[nagdu] more Questions About accessing

[Julie J.]

Tatyana,

I extremely rarely have access issues.  Rarely am I even asked if Monty 
is a service/guide dog, which is perfectly legal for them to ask.  On 
one occasion I was asked for ID, which is not legal for them to ask 
for.  However many maybe all? of the guide dog programs issue ID to 
their graduates.  So if you had particular difficulty with explaining 
access laws or did not feel comfortable advocating for yourself, you 
would have one of these cards to show.

Okay here are some things that I believe contribute to my very low 
incidence of access issues.
I live in a very small town.  Everyone knows everyone and I am the only 
blind person with a guide dog.  They all know me, whether or not I know 
them *smile* and they know I'm the real thing.

Monty is well groomed and well behaved.  He is always an example of how 
a guide dog should behave.  If he isn't I deal with it immediately and 
expediently.   I am probably over sensitive about his behavior since I 
trained him.

I do not stop to discuss whether or not I am allowed in a particular 
public place.  If a business owner starts in on asking questions I 
announce that he is a guide dog, smile, nod and keep on walking.  I have 
never had anyone chase me down or talk to my back.  In short, if you 
look like you have every right to be there, you must and they leave me 
alone.

Monty is not a particularly cute and cuddly looking dog.  He is large, 
powerful, black and doesn't enjoy visiting with strangers.  We do not 
get a lot of unwanted attention from random people.  Monty is not at all 
dangerous, but he's all business when he's in harness.

I also know my rights and will not hesitate to explain them should the 
need arise.  I am a confident person and carry myself that way, head up, 
looking straight ahead, calm expression etc.  I walk at a quick pace, 
which I think people also view as confidence.

I hope that helps you feel more at ease with possible access issues.  
They do come up and you will have to deal with them, but I'd about bet 
that if you never get a dog you'll likewise experience some sort of 
access issue.  I think having a guide dog increases the amount of access 
discussions, but I think all blind people universally need to be 
prepared to advocate for ourselves.

HTH
Julie


On 9/3/2011 9:31 AM, Tatyana wrote:
> Dear listers,
> I would like to ask you some   questions about accessing public places .
> When taxi drivers don't want your dog to get into a car, what excuse 
> do they
> use?
> What do ethnic restaurants greeters say when they don't let you in?
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> nagdu mailing list
> nagdu at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for 
> nagdu:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/julielj%40neb.rr.com
>