[nagdu] Drop Offs

Darla djrogers0628 at gmail.com
Thu Oct 16 03:07:28 UTC 2014 

Hi Nicole,

At my first school, the area around it in which one could work safely was
fairly small; our instructor went in and out of alley; made U turns, etc.
etc.

I didn't have a scintilla of an idea where I was.  Suddenly, the wind blew
lightly, and I heard the palm trees--hoping they were the only ones around,
I made an executive decision about which way to go--and I was half a block
from the school, and my instructor was almost ticked off; he asked me how I
did it, and I told him.

Good orientation and paying attention to my environment, I'm thinking.

I think GDB has done several different ways of handling self-orientation,
but I remember most being dropped off in an area we had worked before; I
don't seem to remember a drop off at GDA, but they gave us a route--that
doesn't work well for me--in our "home neighborhood"--if you will--to route
and back to the lounge.

I simply don't commit things to memory I know I won't be using in 3-4 weeks;
I use my other skills to remember or find out where I am rather than
remembering useless info.

That's my story, and I'm sticking to it. <giggle>
Darla & Handsome Huck


-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Nicole Torcolini
via nagdu
Sent: Sunday, August 31, 2014 5:02 PM
To: 'Brandy Pinder'; 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide
Dog Users'; 'Julie J.'
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Drop Offs

GDB did not tell us to go to any specific stores, but they did take us to a
mall and let us do whatever we wanted, which was not a problem for me as I
had done the whole find your way to this store several times during my
orientation and mobility training. Back before GDB did the drop offs, they
used to give instructions on where to go. When they did do the drop offs,
though, it sounded as though it was either in a place that you had been
while on a route or very close to one. My friend received a dog from GDB
when they were still doing the drop offs, and it did not take her long to
figure out where she was.

Nicole

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Brandy Pinder via
nagdu
Sent: Sunday, August 31, 2014 8:24 AM
To: Julie J.; NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Drop Offs

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, IncR and America's VetDogsR, The
Veteran's K-9 Corps IncR Providing "Second uSight"R 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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