[nagdu] guidedog and mobility skills

[Danielle Burton]

Hi everyone, I am a little late coming to this discussion but here's a slightly different situation. I am deaf-blind and I can use a cane but I travel best with a dog. Although I have only had a dog for 4 months I have experienced a significant amount of more confidence and  less stress when travveling. I have mild to moderate hearing loss and wear hearing aids in both ears. My hearing isn't always  a reliable source of information.  Therefore, re, when I'm in a situation where I can't hear like a noisy room or a place with loud machinery outside I am kind of freaked out by it. With my dog I am considerably more calm because I can tell my dog which way I want to go but also trust that she's going to get me around the things that I cannot hear and it calms me down. Yes, I'm still in control because I decide where to go but she guides me safely in that situation where before I would just stand and wait for someone to guide me because I was terrified of traveling when I could not hear. Yes, I agree that you should be able to problem solve and be able to get from one place to another safely before getting a dog. But when I travel with my dog I can actually get more auditory information because I'm more relaxed and not worried about finding everything like I did with a cane if that makes any sense.    

Danielle and Willa 


> On Oct 31, 2014, at 8:13 PM, Nicole Torcolini via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> No, you don't have to be the perfect traveler, but there are certain things
> that, JMHO, it is unreasonable to expect from a guide dog. There are people
> out there who do not have good mobility skills who think that getting a
> guide dog will magically solve everything.
> 
> Nicole
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: debby phillips [mailto:semisweetdebby at gmail.com] 
> Sent: Friday, October 31, 2014 8:55 AM
> To: Deanna Lewis; NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog
> Users; ntorcolini at wavecable.com; nagdu at nfbnet.org
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] guidedog and mobility skills
> 
> Well, I'm not always the sharpest tool in the drawer, not having the
> greatest sense of direction.  So you don't have to be perfect.  But you do
> have to be able to figure things out, or at least know the right questions
> to ask should someone offer to help.  And dogs can help.  After a dog has
> been with you a while they will often show you doors, even if they aren't
> the right door.  This helps a lot when going to an unfamiliar place, as
> happens from time to time.  But you do need to have fairly good skills.  But
> don't let anyone tell you that you have to be the 
> "perfect" traveler.  That's just not true.    Peace,    Debby and 
> Neena
> 
> 
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