[nagdu] Consumer or Beneficiary?

Thu Jan 5 14:57:05 UTC 2012

Tami,
    I appreciate the thoughtfulness of this message. I especially like the 
manner in which you describe the training program as the "middle man". I am 
writing a piece for Braille Monitor on this subject, so reading these 
posts - especially this one - helps me clarify my thoughts and provides me 
ideas to incorporate into the article.
    I have less of an issue with the term "client" as I have with the 
attitudes of the training programs. In the social services profession we 
call our consumers "clients", as well; however, the culture of social 
services is shifting to an attitude of empowerment for our consumers, rather 
than one of directing them. The term "consumer" is more a legal term to 
describe the end user. This is why states have a Department of Consumer 
Affairs and that nonprofit organization publishes Consumer Reports. Whether 
the person is called a "patron", "customer", "student", or "client", that 
person is a consumer with specific legal rights and expectations.

Fraternally yours,
marion


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Tami Kinney" <tamara.8024 at comcast.net>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, January 04, 2012 9:39 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Consumer or Beneficiary?


> Marion, and all,
>
> So I've been thinking of this general subject for quite a while, as it 
> relates to various areas where "services" are provided to a specific 
> population by a specific organization.
>
> So with the guide dog training programs. I think of them in that 
> terminology, because that appears to me to be what they exist to do. Train 
> guide dogs.
>
> Also, they are non profit organizations. They are funded by outside 
> sources, generally referred to as donors.
>
> The donors provide money to the guide dog training programs, along with 
> dogs and other goods, so that the guide dog training program will then 
> provide trained guide dogs to blind guide dog users.
>
> The guide dog training programs are not giving us a gosh darn thing. They 
> are middlemen. The individual employees of any given program are being 
> paid to do specific jobs toward the end of producing trained guide dogs 
> for the benefit of blind guide dog users according to the wishes of the 
> people who donate the money for them to use and to be paid from in doing 
> that.
>
> So if I apply to a guide dog training program -- or programs -- when it is 
> time for me to seek a new guide dog, then I don't care what they want to 
> call me. In my own profession, the terminology is client/server, so that 
> is how I think of the relationship or any relationship of a business type. 
> When I am an employee of a company, that company would be legally called 
> my employer. I think of that company as my client. My boss is my client. 
> If my work involves doing projects for the benefit of other departments, 
> those departments are my clients. If another employee is being paid to 
> provide information, reports, office supplies, you have it to me so that I 
> may serve my clients, then I am their client. I expect them to do their 
> jobs for me in that relationship as I expect myself to do mine for my 
> clients, whoever that may be depending on the project. If I'm in business 
> for myself, the legal relationship is contractor/client. The words change, 
> but the relationship does not.
>
> So I see guide dog training programs, VR agencies, public transportation, 
> the library, whatever. The one who pays for and uses the services is the 
> client. Call it what you will, in my line of work, that's what it's 
> called. The provider of the services is the server. They serve the client. 
> They are paid to do that.
>
> Needless to say, my VR agency up to and through the administration doesn't 
> like me much. /grin/ Some guide dog programs would not like me much 
> either. Do I care? No! They are paid to provide a service to me. If it is 
> a taxpayer funded service, I have already paid for it and am continuing 
> to. In the case of a guide dog training program, the gift for which I am 
> grateful comes from outside the organization doing the work to serve up 
> that product/service to me. I expect the employees to do their jobs for 
> me, as for every other individual who seeks and receives those services.
>
> Dunno... Do you think the programs and agencies are ready to call us all 
> "Boss"? /lol/
>
> Tami
>
> On 01/02/2012 09:56 AM, Marion Gwizdala wrote:
>> The terminology to which I am referring is to describe the relationship
>> between the blind person and the training program. You will notice that
>> I am even avoiding using the terms "student" and School", as there is
>> still an imbalanced relationship in this terminology. The purpose of
>> this discussion is an attempt to shift the manner in which we perceive
>> this relationship away from that of a beneficiary.
>>
>> Fraternally yours,
>> Marion Gwizdala
>>
>>
>>
>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "William Vandervest"
>> <timelord09 at att.net>
>> To: "NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users"
>> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Monday, January 02, 2012 12:39 PM
>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Consumer or Beneficiary?
>>
>>
>>> Larry, i agree, i would prefer to be called a partner as Lynard and i
>>> are a team, if i remember correctly, at Leader, we were usually called
>>> clients of the school, and with our dogs we were teams
>>> William And LD Lynard
>>>
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>>
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>
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