[nagdu] Staff cuts at guide dog schools

[Robert Hooper]

Hello:

A brief note about renovations and such:

In the case of The Seeing Eye--one of the schools engaged in the activities mentioned--the renovations have been planned for quite a while. The lay-offs were an unfortunate result of the economic difficulties of being a non-profit organization in today's trying times. The idea behind the renovations is, ultimately, to reduce long-term spending by making the buildings more efficient, the training more comprehensive, the staff as fully utilized as possible, etc. The most noticeable aspect of the school's renovations will be felt in the reduction of various costs associated with maintenance, electricity consumption, (presumably) lower insurance costs, etc. It will help to lower the possibility of the school having to take another staffing cut at some point in the future.

I feel that this is all I can say about the things going on at my school--I haven't any information with regards to any other. As I am not on any sort of board or committee with access to inside information, I can't definitively conclude or speculate as to any further motives the school may have other than those with which they have thus far provided me. I understand that staff cuts can be very upsetting, especially if they happen to coincide with a major expense, but I would avoid drawing any conclusions unless there is evidence to suggest that mischief is afoot. The Seeing Eye, at least, has, to my thinking, been remarkably open, forthright, and honest with its graduates about the changes taking place--there was even a conference for Seeing Eye grads set up by the school. Although I feel saddened by those well-respected individuals who lost their jobs, I do believe that, if there were an easier and more realistic way to do things, it would have been done. TSE isn't known for rash or impetuous decisions--I believe they are, for the time being, still as client-centered as ever. Of course, we do have the right to seek as much information regarding any changes as possible--especially the graduates and other supporters of the program. So, by no means stop asking questions. The patrons and supporters of any guide dog school can play a huge role in seeing that their school goes in a direction that is best suitable for the program's longevity and philosophy.

Alright, that's it from me. I only chimed in because both the renovations and staff cuts caused a massive kerfuffle on the Seeing Eye list a while ago, and these were many of the topics hotly debated in those hectic few weeks--come to think of it, there may have been a kerfuffle on this list as well--I can't remember. Anyway, back to chemistry with me. Yay H+ ions, epispheres, relativistic physics affecting chemical properties, amino acid clipping, protein binding and cleaving, OH groups, hydrogenation, alkynes, etc.

Robert Hooper
Hooper.90 at buckeyemail.osu.edu
The Ohio State University, Department of Psychology; Department of Neuroscience
572 Stinchcomb Drive
Apt. 3
Columbus, Ohio 43202-3702
(740) 856-8195

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Deanna Lewis
Sent: Wednesday, April 17, 2013 10:09 AM
To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users (nagdu at nfbnet.org)
Subject: [nagdu] Staff cuts at guide dog schools

Hi list,
I have heard of some very big changes in a couple of guide dog schools recently, and am a bit worried by it.
I know that two very well respected Guide Dog schools have had large staffing cuts recently. Both schools let go of trainers/field reps with years of experience. Also, both schools are also renovating their dormitories. I am wondering if there is a connection? And also I am worried that this may become a trend with the training programs? I hope not.
Do you know of any other schools who have done this recently?
What do y'all think?
I hope not to start a big debate, but I am just worried that many of the schools are headed towards being less client driven.

Deanna and Pascal

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