[nagdu] navigating without your cane

[Julie J.]

Julie P.

That's exactly it!  If people want to move about without dog or cane, 
that's fine, but I object to the systematic forbidding of using one's 
cane without being given an alternative acceptable to that individual.

JMHO
Julie



On 10/8/2011 10:29 PM, Julie Phillipson wrote:
> I've been talking about possible reasons why this has been and is 
> still in some cases done.  There are many times that I am not using my 
> dog or cane, but I'm not totally blind either.  I'm not agreeing that 
> it is a right or wrong practice either.  Historically schools for the 
> blind did not and may be still do not teach students cane travel until 
> they are older like in high school.  I have never been able to figure 
> out why this is so.  Before world war 1 a white cane for the blind 
> wasn't even a thought.  So what did folks do, they sat around with 
> nothing to do and know where to go.  Boy have times changed since then 
> and we owe it to NFB that things have been forced to change.  perhaps 
> the practice of asking one to put away their cane is left over from 
> some attitudes that mobility instructors who in their  infinite wisdom 
> thought that allowing several blind folks to be allowed to use their 
> cane would be harmful because they might polk each others eyes out or 
> something.  I don't know if there is really any good reason why it 
> would be good to take someone's cane away.  Clearly some are glad to 
> develop the skills to be able to navigate without it at times and some 
> are not comfortable not having it.  we really are all individuals with 
> different skills and abilities, so I'm not sure it should be one way 
> or the other as much as it should be based on personel preference.  .  
> When I was getting my dog in April I am not sure if I used my cane the 
> first day or not, but I think I did  until I was comfortable with the 
> area,  There has been changes in the building since I was there last 
> so I had it for safety reasons.  I know know one told me I couldn't 
> use it.  I was happy to put it away once I was acclimated though.
> Julie Phillipson
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Marion Gwizdala" 
> <blind411 at verizon.net>
> To: "NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Saturday, October 08, 2011 9:51 PM
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] navigating without your cane
>
>
>> Dear All,
>>    I think it borders on cruelty to forbid a blind person to use a 
>> cane in an unfamiliar setting or in a place in which the individual 
>> does not have absolute control over the environment. This is why 
>> NAGDU's  Guide Dog Consumers' Bill of Rights, under the section 
>> entitled "Equitable Treatment", states, "
>> a.       The consumers freedom of independent travel with a white 
>> cane shall not be restricted by the training program, unless doing so 
>> would interfere with the training process or adversely impact other 
>> consumers."
>>
>>
>>
>> Fraternally yours,
>>
>> Marion
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Julie Phillipson" 
>> <jbrew48 at verizon.net>
>> To: "NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
>> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Saturday, October 08, 2011 2:30 PM
>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] navigating without your cane
>>
>>
>>> ok so I was on the right track, thanks for the more credible 
>>> explanation. Is it also used to evaluate what dog might be the best 
>>> match for the person like someone might need a dog to take more 
>>> initiative then someone else does?
>>>
>>> Julie Phillipson
>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jenine Stanley" 
>>> <jeninems at wowway.com>
>>> To: "'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog 
>>> Users'" <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>>> Sent: Saturday, October 08, 2011 1:42 PM
>>> Subject: [nagdu] navigating without your cane
>>>
>>>
>>>> Julie,
>>>>
>>>> One of the reasons guide dog programs ask that you navigate without 
>>>> your
>>>> cane prior to receiving your dog, say during those first few days 
>>>> on class,
>>>> is to in part observe your skill at orientation and mobility and 
>>>> also get
>>>> you used to not having that cane input as you move around spaces. Most
>>>> schools have you walk with your dog at heel in the building. When 
>>>> you do
>>>> progress to harness work indoors, you're used to that form of 
>>>> input, but
>>>> initially while heeling the dog, you are in charge of movement, 
>>>> orientation,
>>>> etc.
>>>>
>>>> At GDF we have the dogs guide on leash from the beginning and very 
>>>> rarely do
>>>> we ask you to heel your dog and simply walk around.
>>>>
>>>> For some people changing the input from the cane to the dog is 
>>>> hard, harder
>>>> than they thought. When traveling with a dog, we do lose important 
>>>> sound
>>>> cues initially, replacing them with others eventually, but we also 
>>>> lose cues
>>>> about proximity to obstacles that we have to relearn with new inputs.
>>>>
>>>> Hope that makes sense.
>>>>
>>>> We do allow people to use their canes in the building prior to 
>>>> receiving
>>>> their dogs but there are times when we do ask that canes be put 
>>>> away. Once
>>>> the dogs are issued, unless someone really needs it, we ask that 
>>>> all canes
>>>> other than support canes be put away when working the dogs and when 
>>>> moving
>>>> around the building.
>>>>
>>>> Jenine Stanley
>>>> jeninems at wowway.com
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
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>>>
>>>
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>>
>>
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>
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