[nagdu] Introduction and Questions

[Natalie]

My pleasure, and right on.  I hope you do enjoy it.  You ask good questions.
Best,
Nat and Liam Joshua

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Melissa Pasron" <fuzzylucky2021 at sbcglobal.net>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, January 31, 2012 4:32 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Introduction and Questions


> Hello Natalie,
>
> Thank you! I'm sure I'll enjoy this list and all it's interesting topics!
>
> Melissa
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On Jan 31, 2012, at 3:05 PM, "Natalie" <nrorrell at qwest.net> wrote:
>
>> Hi Melissa,
>> Welcome to this awesome list, and it is good you're asking the questions 
>> you are.
>> My name is Natalie and I'm a student acquiring a bachelor of science 
>> degree in human services from Metropolitan State College at Denver, where 
>> I have been living for the last 26 years.  I've been a guide dog user for 
>> over 20 years now, and I think the deciding factor for me was the 
>> companionship and liberation that a dog provides me.  They're fast and 
>> can make decisions in obstacle negotiation and avoidance that a cane 
>> doesn't offer.  I have a little vision.  I have light and dark 
>> perception, can discern colors, though sometimes I mistake some for 
>> others, and I can also see shapes, but no fine detail.  As an example, I 
>> can see people next to me or around me, but not enough to know who they 
>> are by looking at them, only enough to know by the sound of their voices. 
>> I can see objects by how they are shaped, for example a cylindrical 
>> object on a street corner or along a sidewalk, but not enough to know if 
>> it's a bus pole or power line or whatever.  For me, the schools found it
> helpful for me to use what vision I have to help the dog to help me.  Each 
> school has its own criteria, so it would be good for you to talk to each 
> one you apply to, should you decide to get a dog.  Hope this helps, and 
> once again, welcome.
>> Best,
>> Nat and Liam Joshua
>>
>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "melissa padron" 
>> <fuzzylucky2021 at sbcglobal.net>
>> To: <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Friday, January 27, 2012 8:35 PM
>> Subject: [nagdu] Introduction and Questions
>>
>>
>> Hello,
>>
>>
>> I am new to this list so I though I would just start off with an 
>> introduction and then some questions.
>>
>> Well, first of all, my name is Melissa and although I am not a guide dog 
>> user I am a cane user. I'm in college pursuing a degree in psychology and 
>> I will be moving back to my hometown once I graduate. I'm considered 
>> legally blind, so I do have vision.
>>
>> Because of the condition I have, I was not taught to use a cane until my 
>> senior year of high school. I actually had to fight in order to get cane 
>> lessons, but since then, I just about take my cane everywhere with me. It 
>> helps a lot more than using my vision and stressing my eyes....
>>
>> Now, some questions:
>>
>> I am not considering getting a guide dog now but I do want to keep it as 
>> an option if I decide that it would help me in my travels. So my question 
>> is, what was ultimately you deciding factor in getting a guide dog?
>> What are some advantages and disadvantages in using a guide dog?
>> For those of you who have vision, did you encounter problems with the 
>> guide dog schools saying that a guide dog would not benefit you because 
>> you have "too much" vision?
>> Ultimately, this is my greatest fear. I'm scared of encountering 
>> criticism by guide dog schools and "blindness professionals" about 
>> whether a guide dog would benefit me or not. A lot of people with my 
>> condition function well without a cane or a dog so would this be used 
>> against me if I were to apply?
>>
>> I am looking forward to hearing your responses and advice.
>>
>> Melissa
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