[nagdu] GPS Training

Tue Feb 8 01:06:55 UTC 2011

Every day I feel special,
Just not in the ice department giggle.

Original message:
> Yikes!  Hugs!  The news is so caught up with all the ice everywhere else and
> the other extremes and snow over on the more populated side the country, I
> guess we figure y'all in Montana are used to it, so it's not news.  Do you
> feel special?  /smile/

> I feel bad for everybody, except us west coasters, who are having a
> spectacularly non newsworthy winter.  Just our usual, dull, gray, wet and by
> now tedious usual.  At least I get a break or two from cabin fever without
> freezing for the most part.

> Hang in there!  And be ready to harness up that dog and go when the ice
> melts!

> Tami Smith-Kinney

> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
> Of d m gina
> Sent: Monday, February 07, 2011 9:42 AM
> To: nagdu at nfbnet.org
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] GPS Training

> The breeze will wear out here with so much ice.
> Unreal.
> When the sighted start complaining about the ice, you know it has to be bad.
> The worst for Montana they say in many years.

> Original message:
>> Dar,

>> Who knows?  Maybe one of these upgrades, the GPS will tell you where the
> ice
>> is, so you can go around.  Ha!

>> I wonder if I could learn how to translate what the GPS is telling me when
> I
>> don't always listen to what my dog is telling me.  I had a heck of a time
>> convicing her to guide me down what I was convinced was a nice wide
> alleyway
>> as a shortcut and gave her all sorts of grief for not turning right, then
>> for not wanting to go forward, then for going forward so slowly and was
> just
>> kinda nagging and whining and insisting.  So she finally gave in and
> geared
>> up into poodle speed and I clicked away happily and gushed over how good
> she
>> was, then yiped when she stopped dead in the middle of the "block" and
> would
>> not move at all.  I carped and whined and threatened and made her do push
>> ups and felt with my foot for a curb or steps or something in case she
>> wasn't just being obnoxious for no reason.  Then I finally inched forward
>> with my feet, feeling in front of me...

>> Which is how I found the brick wall she was rebelliously not running me
>> into.  Poor dog.  I think in her place, I would have thrown me into the
>> stupid thing headfirst and snuck off to find a quiet life in the country.

>> Thing about Mitzi.  That dog can say "I told you so" for days.

>> Tami Smith-Kinney

>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
>> Of d m gina
>> Sent: Sunday, February 06, 2011 8:47 PM
>> To: nagdu at nfbnet.org
>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] GPS Training

>> Because I have my own breeze they won't let me come up giggle.
>> So much more I could learn I'm sure.
>> Now if the ice would melt.
>> Gee

>> Original message:
>>> Jeanine,

>>> Will the foundation be considering refresher courses or webinars with the
>>> new upgrades?

>>> Albert J. Rizzi, M.Ed.
>>> 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 Jenine Stanley
>>> Sent: Sunday, February 06, 2011 7:49 PM
>>> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
>>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] GPS Training

>>> 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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>> nagdu:

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>> nagdu:

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>>> org

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>> nagdu:

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>> --
>> --Dar
>> skype: dmgina23
>>   FB: dmgina
>> www.twitter.com/dmgina
>> every saint has a past
>> every sinner has a future

> --
> --Dar
> skype: dmgina23
>   FB: dmgina
> www.twitter.com/dmgina
> every saint has a past
> every sinner has a future

-- 
--Dar
skype: dmgina23
  FB: dmgina
www.twitter.com/dmgina
every saint has a past
every sinner has a future

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