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

Fri May 31 18:22:57 UTC 2013

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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