devon came from the Mira Foundation in Quebec, and while Baillie
> >> >> was there, learning to walk with him, he learned that children in
> >> >> America rarely get dogs. When he asked about it, he said, he
> >> >> heard an it's-always-been-that-way explanation. So borrowing the
> >> >> Canadian name for his own group, he started Mira USA.
> >> >>
> >> >> 'Dinner in the Dark'
> >> >>
> >> >> It operates as a nonprofit out of an office in Aberdeen with
> >> >> minimal staff. Fundraiser meals and runs boosted its treasury.
> >> >> Now, to raise money, Mira hosts dinners (there's one on Friday)
> >> >> where the guests eat blindfolded. The dogs all come from Mira in
> >> >> Canada and a lot of the expense comes from flying eligible
> >> >> children to Canada, and the trainers to their homes. As Mira
> >> >> grows in Moore County, Baillie hopes to train dogs there.
> >> >>
> >> >> For now, he and Devon rise each morning and make the three-mile
> >> >> trek from his horse-country house to downtown Southern Pines. For
> >> >> the first mile, there are no sidewalks. Before they reach a
> >> >> sidewalk, Baillie and Devon cross four streets.
> >> >>
> >> >> But on Broad Street, everyone knows them.
> >> >>
> >> >> "When you see a person walking up and down the street with a
> >> >> cane," Baillie said, "you're not likely to say hello. But when
> >> >> you walk up and down the street with a dog, let me tell you, it
> >> >> makes a huge difference. People driving by will roll down their
> >> >> window and yell, 'Hey, Devon!' Never mind Bob."
> >> >>
> >> >> Staff researcher David Raynor contributed to this report.
> >> >>
> >> >> josh.shaffer at newsobserver.com or 919-829-4818
> >> >> Source:
> >> >> http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/05/13/v-print/479987/mans-dogs-s
> >> >> et-blind-kids-free.html
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >> Ginger Bennett Kutsch
> >> >> Morristown, NJ
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >> _______________________________________________
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> >>
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