[nagdu] GPS Training

[d m gina]

Yes I do feel it is needed, because when you go home you will be using 
the Trekker as well as the dog.
No different than if you went to a different state and all was new to you.
The Trekker would come with you and you would use it.
I know many who do it this way.

Original message:
> 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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>> --
>> --Dar
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>> www.twitter.com/dmgina
>> every saint has a past
>> every sinner has a future

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-- 
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  FB: dmgina
www.twitter.com/dmgina
every saint has a past
every sinner has a future

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