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

Wed Nov 30 22:49:38 UTC 2011

Tracy and Marsha,

I am the worst about walking along with my head in a project... And i 
will admit that at such times, poodle beats cane at assisting me in 
finding out where I happen to have ended up th at I need to now get back 
from . /lol/ Especially when the weather is nasty or I am extra tired -- 
naturally the times absent minded getting lost is bound to happen -- she 
does make life much eaiser than the cane. Then she is much more smug 
than the cane about it all. /lol/

I have managed to get plenty lost with the cane by the same method of 
just spacing everything, and I have found my way back an all, but... It 
is not as much fun. /smile/

TamiOn 11/29/2011 10:39 AM, Tracy Carcione wrote:
> Marsha, I know what you mean, but I had to laugh.  This weekend, I was
> walking in my neighborhood, where I've walked a thousand times before.  I
> let my mind start wandering over what projects I had to do when I got
> home, and missed a turn.  Ben might have pointed out an alternate turn,
> but he didn't insist, and suddenly I found myself in an unfamiliar area.
> My neighborhood is bounded by busy streets and a railroad, so I listened
> up for busy street noises and pointed Ben that way.  But I still had to
> ask a passerby where I was.  That'll teach me not to wander along not
> paying attention!
>
> Sports car clubs have a game called "Rally".  There's a driver and a
> navigator, and the navigator is in charge of the directions.  To me,
> working a guide dog is a lot like that.  And the navigator has to be on
> the ball!
> When I was in grade school, my parents' sports car club ran a rally with
> the kids from the local school for the blind.  We blind kids were the
> navigators, with braille directions.  It was a blast!  Empowering, people
> would call it these days.
> Tracy
>
>> 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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