[nagdu] Guide dog school that offers guide dogs to childrenbetween the ages of 11 & 17 years old.

Sat Jun 1 10:54:30 UTC 2013

Hi Julie,
I had good cane skills but I did not feel comfortable traveling alone 
with my cane because I lacked the confidence in my cane skills despite 
my O&M instructors confidence in my abilities.

However, when I got Destiny, my confidence increased as I was able to 
travel independently with greater comfort and security. I could trust 
Destiny to be hear sounds and alert my to be aware of cars. I gave me 
greater freedom.

Janice
On 5/31/2013 5:59 PM, Julie McGinnity wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> I completely agree with what's been said.  I had a dog in high school,
> and although it worked out for me, there were certainly things that
> posed a challenge to me as a teenager.  I had teachers who would tell
> me what to do or not do with my dog.  That was difficult.  I also had
> friends who didn't want the dog over their houses.  That happens as an
> adult, but it hurts a lot more as a teenager.
>
> Buddy is correct.  Noone wants to listen to a small, 17-year-old girl.
>   I had more problems trying to keep people away from my dog than most
> people.  I had trouble keeping my father from petting my dog until I
> explained to him that if he kept trying to form a bond with my dog by
> petting her, she would run to him across a street one day and get us
> both killed.  Now I was a particularly outspoken teenager.  I bet a
> lot of younger teens would just let their parents bond with the dog.
>
> I will admit that a guide dog gave me confidence.  I think it was
> something about having the special bond or successfully getting
> through training.  I don't know.  But I gained so much confidence
> having a dog--so much that I am now totally willing to travel with my
> cane.  It's all about independence.  I was motivated to be independent
> because of how awesome it was to work with a dog and experience that.
>
> But that brings me to Julie's point.  At 17, I knew what I wanted to
> do.  I had plans to go to college and study music.  Most teenagers, I
> have learned, don't know these things, or if they do, they don't stick
> to them.
>
> Finally, schools are not good places for dogs to work.  There is food
> all over, crowds, and not really many chances to go out and walk
> places--not to mention, that kids, especially in middle school, are
> mean.  I had kids bark at my dog once, and that was enough.  I can
> imagine people trying to feed the dog, interact with the dog, or
> anything else.  And let's not even get into if the kid was bullied...
> What the bullies would do to that dog...
>
> I think 16 is a perfectly respectable age to get a dog for some
> people.  But even the guide dog schools that give their dogs to
> 16-year-olds are hesitant.  I think for good reason.  It's not easy.
>
> On 5/31/13, Sheila Leigland <sleigland at bresnan.net> wrote:
>> tracy you make a good point. Families tend to get to involved wih
>> dicisions about when to use the dogs and most kids wouldn't handle that
>> well.
>> On 5/31/2013 7:10 AM, Tracy Carcione wrote:
>>> I think it might keep a kid from learning cane skills really well.  I
>>> used a cane from about 4th grade through my first year in college, and
>>> I got where I wanted to go, though, once I got a dog, I got there
>>> easier and quicker. I think we all agree that good cane skills are an
>>> essential for any blind person.
>>>
>>> I always wonder how it works physically, to give a kid a guide dog.  A
>>> person's body changes a lot between 11 years old and 18 years old.
>>> People get a lot bigger, stronger, and taller.  I don't really see how
>>> a dog that suits the height and strength of an 11-year-old would work
>>> well with the same kid even 4 or 5 years later.
>>>
>>> And I wonder how it works out with the family.  When I came home with
>>> my first dog, my dad especially would suggest I just leave the dog
>>> home when we were going out to eat or whatever.  I was old enough to
>>> say No and make it stick.  Also, I was only home for a short time
>>> before heading back to college.  I think a kid might have trouble,
>>> keeping the family from taking over the dog or discouraging its use.
>>> Tracy
>>>
>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Cindy Ray" <cindyray at gmail.com>
>>> To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users"
>>> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>>> Sent: Friday, May 31, 2013 8:25 AM
>>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Guide dog school that offers guide dogs to
>>> childrenbetween the ages of 11 & 17 years old.
>>>
>>>
>>>> Well, first of all, I think it gives a horrific view of blind
>>>> children. It doesn't need to be like that. Second, the younger ones,
>>>> I would have to say I am a little hesitant, not so much because of
>>>> thekids who are having the dogs as the others. I have seen enough of
>>>> how adults and others kids react to an adult's dog. I just don't feel
>>>> it to be a great idea, and I sometimes think that the dog is as
>>>> isolating in its own way because it can be hard to get the topic of
>>>> conversation off the dog. JMO
>>>>
>>>> CL
>>>>
>>>> On May 31, 2013, at 7:04 AM, Deanna Lewis <DLewis at clovernook.org> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> What do you all think about this...
>>>>> Deanna and Pascal
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> MIRA - The only organization in the United States dedicated to
>>>>> providing
>>>>> guide dogs to blind children and youth between the ages of 11-17.
>>>>>
>>>>> MIRA: from the Spanish "look", "to have one's sights set on", was the
>>>>> nickname of a favorite guide dog trained by Eric St. Pierre, founder
>>>>> of MIRA
>>>>> Canada. MIRA Foundation USA takes its name from its collaboration
>>>>> with MIRA
>>>>> Canada, a nonprofit organization founded in 1981 upon the belief
>>>>> that all
>>>>> individuals, regardless of their physical challenges, should be able
>>>>> to set
>>>>> their sights on the same goals as those people born without handicaps.
>>>>>
>>>>> Today, MIRA Canada is recognized as a global leader in the breeding,
>>>>> selection, and training of guide and service dogs. MIRA USA was
>>>>> created in
>>>>>
>>>>> 2008 as a legally separate entity, but with close ties to MIRA
>>>>> Canada, where
>>>>> our dogs are currently trained.
>>>>>
>>>>> Our mission is to offer blind children in the United States between
>>>>> the ages
>>>>> of 11-17 the opportunity to receive guide dogs free of charge, to
>>>>> provide
>>>>> targeted educational outreach to promote public awareness, and, as we
>>>>> continue to grow, to offer support services to the adult population
>>>>> of blind
>>>>> and their families.
>>>>>
>>>>> It is our experience that blind children, for the most part, are highly
>>>>> adaptive, fiercely determined, and seek to have many of the same
>>>>> opportunities as their sighted peers. Although a cane provides an
>>>>> adequate
>>>>> degree of mobility for the blind and severely visually impaired, there
>>>>> remain some serious limitations. For example, it is impossible to
>>>>> navigate
>>>>> with a cane when there is no tactical information such as what is
>>>>> provided
>>>>> by sidewalks. A child living in a rural area is severely challenged
>>>>> by this
>>>>> restriction.
>>>>>
>>>>> Furthermore, a cane tends to be isolating, whereas a dog provides a
>>>>> social
>>>>> bridge to the sighted community. Not only are dogs social creatures,
>>>>> they
>>>>> also provide stability and a level of protection through their visual
>>>>> awareness training that a cane could never replicate.
>>>>>
>>>>> Finally, a guide dog provides a young blind person with a greater
>>>>> level of
>>>>> self-reliance at an early age. Although a very young student is not
>>>>> going to
>>>>> be out on the streets alone with their dog, having the ability to
>>>>> navigate
>>>>> without holding a parent's hand is crucial to developing maturity and
>>>>> confidence. The student's freedom and mobility are especially
>>>>> enhanced in
>>>>> the school environment with the assistance of a guide dog. Although
>>>>> there is
>>>>> no cure for blindness, there can be hope, and we at MIRA witness it
>>>>> every
>>>>> day through the service of a MIRA guide dog.
>>>>>
>>>>> http://www.mirausa.org/
>>>>>
>>>>>
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>>>>>
>>>>
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>>>
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>>
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>