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

[Star Gazer]

I'd agree with this. 
I also wonder how much choice these kids really have, since they are after
all kids. 

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Cindy Ray
Sent: Friday, May 31, 2013 8:26 AM
To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Guide dog school that offers guide dogs to children
between 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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