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

Cindy Ray cindyray at gmail.com
Fri May 31 14:31:57 UTC 2013 

Yes, I know. It is advertising that they are isolated with a cane; are they really? They don't have to hold their parents' hand if they are using a dog. Really? What about if they are using a cane? They would be more independent. Really? They would have  more responsibility, and that might make them more independent. In any case, that's just how I feel about it, and you are entitled to think of it what you like, but it is advertising, and it is the kind that grabs the hearts of people who think that blind people, poor things, cannot get about unless they are using the dog. Dogs do a lot for us, I submit, but these children can function independently without a dog. How many kids do that? 

CL

On May 31, 2013, at 9:25 AM, "Star Gazer" <pickrellrebecca at gmail.com> wrote:

> How did the article give a horrible view of blind children? I must have
> missed something. This school is promoting guide dog use among children and
> their announcement demonstrates this. It's advertising really. 
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Tracy Carcione
> Sent: Friday, May 31, 2013 9:10 AM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Guide dog school that offers guide dogs to
> childrenbetween the ages of 11 & 17 years old.
> 
> 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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