[nagdu] once in a lifetime trip to jail

Jenine Stanley jeninems at wowway.com
Sun Oct 24 15:22:41 UTC 2010


Congratulations Marsha for this victory and thanks for your very eloquent
retelling of your trip. To paraphrase a saying, "Advocacy isn't always
efficient, easy or pretty."It's usually more effective when it isn't any of
those things too. Great job!

Jenine Stanley
jeninems at wowway.com


-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Marsha Drenth
Sent: Saturday, October 23, 2010 10:38 PM
To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
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
 

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