[nagdu] Drop Offs

Sun Aug 31 15:23:48 UTC 2014

Hi all, 
Julie took the words out of my mouth. I used to get mad at myself and my dog when lost when I got lost. Moving to new York fixed that. Since there is so much transportation I have full ability to go places I haven't ever been typically on a weekly basis. If I didn't have a dog I would stick to the same routes but I would miss out on a lot of events. Yes I typically stick to Manhattan because of the grid but not always. For instance when job searching all interviews were places I had never been. I would of appreciated having drop offs in class that way the first experience like this wouldn't of been on a day where I was already nervous about an interview. Drop offs aren't for us to learn an unfamiliar neighborhood its do teach us how to stay level headed and work our dogs through this. Every one says they plan routes and use gps. What isn't to say that you can't do that during a drop off. Most institutions who implement this say use whatever you need to. 
Julie I know that leaving a building out the wrong door. That happened to me and yeah... Again luckily though I was in Manhattan and could easily, once I figured out where I was, get back to where I wanted to be. But if it wasn't a grid if would be very mush like a drop off. 
Guide dogs of the desert and gdf the first time I went left us in the mall and said, find these three stores and come back to the food court. To me this is very reasonable. So though I have never done a drop off I've kind of done it to myself and learned how to not freak out on myself and my dof. 

brandy pinder
Alumni Council -  second vice Chairman
Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind, Inc® 
and America's VetDogs®, The Veteran's K-9 Corps Inc® 
Providing "Second uSight"® since 1946

371 E. Jericho Turnpike smith town ny 11766
Cso: 866-282-8047
Email: brandydp at verizon.net
Cell: 304-685-4499

> On Aug 31, 2014, at 7:54 AM, "Julie J. via nagdu" <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> I've taken the bus home on the last run of the day and the bus driver decided to take a short cut.  I ended up getting off the bus around the corner from where I normally did, but he didn't mention it and I didn't notice for a few blocks.  Of course by that time I felt pretty lost.
> 
> I've been dropped off from a cab at the wrong address.  I learned to ask questions about my exact location before getting out after that.
> 
> I've left a building by what I thought was the same door I came in.  I made the street turns by where I thought I was until I came to an odd intersection I had never been to before.
> 
> I do not have GPS or an iPhone and I don't carry my iPad with me.
> 
> I went through blindness training that included drop offs throughout the training.  In the beginning it was stressful, but still challenging in a positive way.  Sort of like finals I guess.  They are a big deal, but when you finish them you feel really good, accomplished, I guess.  By the end of my training the drop offs were no longer a big deal.  I had learned that I could figure it out, no matter what.  I had the skills, ability to work through the problem and the level head to do what I needed to do.  that's the point really.
> 
> The drop offs aren't about how well you can use your cane or dog or how quickly you can get back.  It's really about knowing in your heart that there's nothing to fear.  I was definitely afraid of getting lost before then.  sometimes that would cause me to not go to a new place alone or to delay going until I could do recon on the place.   I'm not afraid of getting lost anymore.  It's not fun and I would certainly prefer to not be lost, but it doesn't prevent me from trying new things.
> 
> Julie
> 
> 
> -----Original Message----- From: Raven Tolliver via nagdu
> Sent: Saturday, August 30, 2014 10:46 PM
> To: debby phillips ; NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Drop Offs
> 
> Debby,
> I agree completely. Drop-offs are not realistic at all because I have
> the fortune of never being dumped out of a car or getting off the bus
> at a mystery location. Even when I visit an unfamiliar area, I do a
> bit of trip planning to learn more about the particular destination
> and the nearby streets. And with GPS aps and things of that nature, it
> is rare that a person is completely lost.
> 
>> On 8/30/14, debby phillips via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> Hi Larry, I'd be one of those that would not like doing dropoffs.
>> First of all, I don't think they're that realistic.  Most people
>> (whether they'll admit it or not) go to certain places, and
>> that's where they go.  Sure, we all visit unfamiliar places, but
>> if we have had any good instruction at all, we know what sorts of
>> questions to ask to get where we need to go.  Doing our solos is
>> stressful enough for me.  (Grin).  But hey, if you like dropoffs,
>> you should have the chance to do them.  Seriously, unless I live
>> somewhere (and I don't live in Morristown), it's kind of a waste
>> of my time to get totally oriented to the town.  Even if I did, I
>> won't be there for another ten years (I hope) and would have
>> forgotten everything anyway.  JMO, though.    Debby and Miss
>> Neena
>> 
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> 
> 
> -- 
> Raven
> "if God didn't make it, don't eat it." - John B. Symes, D.V.M.
> http://dogtorj.com
> 
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