[nagdu] Introducing myself, another new NAGDU member

[Steven Johnson]

Hi Brian,
Welcome, and my name is Steve Johnson and I am the current President of the
Wisconsin Association of Guide Dog Users, WAGDU.  I am working my 3rd black
lab from Leader Dog and live over in La Crosse WI.  Hope you enjoy the
list:)

Steve & Misha

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Bryan Jones
Sent: Tuesday, October 18, 2011 11:05 AM
To: nagdu at nfbnet.org
Subject: [nagdu] Introducing myself, another new NAGDU member

Hi Folks,

I've recently joined the NAGDU and the NFB and wanted to take a moment to
quickly introduce myself.

My name is Bryan Jones and I live just west of Philadelphia, PA in the US.
My vision has been fading for about 10 years as the result of a connective
tissue disorder called Marfan Syndrome. Two years ago, while living in
Milwaukee, I got my first dog, a female black lab / golden cross from The
Seeing Eye. Her name is Marqi, which is pronounced with an emphasis on the
last syllable as in the famous diamond or the billboard above a theater,not
as in Marky-Mark. <grin>.

Prior to applying for a dog, I was a fairly mobile cane user thanks to some
good O and M instruction I had received, but I had a few incidents that made
me believe that a guide dog could help improve my independence and safety.
I'm very happy that I did as I feel significantly more independent and
mobile now. During Marqi & my first year together I had several follow-up
phone conversations with Seeing Eye staff members and two visits from them
to help me improve my skills as a handler. Even after two years together I
still feel like a newbie at this and am looking forward to learning more as
time passes.

I'm 49 and spent the last twenty something years working in corporate IT,
but put my career on hold last year to move back to the Philadelphia area to
complete my undergraduate degree in psychology. I'm now into my first
semester back at school and am very happy with the level of mobility,
independence and confidence I have while navigating my suburban town and
college campus with Marqi.

Thanks for being here and I look forward to being an active member of NAGDU
and this list!
Cheers,
Bryan
opensesame at me.com


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