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

[Tracy Carcione]

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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