[nagdu] The Process of Getting a Guide

Tracy Carcione carcione at access.net
Wed May 16 14:38:36 UTC 2012


Hi Greg.
I tend to agree with you that applying to more than one school is a waste
of effort, if you feel you've found the place that best suits your needs.
I think waiting times vary a lot.  Guide Dogs can get people in within 6-8
weeks, I think because they have 2 schools, and they have shorter training
periods.  The Seeing Eye takes a few months, usually.  Also, at this time
of year, priority is given to students and teachers, who are free during
the summer.  So, if you're a student or teacher, you could expect a quick
response now, and, if not, you could expect to wait until the fall.
But getting someone out for the home interview is not the same as finding
a slot for you in class.  I'd think they could do that pretty quickly.  If
they can't, I'd be a bit concerned about how fast they could get someone
out to help me, if I were having serious problems after training.
So, if you haven't asked them yet, you could ask how long it will take to
schedule your home interview.
Good luck, and welcome to the list!
Tracy

> Robert,
>
> Thanks for the reply. I guess I was asking what is typical. I did ask
> Southeastern and they were very understanding of that and responded six
> months to a year or sooner or longer. While I understand the process, that
> is a wide range (grin). I have been told by two people that I should
> really
> be applying to more than one school which to me seems like a waste unless
> that is an unusually long period to wait. And, it does make it hard to
> plan
> to do things that require planning ahead.
>
> Thank you for the suggestions of questions to ask the trainer.
>
> The school did tell me that it usually takes two months or more to get all
> the forms back in to them. I did that in three weeks and they were amazed.
>
> Just in that stage of excitement, doubt, questioning, and all that I'm
> sure
> all prospective students go through. This is a huge step for me.
>
> Greg
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Robert Hooper
> Sent: Wednesday, May 16, 2012 9:57 AM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] The Process of Getting a Guide
>
> Hello Greg:
>
> Most of these questions could be directed at Southeastern, as I'm sure it
> varies from school to school. There are many factors, including time of
> the
> year, availability of trainers to your area, etc. Just to give you a time
> frame, I applied to The Seeing Eye in mid-May, and was in class by
> mid-July
> of last year. Of course, this is on the short end of things and I am still
> surprised at how quickly things managed to go. Does Southeastern say
> anything about this on their website? The best advice I can give is if you
> are unsure of something specific to the school (such as various time
> frames
> such as the one about which you are inquiring), contact the school and
> ask.
> As far as anything else you could be doing, I would think of some
> questions
> you want to ask the trainer who visits you. Questions about training,
> dogs,
> the program, how long it might take to get you in class, any breed
> preferences you may have, and so on. Other than that, you should be
> alright.
> I hope this helps a bit.
> Sincerely,
> Robert Hooper
> Hooper.90 at buckeyemail.osu.edu
> The Ohio State University
> 0653 Buckeye-Cuyahoga CT
> 653 Cuyahoga Court
> Columbus, Ohio 43210
> (740) 856-8195
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
> Of NCBootman
> Sent: Wednesday, May 16, 2012 9:47 AM
> To: nagdu at nfbnet.org
> Subject: [nagdu] The Process of Getting a Guide
>
> Hello Everyone. I am Greg in North Carolina. I have applied to
> Southeastern
> and all of my documentation was received on May 2. I understand the next
> step is for the trainer to do a home visit and match a dog after that. How
> long does it usually take for a trainer to do a home visit after all the
> paperwork is in and what is an average time till I might be in a class? Do
> I
> need to be doing anything else?
>
> Greg
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