[nagdu] [Nagdu] Walking in a blind person's shoes, at The Seeing Eye in Morris Township

Marsha Drenth marsha.drenth at gmail.com
Wed Nov 30 01:02:40 UTC 2011


This is also true. So in fact there those sighted folks who think we are
more independent, and those who think the dog takes care of us, and those
that think we are extraordinary for being able to dress ourselves. But with
that said, and this is not really guide dog related, if we are blind
parents, those sighted folks who think our young children who take care of
us too. So it really depends on the sighted person and their exposure to
blindness, to what they think.  

Marsha 

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Buddy Brannan
Sent: Tuesday, November 29, 2011 6:08 PM
To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Subject: Re: [nagdu] [Nagdu] Walking in a blind person's shoes,at The Seeing
Eye in Morris Township

Perhaps nit picking, but I really don't think that sighted people see those
of us who use guide dogs as more independent than those of us who don't. No,
in fact, they think that the dogs "take care of us", to use one turn of
phrase. And, since our dogs are "taking care of us", or "know where we're
going", or what have you, that means that they don't have to be as
responsible for our well-being as they otherwise would have to be. So, in
their minds, our dependence is just placed somewhere else. 
--
Buddy Brannan, KB5ELV - Erie, PA
Phone: (814) 860-3194 or 888-75-BUDDY



On Nov 29, 2011, at 12:33 PM, Marsha Drenth wrote:

> In the perspective that most blind people use the long white cane, and
that
> society views them as helpless. But that society sees those of us who use
a
> guide dog as more independent. Not to say that we are any different either
> way either using a cane or a guide dog, its just the way that society
views
> us. Yes our dogs are warm and fuzzy. Yes to some extent, our dogs do have
an
> internal GPS. Yes, this does not help us in the same respect that it tells
> us where to go, and gives us instructions on how to get there. But to some
> extent our dogs can say we walk two blocks north and then turn right. They
> can make the decision to go around a bench, or an open man hole. In the
> simple sense they are a GPS. As the handlers we must need to know where we
> are going, we must know how many blocks to walk north, and then which way
to
> turn, to instruct that guide. But because we can't see the bench or the
open
> man hole, our guides are doing that work for us. We as guide dog users
have
> that advantage over cane users, in that our dogs can be patterned to
routes.
> And as we all know this can be a good and bad thing. This is not an
argument
> over which is better, just views. 
> 
> I am not sure what the dog's internal GPS system is called or if it even
has
> a name. But how many of us have been completely lost? How many of us have
> gotten off the bus at the wrong stop? Or have been let off at the wrong
> house or business by a cab driver? Yes it's a combination of skills we use
> to figure this out, but to give our guides some credit; they do know where
> they are all of the time. 
> 
> One example in particular. My first guide, Heather, and I had just moved
to
> a new area. One very late night I got off the bus, I asked the driver to
let
> me know when to get off, even describing the stop. I counted stops, and
then
> arrived, got off. And the bus when on its way. I soon realized that I was
> not at my stop. I had never been to this area, never had been on that bus
> late at night. Once we figured out that I wasn't at the stop I should have
> been, I had no clue how to get home. I knew I needed to be home, but where
> that was not clear to me. So we started walking, turned around several
> times, walked about 30 blocks, in subfreezing temperatures, and finally
got
> home. I would like to think that my guide had an internal GPS. Maybe that
is
> an extraordinary situation, maybe our dogs aren't supposed to have
internal
> GPS, but to some extent I do think they do. 
> 
> The quote in question probably was not a good thing to say in an article
> where sighted folks do not understand what I just explained. But it did
> sound cute to me. 
> 
> IMO
> Marsha    
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
> Of Jewel
> Sent: Tuesday, November 29, 2011 11:26 AM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Walking in a blind person's shoes, at The Seeing Eye
in
> Morris Township
> 
> Marsha,
> Could you explain what it is you like about the quote? It's the one
> part of the article I objected to most, since it leans on the
> misconception that guide dogs are the ones plotting the course and the
> blind person is just along for the ride.
> 
> My thoughts,
> Jewel
> 
> On 11/28/11, Marsha Drenth <marsha.drenth at gmail.com> wrote:
>> I love this quote, " A guide dog is simply the warm and fuzzy
>> version of a GPS system."
>> 
>> Marsha
>> 
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf
>> Of Ginger Kutsch
>> Sent: Monday, November 28, 2011 8:40 AM
>> To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
>> Subject: [nagdu] Walking in a blind person's shoes,at The Seeing Eye in
>> Morris Township
>> 
>> Walking in a blind person's shoes, at The Seeing Eye in Morris Township
>> 
>> Posted by Morristown Green Contributor on November 28, 2011 .
>> 
>> By Berit A. Ollestad
>> 
>> Source:
>> 
>
http://morristowngreen.com/2011/11/28/walking-in-a-blind-persons-shoes-at-th
>> e-seeing-eye-in-morris-township/
>> 
>> It's not until most of us are faced with adversity that we see things
with
> a
>> different perspective. What are some of the basic challenges confronting
>> blind people?  I did not want to wait for adversity to find out.
>> 
>> When I decided to accept an invitation to be blindfolded and navigate
> around
>> The Seeing Eye's Morris Township campus with a guide dog, I was quite
>> surprised at the varied range of emotions I experienced during the
>> experiment.
>> 
>> I had looked forward to the opportunity, because it promised to take me
> far
>> from my comfort zone. It's important to mention what inspired me to delve
>> deeper into The Seeing Eye School and its training program. As I wrote in
> my
>> prior article, the mere mention of The Seeing Eye School evokes intense
>> curiosity and bewilderment among residents. Here in Morristown, The
Seeing
>> Eye is an integral part of the town's history and daily life, yet no one
>> seems to know that much about the organization.
>> 
>> Photos by Berit Ollestad. Please click icon below for captions.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> When I arrived in The Seeing Eye lobby, I was greeted by a roaring fire
> and
>> the smell of cinnamon wafting through the air. Immediately, I felt right
> at
>> home. Doug Bohl, senior manager for instruction and training for more
than
>> 20 years, greeted me along with Craig Garretson, communications manager.
>> 
>> But the one I was most anxious to meet would be my lifeline, the one I
> would
>> depend on to keep me safe and guide me over the next couple of hours:
>> Alcott,  my Seeing Eye Dog.
>> 
>> When I first saw Alcott, a petite golden retriever just shy of 2 years
> old,
>> I knew she had the confidence and calmness required to get the job done.
I
>> got down on the floor with her and talked and caressed her silky fur,
> hoping
>> to create a rapport in a brief amount of time.
>> 
>> Alcott was trained by Peggy McKenna, a trainer at The Seeing Eye for more
>> than seven years.  Alcott was eligible to be selected during the last
> class
>> of students to go thru The Seeing Eye. But for some reason she was not
>> paired with a student; she will have another opportunity when classes
> resume
>> in late January.
>> 
>> Peggy started out working in the kennels.  Her love for each dog she
> trains
>> is immeasurable. "The moment one of the dogs I am training does something
>> that he/she has clearly learned in training, there are no words to
> describe
>> the feeling that it gives me," she said.
>> 
>> As one can imagine, it is only natural to feel sadness when one of your
> dogs
>> gets placed with a student and is no longer part of your daily routine.
> But
>> Peggy was quick to point out that her mission is meaningful and
rewarding.
>> "I feel so fortunate to do something I love," she said.
>> 
>> Completing the circle, Peggy married fellow trainer Brian McKenna last
>> month.
>> 
>> WALKING WITH ALCOTT
>> 
>> As I attempted to take Alcott's harness gingerly in my hand, I tried to
>> acclimate to my new (albeit temporary) status of being blind. This may
not
>> sound difficult, but imagine my surprise as I rooted around for her
> harness
>> and recognized I was at the wrong end.
>> 
>> My initial reaction was to rip off the blindfold because I felt so
>> vulnerable. But suddenly, by default, I noticed my other senses taking
> over.
>> The air smelled crisper and the sounds around me became clearer.
>> 
>> Although blindness is labeled as a disability, I would prefer to call it
> an
>> inconvenience. It surprised me how quickly I started to function in my
new
>> alternate reality. Granted, I was on a closed course with an instructor
>> close by my side, yet I still felt surprisingly normal.
>> 
>> As Alcott and I ventured around the campus, I quickly realized that I
> needed
>> to pay closer attention to her cues. This was never more evident than
when
>> she was indicating by her refusal to go forward that there was danger
> ahead
>> in the form of a pothole.
>> 
>> My first reaction was to gently tug on her leash and command her "to go."
> It
>> wasn't until Doug pointed out that she was practicing one of the
> principles
>> she was taught: "Intelligent disobedience."
>> 
>> Though I was commanding her to go forward, she recognized the danger
ahead
>> and ignored me. I couldn't help but be reminded that if you are someone
> used
>> to being in control, this will be humbling.
>> 
>> Sighted people make safety decisions based on their subconscious
awareness
>> when they are walking about town. I'm sure if someone were to ask how
many
>> potholes you averted on South Street you wouldn't have a clue. Yet for
>> someone who is blind, potholes are a major hazard. That is why guide dogs
>> are taught to make conscious decisions for blind individuals.
>> 
>> "Guide dogs are not taught to do certain things in particular situations.
> We
>> teach them to evaluate what is the safer option when given a choice to
> make
>> the safest decision," according to Doug.
>> 
>> Working with dogs, I found, is much like working with small children. The
>> dogs are brought into town daily for their training sessions, which
> average
>> 45 minutes per day. Anything past that and you risk losing the dog's
>> attention.
>> 
>> For trainers to get an idea of what would be an appropriate pace for each
>> student, trainers mimic a guide dog by placing a harness over themselves
> and
>> allowing students to "guide them."  This lets them gauge their normal
> pace,
>> for choosing the appropriate dog.  Students are assigned a dog after they
>> are at The Seeing Eye for two days.
>> 
>> After following behind Peggy with the rookie Coach and the seasoned
> Alcott,
>> I determined that the training itself isn't the difficult part.
> Essentially
>> the dogs are taught very few commands. Verbal commands such as left,
> right,
>> hup-hup ("let's go") and a few specialized ones seemed to be the extent
of
>> it.
>> 
>> The trainer also will use hand signals in conjunction with verbal
commands
>> if traffic noise, construction, etc.,  prevents the dog from hearing
> verbal
>> commands. The primary principle the dog is taught is to take the blind
>> person from the beginning of a street to the end of the street. The dog
> then
>> will await the person's command to go forward or turn left or right.
>> 
>> At the risk of sounding silly, I always had wondered how guide dogs
seemed
>> to know exactly where they were going. After speaking to a handful of
>> different people I realized I wasn't alone in my line of thinking. As
Doug
>> explained to me, "When you are getting in your car and heading to Newark
>> Airport, you need to have an idea of how to get there before you start
> out.
>> The car will get you there, but you need to know how to drive it there."
>> 
>> It then all made sense to me: A guide dog is simply the warm and fuzzy
>> version of a GPS system. Doug then told me to close my eyes for a minute
> and
>> give him directions on how to get to my house from the airport. This
>> illustrated how blind persons are just as capable of visualizing
> directions
>> as I am.
>> 
>> At the conclusion of my experience, I could see how being blind might be
>> considered a gift as well. It gives each of us the ability to relate to
> each
>> another with a slightly different perspective, and to relate to the world
>> differently.
>> 
>> I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude and appreciation to
everyone
>> at The Seeing Eye School for the kindness shown to me, and for the
>> opportunity to learn about the school.  The Seeing Eye is a vibrant and
>> valuable part of our community;  I encourage everyone to reach out and
get
>> to know our neighbors a little better.
>> 
>> Berit Ollestad and Alcott, a Seeing Eye Dog who guided Berit around The
>> Seeing Eye's Morristown campus. Berit wore a blindfold to experience
>> training as a blind person would.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
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