[nagdu] once in a lifetime trip to jail

[Danielle Montour]

That's great! I'm glad you got to go! Could you Email me your 
paper when you're finished?

Danni

 ----- Original Message -----
From: "Marsha Drenth" <marsha.drenth at gmail.com
To: "'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog 
Users'" <nagdu at nfbnet.org
Date sent: Sat, 23 Oct 2010 22:37:53 -0400
Subject: [nagdu] once in a lifetime trip to jail

Hi All,

My trip to Jail happened.  It was a once in a life time sort of 
trip.  Emma
was the most well behaved dog ever, and no one at the prison gave 
us any
trouble.  My professor was a worry wart about it on the way 
there, mainly
that the general message that I was permitted in, had not reached 
the prison
it self.  We met with 4 inmates, who share their stories with us.  
We were
also able to ask questions, as well have a tour of the prison.  
It was in
total about a 2 mile walk around.  On the way there, my professor 
and I
shared the access issue with them all, and every single one of 
them was
behind me.  And knew that even though, granted a small chance, 
once we
arrived, I could still be denied, told me later, that they would 
have stayed
behind with me, to protest the injustice.  I made some great 
friends from the
trip with the students.  And of course not only did I learn a lot 
but they
did too.  I am so happy I got to go, now I know what it was like, 
I would
have been missing out on a incredible experience.  I not only 
educated the
prison system, but the other students, and my professor.  I have 
to write up
a paper for my political science class, and will use that as a 
journal
entry.  Once I get that done, if anyone wants to read, I will 
email it to
them directly.

Thank you, to all of you for the support.  Thank you, to Marion, 
for working
hard to help the state change their minds.

If I can stress anything to anyone about this trip.  Yes all that 
was
involved in me actually being able to go, was stressful.  Yes, I 
had to make
a big stink about it.  Yes I stood up for my rights.  But see 
there in that,
is what it really means to change what it means to be blind.  My 
professor,
learned more about me and blindness and generally about guide 
dogs.  The
college learned, that blind people can visit a prison on a field 
trip.  I
showed the prison system, about civil rights, and about 
blindness.  I showed
the students about civil rights, standing up for those rights, 
and a
invaluable amount of information about blindness and guide dogs.  
Before all
of those people had different ideas of a blind person, about 
guide dogs, and
maybe about me.  Now they do not, and little old me, has changed 
those
thoughts.  Wow it is incredible what I have done.  Never did I 
think I was
ever going to be put into such a position.  But as blind people, 
as guide dog
users, we have/must/should to fight, stand up for our rights 
every single
day.  So its just all in a days work LOL

Marsha


__________ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of 
virus signature
database 5558 (20101023) __________

The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus.

http://www.eset.com



_______________________________________________
nagdu mailing list
nagdu at nfbnet.org
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info 
for nagdu:
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/hypoplexer
%40gmail.com