[nagdu] GPS Training

Mon Feb 7 05:00:22 UTC 2011

I don't really think that using a GPS when training with a new dog is the 
best idea, even if you are not a first timer. You really need to focus on 
your dog, not a piece of technology.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "d m gina" <dmgina at samobile.net>
To: <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Sunday, February 06, 2011 8:43 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] GPS Training

>I hope the folks catch on as well as I did, learning how to put in 
>addresses.
> Now will instructors let folks who have the breeze use it in training?
> Especially getting a new dog?
> I think that would be so cool if they did. I know it would be.
> I know I would ask.
>
> Original message:
>> Lisa,
>
>
>
>> That was a great explanation of our Trekker Breeze training. We've 
>> modified
>> it slightly for the recent upgrades and now will include evening lectures 
>> on
>> how to put in addresses from the device and your computer.
>
>
>
>> We work in Port Jefferson, Long Island for much of the training now and 
>> have
>> one fun exercise that really does show you where your trust should lie.
>
>
>
>> There is a very nice pier you can walk along that juts out into the 
>> sound.
>> We have you create a landmark on shore then walk out on the pier. The
>> walkway takes a couple bends though. Then we have you use the Breeze to
>> navigate back to that landmark. Well, since you are in an open area off 
>> the
>> street grid, the Breeze gives you directions by clock face angles. If you
>> were to follow them, you'd be very wet, very quickly. <grin>
>
>
>
>> Our motto during the training is Dog, Gut, Trekker, to describe the order 
>> in
>> which you should trust incoming info as you travel.
>
>
>
>> When we set up the training, we decided to use other blind people to do 
>> the
>> teaching of the classroom and some street work with guide dog instructors
>> and volunteers assisting on the streets to observe dog behavior and 
>> safety
>> issues.
>
>
>
>> I can't wait to get our next series of classes going in April. I love
>> training folks with the device.
>
>
>
>> Jenine Stanley
>
>> jeninems at wowway.com
>
>
>
>> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On 
>> Behalf
>> Of Lisa belville
>> Sent: Sunday, February 06, 2011 7:28 PM
>> To: national guide dog
>> Subject: [nagdu] GPS Training
>
>
>
>> Okay, I'll try to combine all of the Breeze questions into one hopefully 
>> not
>> so long missive.  I was in one of the several pilot classes the GDF
>> conducted last year, so my info may be out of date due to their modifying
>> the class.  Also, the Breeze has had several firmware updates over the 
>> past
>> year, so they'll need to incorporate that into the current training.
>
>> Jenine Stanley works for the GDF and so can probably answer any questions
>> more thoroughly.
>
>> First, the Breeze training at the GDF is only open to GDF grads.  Grads 
>> have
>> to have been working with their dog for at least six months and have 
>> gelled
>> as a team.
>
>> You fill out an application giving specifics about where you live, what
>> kinds of environments you live in and if you live close to geographical
>> features like mountains, large lakes, etc..  This might sound trivial, 
>> but
>> features like this can cause the GPS to not work accurately or not at
>> all,depending on the circumstance.
>
>> They also ask about your hearing and how fast you can walk because these 
>> can
>> also affect working with a GPS.
>
>> The training is just over two days.  The class begins on a Monday evening
>> and technically ends on a Wednesday evening, but most people didn't 
>> actually
>> leave the foundation until the next morning.
>
>> We got the manual and other Breeze documentation Emailed a week or so 
>> before
>> the class so we could read the manual and familiarize ourselves with
>> concepts, terminology, etc.  This really didn't help me much as far as
>> orientation to the keypad because I'm the kind of person who needs to 
>> feel
>> what's being described as it's being described.
>
>> They give out the units the evening everyone arrives and spend time with
>> orientation to the buttons and how to adjust the volume, voice rate and
>> pitch, etc.  This is so you can reliably find buttons while walking with 
>> the
>> dog or find a voice rate and volume that's comfortable for you so you 
>> won't
>> have to fiddle with it during training.
>
>> There are two blind instructors and a sighted person to drive the van and
>> give additional information about surroundings, etc..  One blind 
>> instructor
>> walks with us and explains why the Breeze says what it does when it does.
>> The other one hangs out in the van with the other Breeze students and 
>> does
>> one on one demonstrations and explanations if anyone wants it.
>
>> The next day we start by doing different routes in different areas.
>> Smithtown and the surrounding area is fairly diverse so people get a 
>> chance
>> to see how it operates while walking down a busy sidewalk full of 
>> overhangs,
>> trees and glass store fronts. We cross all kinds of intersections with 
>> very
>> rounded curbs, diagonal crossings, T intersections, etc.  The Breeze 
>> might
>> give some inaccurate information about what street you're on if the curb 
>> is
>> really rounded, so that's why the various street crossings are included.
>
>> We go through the process of making landmarks, creating routes to 
>> landmarks,
>> using routes in a vehicle or on foot, backtracking, making landmarks 
>> while
>> using the Breeze when it's off the street grid and relying only on as the
>> crow flies directions, and using those to find off the grid landmarks.
>
>> They also explain a bit of how the GPS works and how using GPS for 
>> someone
>> with no vision who is walking is a bit different than how a GPS in a car
>> operates.  IMO, this is one of the most important parts of the training
>> because we learn the limitations of the GPS and how to compensate for not
>> having the ability to glance around and take in surroundings to verify 
>> what
>> the GPS is or isn't telling you.
>
>> Judging by some of the questions I've seen on the various technology 
>> list,
>> not knowing how the GPS works, combined with not being familiar with the
>> local area can be very frustrating for people, especially if they got the
>> GPS under the impression it would guide them right to a door with step by
>> step directions.  Yes, the Breeze is as accurate as a mainstream GPS, but
>> mainstream GPSs don't get sighted people to the door of their houses, but
>> can be several feet off even though the Breeze alerts them that they're 
>> at
>> the landmark.  The Breeze uses the same maps and GPS features as 
>> mainstream
>> products,; there are just more specific tools to help blind people.  For
>> example, it will not always work if you're in a city with tall buildings
>> because it was originally designed to work using a vehicle that was,
>> presumably on a road with clear access to the sky.  The Buildings block 
>> the
>> signal so you may not always get an accurate estimate of where you're 
>> going
>> unless you move closer to the street.  It will not work reliably inside 
>> most
>> buildings.  It can't get you precisely to a door, especially if that door 
>> is
>> under a roof because the signal is blocked or if the signal is bouncing 
>> off
>> reflective objects like windows or water.  This is why You need to know 
>> what
>> the unit is telling you, along with the information you're getting from 
>> your
>> dog and your own senses in order to know if you're getting the correct
>> information from the GPS., they wanted us to know how the unit acted with
>> these situations so we knew when to rely on the unit and when not to.  It
>> was emphasized several times that the GPS, just like the dog, is another
>> tool in the tool box and that all of them operate independently of each
>> other.
>
>> It's like any other technology.  Some people are very tech savvy and can
>> grasp new concepts and incorporate them into how they're already working
>> while some can't.  Toni did a good job of explaining how the GPS and the 
>> dog
>> work together and how this does take some practice.  Some people may not
>> grasp this as quickly, or realize that if they stop long enough they 
>> could
>> lose their current GPS fix.  Some people may only take the time to learn 
>> the
>> basics of their equipment and either not feel comfortable or just put off
>> using the advanced functions.
>
>> The GDF wants people to get the full benefit of the Breeze and how it can
>> enhance the dog/human partnership.  They pack a lot into the two day
>> training so that we can hit the ground running back home.
>
>> Lisa
>
>
>
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