[nagdu] attending The Seeing Eye

[Bryan Jones]

Hello Reinhard,

Other folks have already listed most of the things I would say, so I'll skip those details and add a few others. I was at TSE in August / September of 2009 for my first and only guide dog. 

I was completely caught off guard by the high level of quality throughout the whole experience: The planning and communication leading up to my visit, the transportation arrangements, the warm welcome and introduction I received upon arrival on campus, the well-scheduled daily routines, the level of staff professionalism and the comfortable amenities. There were a few of us who needed to telecommutewith our jobs and I never had any problem finding a few hours a day to do this. I used a personal laptop and can't speak to the computers available in their lab. We spent some time working the dogs on public transportation, an exercise that has turned out to be very helpful for me. A few other notes of possible importance: Transportation to and from local church services and pharmacies was provided, there is or was a smoking lounge, and visits from friends and family were restricted to just a few hours on one or two weekend days during my stay.

Being a first time student, I was one of a handful who stayed for 4 weeks instead of three. That last week was great for learning as we spent a day working our dogs around Manhatten, did a night walk around Morristown, and generally spent more one-on-one time with the instructor. As I'm writing this I keep coming back to thoughts of the warmth and laughter that always seemed to be rolling through the campus and through the dining area in particular. Also, while I had had some good O and M training a few years back, my month at TSE was really the first time I had been around other blind folks, and from my classmates I learned a lot more than just how to work a guide dog.

Best of luck,
Bryan

On Apr 12, 2012, at 2:47 PM, Reinhard Stebner wrote:
> I will be attending The Seeing Eye on Monday 4/16/2012. Could you please let
> me know from a user's prospective, what to expect? I am referring to: