[nagdu] Discrimination

Tami Kinney tamara.8024 at comcast.net
Fri Jul 22 03:21:03 UTC 2011


Gloria,

I am glad you found my sharing of what I've learned in my relatively
short time as a guide dog user helpful. It doesn't seem like that long
ago that I was new to the list, not as a prospective guide dog user but
as a person with a brand new blank slate poodle pup she intended to
train as a guide dog. /lol/ Boy, was I relieved to be greeted by Julie,
a successful first-time owner-trainer and guide dog user. Then by Rox,
another guide/service dog owner-trainer and Ann, who had trained her own
miniature horse guide and... Whew! While I was exploring guide dog
schools, I had gotten pretty tired of the negativity I was getting from
VR and mobility counselors I asked about the subject and also some of
the people whom I contacted at the schools themselves. People at my work
back then wer really supportive, as were most of the people in my
private life. Except for my then husband, who is now my ex. /evil grin/
Still, when I found the right poodle puppy, more out of serendipity and
luck than out of any knowledgeable and diligent search on my part, I
decided to train her myself. People who knew me assumed that this was a
perfectly reasonable idea, but by then I had moved to a place with an
affordable independent public transport system and, I still hoped, more
career building job opportunities... And the agency was just about to
break another set of promises and breach the second IPW... So I was
trying to deal with them and therefore had all that wonderful extra
extreme negativity from them.  Good griefQ

It was hard for me, even though I'm pretty easy going, to sometimes not
project the tones of those ultra-negative, always demeaning types onto
answers to my questions or to advice given, I will admit.  Still, I
learned a lot from it and answering some of those questions and then
discussing the subject whit the person who asked them taught a whole lot
about guide dog use to apply to my pup's socialization and foundation
basic training as well as to her progress in becoming the wonderful
working guide she is now. So hang in there. As people come to know you,
and you them, you will find that their questions about you and the
reasons behind your questions to the list is their way of finding out
information to give you better answers. And, as others have mentioned,
we each have our own style. /smile/ I recently changed to a new
operating system and thus a new e-mail program and screen reader. Which
doesn't presently read the sender and subject information in my list of
e-mails. This made me crazy at first, until I realized that most of the
time, I don't really need that information to tell me who wrote what,
even if they don't include a signature. I can just tell. /smile/ I
usually know has written a post even before I get to the signature line
of those that include one. There have been quite a few new people
lately, whom I'm still getting to know. A couple, like you, are
preparing to go off for their first guide, and at least one is at school
now, and there are some old-timers in guide dog use who have joined,
too. So I'll have to learn how to recognize them and hope I don't screw
up their names too often.  /lol/

I hope you keep asking questions and sharing what you learn as you start
your own life as a guide dog user. Sometimes it seems I learn more from
the observations of those just starting out than I do from anything
else. My pup just turned 5, so that makes me a guide dog user for all of
three years. Every time I make the mistake of thinking I have it figured
out, I will quickly find out I haven't got a clue. Part of the fun, I
think, that must be more so for everyone with their first guide is that
there's always something new to learn, to discover about yourself and
your dog and the world you now perceive as a member of a team. The nasty
shocks when you do experience discrimination or access issues or just
plain stinking rude people are not so fun, but you do learn from them
and how to handle the next thing that comes along. And you can be sure
plenty of others will have been there, done that, in a very similar
situation and will describe their encounters and their responsews in
detail. /smile/  And they will stand by you and support you, too!

Tami

On Thu, 2011-07-21 at 17:04 -0500, Gloria G wrote:
> Hi Tami,
> Your comments on discrimination were veery helpful, because receiving 
> comments from others about if I have deeper issues and maybe I shouldn't get 
> a guide dog because of my concerns would really make me reconsider being a 
> member of this list. I feel that we all should watch how we respond to 
> things. While we all have the rite to voice our opinions, I feel we should 
> watch how we say things. Our words can have a big impact on others. I myself 
> am guilty of this and have to check myself. I feel this is especially true 
> when new members come along we want them to know this a place where they 
> will not be critized for their beliefs and where they can receive help from 
> others who have experienced some of the same things.
> Gloria
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Tami Kinney" <tamara.8024 at comcast.net>
> To: <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Thursday, July 21, 2011 10:21 AM
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Discrimination
> 
> 
> > Lyn and Gloria,
> >
> > It seems to me that being prepared for such tings in advance is the best
> > way to go, so that you're not caught flat-footed when discrimination,
> > access denials, whatever occur. I've been pretty fortunate thus far and
> > haven't run into anything I couldn't bare-face my way thorough. But I
> > always pay close attention to tales of access denial, discrimination,
> > being asked to put your dog in the trunk of a car... Who would even
> > think of suggesting that? Oh, apparently, quite a few cabbies all over
> > the country. So now I have a list of strategies for that, just in case.
> > So I don't have to lie awake nights worrying about all that and
> > everything I learn and consider makes me better prepared for whatever
> > comes up that I've never even imagined to plan for...
> >
> > Gloria, I think it's way cool seeing you and others before and certainly
> > after you, considering these questions and others during the
> > anticipation of going to guide dog school for the first time and meeting
> > your first dog and learning to be a strong guide dog team with her/him.
> > You'll have 28 days of intense instruction and practice, while your
> > instructor does his/her best to teach you everything you'll need to know
> > to head off into the real world ...  If you can pick up everything you
> > need to know in that amount of time, please let me know how you did
> > that. /lol/ You'll come out with a great foundation with your dog for
> > the team building process of the next months while you build experience
> > together.
> >
> > Tami ,
> >
> > On Wed, 2011-07-20 at 16:04 -0700, Lyn Gwizdak wrote:
> >> I, too, have had very little in discrimination against my guide dog.   I
> >> don't think about it but deal with it if and when it does occur.
> >>
> >> Lyn and Landon
> >> ----- Original Message ----- 
> >> From: "Julie J." <julielj at neb.rr.com>
> >> To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users"
> >> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> >> Sent: Tuesday, July 19, 2011 2:20 PM
> >> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Discrimination
> >>
> >>
> >> > Gloria,
> >> >
> >> > For me, no, I extremely rarely have issues of discrimination because of 
> >> > my
> >> > guide dog.  Well, I rarely have descrimination issues of any variety. 
> >> > I
> >> > honestly have no idea if this is because I am a scary person, the area 
> >> > I
> >> > live, my particular dog, the specific places I go or some other factor.
> >> > Others experience access issues more often than I do, but I wouldn't 
> >> > say
> >> > it's routine for any of us.
> >> >
> >> > There are lots and lots of people and resources available to assist you
> >> > with an access issue should one come up.  My best advice is don't worry
> >> > about and deal with it if one should come up.  That's all you can do.
> >> > *smile*
> >> >
> >> > Julie
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > On 7/19/2011 1:32 PM, Gloria G wrote:
> >> >> Hi,
> >> >> I was wondering if many of you have experienced discrimination because
> >> >> you were guide dog users? I mean is it pretty common for buisnesses to
> >> >> refuse you service or make negative commants because of your guide, if 
> >> >> so
> >> >> please describe the situation and explain how you handled it if you 
> >> >> would
> >> >> like? Thanks!
> >> >> Gloria
> >> >> _______________________________________________
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> >> >>
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > _______________________________________________
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> >>
> >>
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