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

[Darla Rogers]

I'd have not  been ready at 16; I just entered public school 
 after many years at a residential school, so  whenever I could, both in
high school and my first year or so out of high school, I was a wild child;
not a good life for a guide dog.
	I got my first dog at 20; our trainer was very strict and scared the
wits out of me, but an excellent trainer he was, though the reason my first
dog went  back was more to do with diarrhea I could not keep gone and we
have so many other food choices, but  I still believe she was the best dg
(working) I have ever had, and it's hard not to compare as I wait to train
with my seventh dog.
Darla & Retired Roxy

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Sarah
Sent: Friday, May 31, 2013 12:18 PM
To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Guide dog school that offers guide dogs to children
betweenthe ages of 11 & 17 years old.

Oh wow! This is very interesting.

Sarah and Wizard

 ----- Original Message -----
From: Deanna Lewis <DLewis at clovernook.org
To: "NAGDU Mailing List,	the National Association of Guide Dog 
Users(nagdu at nfbnet.org)" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org
Date sent: Fri, 31 May 2013 12:04:45 +0000
Subject: [nagdu] Guide dog school that offers guide dogs to children
betweenthe ages of 11 & 17 years old.

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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